 A fast-paced, lively look at electric traction s influence on urban life. Streetcars, trolleys, interurbans, cable cars, elevated lines, subways, from horse-cars to modern light rail ... from the industry s 19th-Century origins, to its mid-20th Century decline, and the remarkable renaissance of electric transit from the 1980s as cities rediscover and reinstall the clean, quiet, safe, attractive and efficient people-moving technology that was allowed to wither into oblivion not that many years previously. There are memorable images, and rare and unusual footage of trolley and streetcar operations in many North American cities, and some from abroad. One sequence shows hot breakfast being prepared and served aboard a Dallas streetcar. The years of decline are especially poignant onscreen, with a bittersweet aura enveloping the film s portrayal of the gradual loss of once-prevalent traction lines. But there s new hope at the film s conclusion, with a look at the rebirth of urban electric transit. This film was seen in abridged form over the Arts & Entertainment Network and the History Channel.