Fort Collins Municipal Railway No. 22
El Paso County
The Fort Collins Municipal Railway No. 22 streetcar is an excellent example of the engineering advances of the Birney-model streetcars utilized in Colorado. It reduced both procurement and operating costs compared to previous designs and was the first wide use of steel frame and body construction rather than wood in streetcars.
Fort Collins Municipal Railway No. 22
It was also the first major application of what commonly became known as “deadman’s controls” in a street car. Although these features apply to the over 6,000 Birney cars produced by various companies, this car was the last Birney car to operate in North America and was the last streetcar to operate in revenue service in Colorado.