RailPictures.Net Photo: CATS 91 Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Gomaco Birney Streetcar at Charlotte, North Carolina by Marc Glucksman/River Rail Photo
Gold Line At Blue Hour. The sky was cloudless and bright as the sun set on July 25, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina while Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) 91 (Gomaco, 2004) was sitting at the CTC/Arena Station. The line opened on July 14, 2015. The three Gomaco built Birney Streetcar replicas (91-93) have been versatile in their short life, initially displacing an original restored Charlotte streetcar, and later operating on the Gold Line. Initially planned to share operations with modern vehicles, CATS/CityLynx instead ordered six Siemens S70 light rail cars that caused these three to be stored when construction on the extension started on June 3, 2019. The cars were sold and delivered to the Memphis Area Transit Authority with the intention of using them for service on the Riverfront Line, thus ending both the original and replica streetcar era in Charlotte, though as of mid-2023 they are still in storage.
