I wasn't a big fan of interurban history until I read the Classic Trains special issue on the same, the Summer 2013 issue. It was absolutely fascinating, and it's still available as a back-issue at $6.99. Start at the "Shop" on the masthead and follow from there. If you haven't read it trust me, you won't be sorry you bought it. That issue was one that never made it to the recycle bin or the mag rack at the gym. I've still got it.
And I'm with the others, I don't think we've seen the last of the interurban concept. Oh, it certainly won't look the way it did 80-plus years ago, but the idea as an efficient low environmental-impact people-mover still has it's merits.
People in places like Stuttgart, Germany, Basel, Switzerland, and Brussels, enjoy their automobiles, and auto ownership is as great as many parts of the USA. But they would not think of using them for commuting to the center of the city for work. But this is also true of Westchester County and southern Connecticut for those that work in New York City.
Thanks Dave. I was hoping the Calvary would arrive!
These systems and new one's will only expand. Public-Private partnerships will provide needed capital and improvements. Environmental, safety, congestion, convenience and other issues will ensure more and more of this.
Do you really think in 30, 40 or 50 years from now private vehicle's will be sitting around doing nothing in parking lots and driveways. New generations will look back at this time in amusement.
These new systems will not resemble the rickety and ill financed systems of old, only that they had the right kind of thinking. The revenge of the rails on GM et al, is coming.
Oh, and BaltACD- no worries, there will always be auto racing, car shows and recreation vehicles in private use.
Well, the South Shore shows every chance of surviving as a commuter and freight railroad; and the following light rail systems have all the essential characteristics of classic interurban lines, except in some cases downtown street runnign shared with rubber-tired traffic: Baltimore, St. Louis, Denver, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, and Los Angeles. These are more than simple suburban light rail lines, because they connect more than one downdown area that is in a separate muncipal government and is an employment area. So they provide an interurban, not just suburban service. Indeed, so does the South Shore today. Light Rail in many ways is a resurrection of the classic interurban.
Most interurban movements were single car affairs, and were efficently replaced by buses (for those who did not go to autos).
CSSHEGEWISCHUnless we go back to driving on two-lane gravel roads, the interurban railroad will remain quite dead. Many of these operations were financed on a shoestring and made little to no economic sense at the time they were built.
I won't hold my breath for the return to Interurban style operations. Most failed to compete with bus and automobile competition in the 30's - a time when both busses and autos were barely able to make a 100 mile or so trip without some kind of issues on roads that at best were marginally better than cow paths in good weather and likely to be all mud in bad weather.
Interurbans may have survived to the start of the Interstate system had they had a firm and solid financial footing - they didn't have that financial footing and for the most part failed prior to WWII.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Penny Trains Here's a place I'm hoping to visit this summer: the Northern Ohio Railway Museum: http://www.trainweb.org/norm/
Here's a place I'm hoping to visit this summer: the Northern Ohio Railway Museum: http://www.trainweb.org/norm/
Was there late last summer when they were working on the mile loop track to give them the opportunity to offer rides to the visitors. I too live in Northern Ohio, the trip was well worth it. I admire the dedication of these groups as they work through the struggles of financing to preserve a little history. Have fun.
No one knows the future and what is to come. The day will arrive when owning a car sitting in a parking lot all day while at work or in your driveway at home will become extinct. I can easily foresee a huge pool of driverless "uber " type vehicles that you order up on demand. An extension of that sort of thing points to light rail, modern, convenient, fast frequent service connecting urban centers all over the country.
Revitalization of light rail interurban type systems is already underway, somewhat reminiscent of the interurban era.
With exponential growth in artificial intelligence and robotics society will change dramatically. Perhaps private vehicles will be confined to recreation and somewhat costly, like a nice boat is today.
Country music will change too! Instead of crooning that your girlfriend is leaving you and then your truck breaks down it wil be your truck is leaving you and your girlfriend breaks down. Brave new world!
Unless we go back to driving on two-lane gravel roads, the interurban railroad will remain quite dead. Many of these operations were financed on a shoestring and made little to no economic sense at the time they were built.
Terrific stuff BaltACD. It will be back one day. It's just too sensible and smart.
Indiana Interurban Map
I lived for a while in Garrett and had always wonderd why the street set up across from our South facing house looked like it did ..... Indiana Interurbans is the answer...the 100 foot (or so) wide grass plot continuing South from in front of our house was the 'private right of way' for the line between Fort Wayne and Garrett, with the cars making a jog to run in the center of Cowan Street to the depot near the town center at King Street. Service operated from 1906 to 1937.
Penny TrainsHere's a place I'm hoping to visit this summer: the Northern Ohio Railway Museum: http://www.trainweb.org/norm/
Will be in Akron the July 1 weekend for a wedding - doubt I can find time to slip over to Seville.
Thanks Wanswheel- I feel better after listening to Dinah Shore..kind of restores my faith in things.
Penny- Nice choice. These things always turn out way better than you thought!
BaltACD- Wouldn't that be interesting with certain fixed years throughout time depicting the extent of the interurbans. Perhaps someone has done something along those lines.
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Has there ever been published a map of ALL the Interurban lines that existed at one time in the US?
On Long Island, the south shore of Long Island Sound is the north shore.
In the Chicago area, the North Shore generally refers to the suburbs along the Lake from Evanston to Waukegan. South Shore is a Chicago neighborhood generally south of Jackson Park to about 79th Street. Anything east of the state line is Northwest Indiana or the Dunes.
Miningman Thanks for that BaltACD- just love those old interurban clips...thinking we are lucky to even have them. What a great look into time. I hope in time we will come to our senses and rebuild every darn single one of them in the future. Hey I wonder, do the local folks stateside call the South shore of Lake Erie the North shore because it borders the Northern parts of the States. Up here in Canada we call the North shore of Lake Erie the South shore. Some tourist brochures and the marketing dept's for governments refer to it as "Ontario's South Coast". So the South shore is the North shore and the North shore is the South shore...get it? Yeesh!
Thanks for that BaltACD- just love those old interurban clips...thinking we are lucky to even have them. What a great look into time.
I hope in time we will come to our senses and rebuild every darn single one of them in the future.
Hey I wonder, do the local folks stateside call the South shore of Lake Erie the North shore because it borders the Northern parts of the States. Up here in Canada we call the North shore of Lake Erie the South shore. Some tourist brochures and the marketing dept's for governments refer to it as "Ontario's South Coast".
So the South shore is the North shore and the North shore is the South shore...get it? Yeesh!
Johnny
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