Trolley rail stairs are all over the city. They are made from recycled materials left over after the city’s trolley rail systems were demolished. Drawing by Thomas Horton. 2007.
The Trolley Rail Stairs are perhaps the most interesting of the lot. These stairs are built from the actual rails and concrete spacer slabs (that were between the rails) of the trolley rails that wound around Queen Anne and Seattle.
When the trolley lines were removed to make way for the bus and car traffic, a wise city engineer stockpiled the scraps and directed that they be repurposed for stair and retaining wall construction.
To this day Seattle still has a stockpile of old rails and concrete slabs.
From the side you can see the concrete slabs that make up the treads. (220). Photo by Thomas Horton. 2007.
Handrails are typically 2x6s. Some newer are extruded plastic. Photo by Thomas Horton. 2007.
On close inspection, you can see that care was taken in cutting the rails: the cut is always sloped away from the handrail (this one is 310). Photo by Thomas Horton. 2007.
Great use of resources and good looking stairs (this one is 307). Photo by Thomas Horton. 2007.
Stair 29. Notice the trolley rails have been augmented with additional lumber. Photo by Thomas Horton. 2007.
Looking straight down you can see the rail plain (this one is stair 41). Photo by Thomas Horton. 2007.
© 2010 Thomas Horton – Graphics & original qa.stairs.com content.