On Saturday evening, January 8, 2011, I rode a streetcar with good friends of mine from the River Market in Little Rock to a fine Italian Restaurant in North Little Rock called Ristorante Cảpeo.
The streetcar was full when it arrived at the River Market stop, but many got off there so we got some seats. The ride over the Arkansas River into North Little Rock was fun.

After the tasty meal, I went outside to see if I could see any approaching streetcar. By the time I got to the streetcar stop, I could see the streetcar's headlight in a maze of auto lights. I ran back inside the restaurant to tell my party that it was near. By the time everyone got outside, the streetcar was passing.

The route the streetcar takes from this restaurant is northbound on Main Street one block then turning left onto 7th Street, then goes one block to Maple Street where it turns south toward Little Rock again. Since we missed it at the Post Office stop, my friends and I decided to walk that one block to Maple Street and wait for it at a Maple Street Streetcar Stop. By the time we went that one block, we could see the streetcar's headlight already turning onto Maple from 7th. So we all RAN to the next stop on Maple Street and just barely got there before the streetcar did. That was fun and gave everybody some exercise to help burn the calories we consumed at the restaurant. When was the last time anyone ran to catch a streetcar? To have a group of 6 people running down a dimly lit street in a rural part of North Little Rock was an adventure and will be remembered for a long time.

Here is the River Rail webpage:
http://www.cat.org/rrail/

Here are some photos from that evening.


Waiting at the River Market Stop at 4:44 p.m. January 8.


My group of friends getting on the streetcar.


A bright sun was setting as the streetcar headed west on 2nd Street in Little Rock.


Crossing the Arkansas River on the Main Street Bridge at 5:13 p.m. You can see the Arkansas State Capitol in the center.


Getting off at the Post Office stop on Main Street in North Little Rock while others were ready to board.


The fine dining at Ristorante Cảpeo. Here's their website: http://www.capeo.us/  Note on their website that they say Free Parking ~ Trolley Stop #1.


After missing the streetcar at the Post Office stop after our meal was over,  we ran a couple of blocks to catch it on Maple Street. We barely beat the streetcar to the 4th and Maple stop, but all were enjoying the experience, especially the children.


View of the lighted Arkansas State Capitol as seen from the streetcar as it was crossing the Arkansas River back into Little Rock at 7:16 p.m.


Back at the River Market stop at 7:20 p.m. as another large group was preparing to get on. Saturday nights is one of the busiest times for the trolleys here.

It was a great time. If you're ever in the Little Rock area, you need to experience the River Rail Electric Streetcar system.

You may contact me by email - thundertrain@gmail.com - or by using this CONTACT FORM  - If you use the contact form, please be sure to type your email address correctly in the form, otherwise I can't respond. Also, please tell me the name or date of the webpage you're viewing so I can better answer your questions. You will also be asked to enter a sequence of letters and numbers to help me try to avoid spammers.  If you want to view more of my train pictures, click on: http://www.trainweather.com/sunday.html    You can also find me on FACEBOOK. If you want to become Facebook friends, send me a direct message when you send your friend request and tell me who you are. I try to  post these same photos and links on Facebook.