Talk:Trolley

Terminology
If 'a trolley is a kind of streetcar' as the 2nd para clearly stated, why not say so in the first para, rather than saying it is 'a common carrier ... rail vehicle that ... operates on a regular schedule, picking up and dropping off passengers when hailed', which applies to all streetcars, but misses the fundamental point of a streetcar, which is that it runs in the street.

Simplifying text on that basis. -- Chris j wood 23:43, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Merge this page with Tram


 * Tram, trolley, streetcar, and light rail, all share elements in common. There have been previous suggestions to merge some or all of these articles.  Why didn't it happen?  I think local parochialism is one of the reasons.  People are attached to whatever local name is used for this kind of vehicle, and insist that it is different than the other kinds of similar vehicles.  Additionally, there are complications over local instances, like Bostons Green Line (MBTA), called a subway, locally, when it uses streetcar/tram/trolley technology; and like London's Docklands Light Railway, which should probably be recognized as an instance of metro/subway.

Do not merge The term trolley has a specific meaning. It describes how a tram is powered. It is an equivalent term to cable car or conduit car &mdash; or even horsecar. These terms describe the power systems and they have separate articles. So this article should not focus on streetcars and how they are used, but instead, it should focus on the technology that is use to power trolleycars. It might well include a larger section on trolleybuses and explain what those two systems share. SDC 23:04, 10 October 2005 (UTC)

Trolley refers specifically to vehicles that make use of trolley poles, while a "trolley" (that runs on rails) can be considered a Tram, very few trams can actually be considered "trollies" because most use pantographs, and thus technically are not trollies. That is the word trolley describes very specific type of vehicle, and not just streetcars/trams in general. I don't know if that's a strong enough reason to keep the articles seperate but it is definately worth noting. User:K-111


 * If you live in a city where the vehicles use trolley poles, then they don't seem so rare. If you live in a city where the vehicles don't use trolley poles, then they do seem rare.  Here in Toronto our vehicles use trolley poles, but we call them streetcars.  Up until 15 or 20 years a few of the downtown routes used electrically powered buses with a pair of trolley poles.  We called them trolleybuses.  --  Geo Swan 03:36, 30 November 2005 (UTC)

merge One article is enough to cover streetcar, trolley and tram

 Please Merge The vehicle types are the same. The ONLY difference is how they pick up their electrical power.

Merge A trolley (outside America) is something in which people push their shopping around (see Trolley (disambiguation)). Therefore, within any article which refers to the word "trolley", the act of putting a wikilink on the word "trolley" would not clear up any possible confusion - unless it were linked to the "tram" article. A trolley, (according to the Tram article) is a type of tram, so it should be in that article and not one of its own. Mister Rogers, you've ruined the English language! -- Slumgum 19:09, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

Damn Brits taking everything over. --Archie Bunker

Merge if the difference is about how the various vehicles take on power, they should be together in the same article. Cornell Rockey 14:58, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Merge The term Trolley refers to any wheeled means of transporting anything in most cultures. The term Trolley was and is only used in the United States as a reference to a wheeled mass transit vehicle (Cable cars, Street cars, and most recently the San Diego Trolley). As this Website is meant to be an International resource, this causes confusion for those cultures for which a Trolley can refer to a handcart, Diesel bus, Stroller, Petrol Car, etc. Were this a local resource for North America, I'd say keep it as is.

Another usage Trolley is also "a device that carries electric current from an overhead wire to an electrically driven vehicle" Note that "Trolley Pole" may be a component of this device. In the picture at http://ham549.deviantart.com/art/Trolley-Drawing-150810290, the trolley proper (as used technically) is the circular shoe at the end of the pole that would contact an overhead wire. The trolley pole is what connects the trolley to the tensioning device on the roof of the car. In common usage, as noted by m-w, "Trolley" encompasses the entire mechanism. Trolley car is "a streetcar powered electrically through a trolley" See http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trolley under "Full Definition"

Rectapedia (talk) 13:49, 14 December 2015 (UTC)

No comment regard merge/no merge
The general information of this entry appears to be very good until it implies the name of the trolley wheel on the trolley pole derives from being "trolled" behind. A quick trip to Wiktionary finds no apparent correlation (aside from spelling) between the word trolley and troll. As others have noted in the discussion a trolley encompasses many objects that move and carry with the use of wheels.(see <> It should suffice to say that the trolley car derives its name from the trolley pole and the trolley pole from the trolley(wheel).       Perhaps a first step to the solution to the merge/no merge issue is to make the trolley page about the trolley(wheel) and then offer links to the various wheeled objects that have derived their name from the wheel.

Industrial trolleys
The term is also used in industry. I removed the following text from Tram, as it was a bit out of place there:


 * The word trolley is used to describe a trolley-like device running on elevated rails or suspended from a steel beam. This type of industrial trolley typically supports an electric hoist or dipping machine. They also are commonly mounted on a crane or gantry crane in shipyards or factories, or even a railcar repair shop. These trolleys run almost exclusively on railroad rail. If not, they are mounted on a steel bar track that functions exactly like railroad rail. Typical gauges are 6' or 6.5'. Another industrial trolley is a coil cart. These are ground-mounted trolleys that transfer steel coils from one place to another within a factory. These coil cart trolleys are always track mounted, whether it be rail, bar, or v-track.

If this can be expanded and verified, then an article should be started on Industrial trolley or similar. Pro hib it O ni o ns (T) 12:36, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

Trolley (German)
In German language Trolley (with capital letter) means


 * a rack and case on small wheels to serve drinks and snacks in a train.
 * a box or case or suitcase on small wheels, carrying tools of a craftman.

Pulling handle to be pulled out from the case bei one or two telescopic tubes.

Not yet included within the article:


 * a small suitcase on small wheels used by travellers, day- or week-commuters on bus or train. From 15 x 30 x 40 to 25 x 45 x 60 cm. Volume 12...120 litres. Versions with 2 wheels are pulled in tilt orientation, but such with 4 wheels upright. See: https://www.real.de/trolley/

There are versions more like a soft long bag e.g. for personal diving equipment (neoprene suit, fins, but excluding a heavy air cylinder)

--Helium4 (talk) 18:13, 22 October 2017 (UTC)


 * If those uses are only in German, then they belong at de:Trolley rather than here. Pi.1415926535 (talk) 04:26, 26 October 2017 (UTC)