A poet looks at the streetcars of Knoxville:
People go by; things go by....
A streetcar raising its iron moan; stopping, belling and
starting; stertorous; rousing and raising again its iron increasing
moan and swimming its gold windows and straw seats on past and past and
past, the bleak spark crackling and cursing above it like a small
malignant spirit set to dog its tracks; the iron whine rises on rising
speed; still risen, faints ; halts, the faint stinging bell; rises
again, still fainter, fainting, lifting, lifts, faints forgone:
forgotten.
Now is the night one blue dew.
From "A Death In the Family" by James Agee. This passage was even set to music by Samuel Barber as part of his song "Knoxville: Summer of 1915". Your IRM Classical Music Department recommends the recording by Eleanor Steber with the composer conducting.
Shades of Ray Bradbury's description of the Green Town trolley in "Dandelion Wine".
ReplyDeleteNot to be confused with "Knoxville Courthouse Blues" by Hank Williams Jr.
ReplyDeleteI think this streetcar is from Knoxville, Illinois. Agee's book was set in Knoxville, Tennessee.
ReplyDeleteNo, this car was definitely acquired from Knoxville, Tennessee, and moved in 1992. However, it was built in 1925, ten years later than the book is set.
ReplyDeleteThe move was chronicled in Rail & Wire issue 143, pages 4-6. See the IRM website if it's not in your library.
ReplyDeleteR. W. Schauer
There are exceptionally few of these out there.....the only other one I know of is in the East Tennessee History Museum. Do take care of this precious and classy piece of our history.
ReplyDeleteHunter
Knoxville, TN
Hunter: Don't worry, we intend to. Actually, there are two other streetcars from Knoxville in preservation. There is another body at Seashore in Maine. It's from the same order of cars as the ones you mentioned. But there is also the Perley Thomas Master Unit that later became #381 for the Waterloo Cedar Falls and Northern in Iowa. It's been restored and still operates (at least every Labor Day weekend) at Mount Pleasant. So that's by far the best remaining example of the Knoxville system.
ReplyDeleteI apologize for the delay in replying. We used to get email notification whenever anybody posted a comment, but that feature has disappeared. If I forget to check the inbox for comments that need moderation, they can wait there a long time. Sorry!
Thank you so much for the information! I am a transportation geographer doing research on the Knoxville system and how it shaped our city. I would enjoy speaking with you further or possibly arrange to come see the car!
ReplyDeleteIf you can leave an email I can use to get in contact with you I will ping one over.
Best,
Hunter S.
Knoxville, TN
Hello again, Hunter. Right now, of course, the Museum is closed to the public, but when we are able to open we'll let you know right here. In the meantime, you can always use the contact form at the bottom of the right hand column. I'm afraid I know next to nothing about the Knoxville system, but we'll be glad to arrange a visit to the car whenever you can get here.
ReplyDelete