This mode of transportation, the trolley, was most often referred to as the Streetcar and was operated by the Columbus Railway Power and Light Company. They ran on tracks and were powered by overhead electrical wires. Note in the piece of art the long pole leading from the trolley to an overhead electrical line.

Trolley – Bexley Line, 1910-1948
by Edie Mae Herrel

Image (c) Bexley Historical Society

Although this electric trolley service began in Columbus in 1888, it did not reach the Village of Bexley until 1910. The service initially ended at East Main Street and South Drexel Avenue. The route was extended in succeeding years.

Trolley No. 514 is one of the early trolleys that served Bexley. Standing on the step is the motorman, Fred W. Fenneken; standing on the ground is the conductor, unidentified in this photograph.

Image courtesy Bexley Historical Society

By 1948, electric trolleybuses replaced the streetcars, and the tracks were removed from the streets. Gradually, the trolleybuses were replaced by diesel fueled buses and by 1965, Columbus and the surrounding suburbs had only buses.

Written by Nancy Beck
July 2026

All artwork and images (c) Bexley Historical Society 2026.

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