From a small horsecar building firm established in 1868, the J. G. Brill Company grew to be a world leader in a rapidly evolving industry that at the time of the First World War was the fifth largest in the United States. Besides its very successful trolleys and other electric cars, Brill built horsecars, cable cars, streetcars, narrow-gauge and gas-propelled cars for railroads, and even buses. The Brill policy was to build whatever the customer wanted. No job was considered too small or too peculiar, which not only resulted in some delightfully wacky cars but gave Brill employees valuable experience and contributed greatly to their understanding of car building in all its varied aspects. As the transportation industry's motive power evolved from horse to cable to electric to gasoline, the Brill Company kept in step, gradually expanding their business, buying out trolley car builders in five states, and even establishing a plant in France. As they grew, they maintained their reputation for quality, to such an extent that when the company went out of business in 1944 its successor took the name for itself, becoming the ACF-Brill Motors Corporation. A fascinating variety of open, closed, convertible, and semi-convertible cars, propelled by horse, steam, cable, and electricity, parade through the pages of this book. These old cars have a hold on the affections of many, and hundreds of them have been preserved in museums throughout the world. Just about every type of Brill-built product mentioned here is represented in a railway museum somewhere. Appendix A lists many of the world's trolley museums and tourist trolley lines where Brill cars can be found, and gives a breakdown of cars built by the firm. Appendix B lists the trucks and specialities of the Brill company.