Along the east coast a large-scale electric street railway system known as the Richmond Union Passenger Railway was built by Frank J. Sprague in Richmond, Virginia, and was operating by February 2, 1888. The Richmond system had a large impact upon the burgeoning electric trolley industry.rior to 2001, the new streetcar systems that opened in North America for public transit were so-called heritage streetcar systems, alternatively known as vintage trolley or historic trolley lines.