Leslie J. Dean This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. www.philly.com

   www.philly.com/philly/news/200 - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/18/2007   Last Visited: 6/18/2007

   Trolleys reached their peak at the beginning of the 20th century, but a "double whammy" hit the industry in the 1930s, said Leslie Dean, National Railway Historical Society librarian.
   
   Not only was the country in the thick of the Great Depression, but the mass production of the automobile, the paved road and the rubber tire had begun, Dean said.
   
   "People who didn,t have jobs weren,t taking trolleys and people who did have jobs were taking cars," he said.
   
   Several other factors played into the decline of the street car, including a sentiment in the 1940s that they,d become outmoded.
   
   "There was definitely a perception in the ,40s that anything dated before 1940 was old and streetcars fell in that category," Dean said.
   
   By the 1970s, only seven cities in the nation - including Philadelphia - were running trolleys, according to the Light Rail Now Web site.
   
   Today there are 30 trolley systems in North America, with more to come, according to the American Public Transportation Association,s Heritage Trolley Web site.
   
   The reincarnation of trolleys, trams and streetcars into what is now known as "light rail transit," is blurry.
   
   Dean said the resurgence began in 1981 when San Diego opened a line to the Mexican border.
   ...
   Dean said he,s heard that argument before and was bitten with the counter argument that, "Pollution occurs somewhere in the process since electricity has to be produced to move the cars."
   
   "I say that having the pollution occur where the power is generated and where there is a lot more control is better than having it generated over 12 to 15 miles of route," he said.

2. 2. National Railway Historical Society - NRHS

   www.nrhs.com/nrhsconv/2003conv - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/1/2003   Last Visited: 5/17/2008

   NRHS members Ray Cooney, Les Dean and Pat Purcell enjoy dining with other members of the NRHS and R&LHS at the banquet.

3. 3. Philadelphia Chapter National Railway Historical Society

   www.nrhs.com/chapters/philadel - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/11/2000   Last Visited: 8/11/2000

   Vice President : Leslie J. Dean 410 E Hinckley Ave Apt 30 Ridley Park PA 19078-2505