By STAN STAPP

When I was a kid I was crazy about streetcars, mainly because my Dad had never driven a car and we were dependent on streetcars for transportation. But I had "my own streetcar" - handy on the front porch of our Wallingford home at 4203 Woodlawn Ave. N.

It consisted of an orange crate turned on end (a wooden box, longer than an apple box, but with two compartments) - with a crank handle like the motorman on the real streetcars had, and a "signal" rope dangling from the porch ceiling. I was the motorman, my young friends were the riders, and a rock served as a car token. As the kids seated themselves on a picnic table bench I pulled on the rope twice, calling out "DING-DING" loud enough to advise any pedestrians to get out of the way.

When my family rode the real streetcars it was usually: Wallingford (the No. 18), Meridian (No. 22), or Green Lake (No. 20). The Green Lake was the best car, being lower slung and quieter than the others - purring as it moved along.

Most streetcars had their own personality. For instance, several of them would squeak as they negotiated the curves at N 34th and Wallingford, N 45th and Wallingford, N 45th and Meridian - until the day when a greaser would show up, walking along the tracks with a pail of grease and a dauber, and greasing the curved track as he walked along - quieting the squeaking wheels for awhile.

And there was one particular car that if you sat on one of its long narrow seats, the boards would tighten up and pinch your bottom as the car rounded a corner.

The Rainier Beach cars (a private line I believe) had a lot of gum machines mounted on the walls in-between many of the seats. The kids really liked the convenience of that, and would beg a penny from their folks to get a stick of gum.

The Stapp family's most common Sunday destination was the beach at Golden Gardens - via three streetcars (transferring twice). We carted our lunch in a picnic basket covered with a white dishtowel.

When I was older I sometimes rode the Green Lake car to the Green Lake Fieldhouse in order to attend the Lincoln High PTA monthly dances.

In the '30s, I recall Vic Meyers, a well-known dance band leader who, as a gag, ran for Mayor of Seattle and, among other promises, "would provide streetcars late at night with hostesses serving cocktails and cracked ice." But he didn't make it past the primary election, finishing sixth in a field of 10.

Vic didn't give up, though, and next election decided to run for Governor. But when he filed for office, he learned that the filing fee was $60 - and he didn't have that amount of cash on him. So he asked: "Don't you have something cheaper?" They did: "Lieutenant Governor, a bargain for just $12." So Vic filed for that office - and this time not only won, but was reelected four more times.

Years later, while he was still in office, I recall attending a weekly newspaper conference with Carl Bengtson, the Outlook's advertising manager, at which Vic showed up, glad-handing everyone who was handy. He put his arms around Carl and me, and someone took our picture. As you know, Seattle and King County citizens have been wrestling for years over what type of transportation we should be providing: Light Rail, Monorail, Elevated Rail, more buses, etc. The arguments were generally negative: "Where are we going to get the money to pay for it?" "It could take 20 years to reach Northgate." "We'll be dead before Light Rail reaches Everett." "It will stop a MILE SHORT of the airport!" "Our children will look at our pitiful production and laugh at us: 'You expect us to use THIS?'"

Meanwhile our sister city, Portland, has added streetcars to its transportation system, making Portland the first city in the nation to bring back streetcars after having phased them out years ago. The brand new cars are quiet, air-conditioned, Czech-built, 66-foot models operating over a 4.8-mile loop - connecting Downtown with Portland State University, the Pearl District, and the Northwest/Nob Hill shopping/restaurant neighborhood area. Portland ordered seven cars and has several already running, with the rest due in service by midyear 2002.

Maybe Seattle should check this out.

And then there was the Elevated Rapid Transit System which was considered quite some time ago, 75 years in fact. A drawing of the proposed Rapid Transit System was originally printed in the May 20, 1926 Wallingford Outlook. An article accompanying the drawing read:

"ELEVATED SYSTEM PLAN SUBMITTED. Above is shown a unit of the projected rapid transit system planned to relieve Seattle's problem of traffic congestion. This view shows the Pike Street portal, where the sub-surface division, which begins at the Fremont and Eastlake bridges, ends at Pike Place.

"From this portal, as is shown in the sketch, the rapid transit system connects with the elevated, which continues south on Western avenue to the elevated trestle already constructed on Railroad avenue (now known as Alaskan Way) up to Washington street, thus providing continuous service to Georgetown and Youngstown. The Western avenue elevated is a part of the first unit of the general plan submitted by the Rapid Transit committee of the City Planning commission.

"A subsequent unit will be a subway under 3rd or 4th avenue from Yesler way to Pike street. The first unit represents the shortest distance, and the elevated section will cost one-fourth per lineal foot of the subway construction costs. The sketch shows a rapid transit car entering and leaving this portal on the Western avenue elevated."

Thus Seattle at least considered streetcars years ago, and Portland actually acquired an affordable system this year. Maybe if Seattle can't find the money for a larger Sound Transit system we'll have to settle on a smaller one with old-fashioned streetcars - and perhaps an orange crate if we can find one.

But, what the heck, you have to admit those old streetcars WERE kind of cute. But I guess that decision will be up to our new mayor. Good luck! and DING! DING! (