Century-old Webb City streetcar rolling again after being sidelined during pandemic

The No. 60 streetcar, built in 1916, is rolling again around King Jack Park in Webb City, Missouri, after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

King Jack Park probably is best-known for its Praying Hands Memorial on the north side of the grounds.

The Southwest Missouri Electric Railway trolley runs on the park’s 1.1-mile track the first and third Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon during the summer.

According to an article in the Joplin Globe, the streetcar that was built in St. Louis was used around the region’s Tri-State Mining District in the early 1900s.

More about the streetcar’s history:

In 2017, the streetcar went through a major renovation, giving it a new drive system paid for and designed by employees of Watco Companies, the railroad-based operation in Pittsburg, Kansas.
The renovation solved a major issue with unreliable propulsion systems with a custom-designed and built diesel-electric pusher system.
The group sold the trolley to the city in 2016 and Webb City helps them maintain the track and train and helps by providing insurance for the entire program.

The streetcar typically gets a boost in readership when the Webb City Farmers Market opens for the season.

Here’s a brief video from nearly 11 years ago of the trolley departing:

The park is just south of the 1956-1972 alignment of Route 66 in Webb City and just a few blocks south of the original Ozark Trail alignment of 66 that runs through downtown.

(Image of streetcar No. 60 via the Webb City Parks and Recreation Department website)

One thought on “Century-old Webb City streetcar rolling again after being sidelined during pandemic

  1. Beautiful. I hope they protect it properly, so it doesn’t wind up torched or vandalized (Galena, Sapulpa).

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