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There are also British/American English differences here.  My American Heritage dictionary (from 2000) says that "tram" is "chiefly British" for streetcar. I also remember growing up hearing my grandmother talking about how much she missed the "trolleys" (never "tram" or "streetcar") we had until the 1950s in my home town. (Today some of them have been converted into bike and hiking paths; since they don't follow streets, I can see why it would have been strange to call them "streetcars.") These days the only time most Americans see "lightrail" is at airports, and "tram" seems to have won out over the other terms, at least at these venues.
by Matt in NYC on Tue Dec 12th, 2006 at 09:05:29 AM EST
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The use of "trolley" for rail vehicles is very strange to my ears, as it is used for electric road vehicles here.



*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Tue Dec 12th, 2006 at 09:40:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]
What some Americans would call "trolley buses" -- if they have any word at all for these strange contraptions. I notice that American writers (of guidebooks and the like) have a hard time describing these, even when they find them in familiar places like Boston. But "trolley bus" makes sense to me: in America these were mostly transition vehicles from old trolley/tram rail lines to regular gas-powered buses.
by Matt in NYC on Tue Dec 12th, 2006 at 10:04:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Here, a few years ago, someone in the Budapest major's office had the 'great' idea to replace trolley buses with gasoline buses, but it was called off amid protests from all quarters. A one or two years later, the major showed that he 'learnt from it' when new trolley buses were ordered.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Tue Dec 12th, 2006 at 10:12:08 AM EST
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