NOPSI 830 on Bourbon at St. Peter, 1947. (Courtesy the Thelma Hecht Coleman Memorial Collection, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries)

NOPSI 830 on Bourbon at St. Peter, 1947. (Courtesy the Thelma Hecht Coleman Memorial Collection, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries)

This is a great image of an 800-series arch roof streetcar. Running on the Desire line, 830 is at Bourbon and St. Peter. The LOUIS record says it’s a photo shot for LIFE magazine in 1958. but there’s a problem with that. The Desire line transitioned to bus service in 1948!

To focus on the actual date of this image, let’s look at the ad on the streetcar. NOPSI 830 celebrates the 25th anniversary of WWL-AM Radio (870). The station was founded in 1922, so its 25th was in 1947.

The story of the Desire line is fascinating, and will be the subject of our next NOLA History Guy Podcast.

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