Sioux City Iowa EL train?

[anglecock]

It seems that this little city was a bustling metropolis that justified its own EL train that ran for 3 miles thru the city to Morningside

[Enzoamps]

That is interesting.  I find it happened in 1880s though.

[rcdrye]

Sioux City's early transit system consisted of horescars, cable cars and the steam operated El.  Like many such early systems, Sioux City's was built with rosy financial expectations that, to say the least, didn't materialize.  Some of the cable cars were directly replaced with electric streetcars, but the El, which went from somewhere to nowhere in particular, was most valuable as scrap.

[daveklepper]

Any pictures and/or data available?

[rcdrye]

Here's a good overview and photo. 

https://www.siouxcitymuseum.org/history-website/transportation-elevated-railway  

Both the El and the Cable system were built with development of suburban areas in mind.  While reasonably successful at opening up suburbia, the traffic generated didn't cover the construction debt of either system. 

[anglecock]

Seems that there was a May 1986 artical in Model Railroader by Paul Chicoine called Sioux City Rapid Transit a railroad that you can model http://historyculturebybicycle.blogspot.com/2013/02/sioux-city-elevated-railway.html  comes complete with photos and history. The EL in Sioux City actualy predated the Chicago EL by a few years

[anglecock]

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1kT0FCz8_uQ5Wssyp-BMm4YdjW_M&ll=42.47653257669366%2C-96.37081025474974&z=14

[Joseph Frank]

Hello Dave

Here are some photos in my collection of the Sioux City, Iowa,  Elevated Line built in the late 1800's that I have collected thru the years on this line --- which I have known about since the 1960's.  Dave, DO NOT at all, edit-tweak-tamper with ANY of these photos and then repost here or distribute them elsewhere that way.  Thanks !! -  Joe F 

 

 

[daveklepper]

Joe, I'll certainly honor your request.   Now if one photo was of a Broadway-42nd Street Huffliner that I had ridden many times....

And deepest thanks for collecting, saving, and posting those photos.  And I'm certain ther readers agree.

[Joseph Frank]

Hello Dave

I figured you (and the others on this thread here) would much enjoy these photos !  To think that the city of Sioux City and the transit company built such a then-extensive transit line to have it last so little in operation.  I guess they could really haved use it in past decades and presently, with electrification,  with expansion (and double tracking the lower line all the way to Morningside terminal).  Even as possibly only a streetcar line re-use, (like N.J.'s Hoboken elevated) - as you can note that all the EL stations had low level station platforms with open end "EL" style cars with steps at their open platform ends. 

Regards  Joe F

[anglecock]

Wide Gauge??

[rcdrye]

Except for the four foot gauge horse car lines all of the Sioux City lines, cable, electric and elevated, were standard gauge.  The horse lines that were electrified were standard gauged, with a period of dual-gauge track.  After consolidation a ramp was built from the elevated down to street level to allow cars to get closer to the city center.

The Sioux City El was electrified with overhead wire.  While it was the first electrified El in the US, it wasn't the first with third rail.  That honor goes to the Intramural Railway at the World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago.  Liverpool's El used the UK-style side and center rail system.