Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry deZeng
"............Tramlines"..................
I'm guessing here, but "tramlines, trolleys and Straßenbahnen" are different words for the same thing, i.e., streetcars. The Brits use "tramlines"(?), the Yankee doodles use "trolleys" and "streetcars", and the Germans use "Straßenbahn". I've been on all of them except for the British "trams" because the tube and the London double-decker buses were more fun. 
L. |
The reference you quote certainly makes sense in context but the rarer forms of British public transport need explanation! A tram (or tramcar) runs on rails (tramlines) set into the road surface and draws its power from overhead electric cables — since they stopped using horses, anyway. These have always operated in Blackpool and have been reintroduced in e.g. London and Manchester. A trolleybus (sadly no more) took power from overhead cables but did not run on rails; apart from the gear on the roof, it looked like a normal double decker, as best I can remember.