List of Traction to Diesel Roads

[markn]

I may be a bit off on this but.. is this any way close to what you are looking for?
http://www.npl.lib.va.us/history/history48.html
it was a railbus line into the late 40's then until about three to five years ago was a active freight line-it is currently inactive but intact/full crossing equipment etc-some talk of reviving it as a commuter line.
(the Norfolk Southern mentioned in the link was the original Norfolk Southern bought during the N&W/Southern pre merger dealings to get the rights to the name and the line is currently owned (was operated) by the "modern" NS)

[rtstasiak]

Live, from Western New York, here are a few more traction to diesel examples:

Lewiston & Youngstown Frontier RR  This traction line ran from Lewiston NY connections with the International Railroad (traction) and the New York Central Railroad to the Fort Niagara installation.  During the 1930s, L&YF gave up on electrical operation and turned first to 0-4-0 tank engines and then to a diesel critter as they made their way through WW-II and then postwar oblivion in the 1950s.  Hauled locally grown fruit out, coal and oil in, and a variety of military shipments.

Lockport Branch of The Erie (EL, Conrail)  This former International Railroad (traction) line ran from North Tonawanda, NY connections with the Erie Niagara Falls Branch and the NYC to Lockport, NY.  When traction operations ended in the late 1940s, the line reverted to being a dieselized Erie branch.  Traffic included chemicals delivered by switchback to the lower part of Lockport and general freight delivered to the upper part of town.  This line was partially abandoned during the Great Conrail Purge beyond North Tonawanda, NY; what remains is operated by CSXT today.

Niagara Junction Railroad  Originally a steam switching railroad to buffer trunk line railroads (NYC, ERIE, LV) from each other and to give Niagara Falls Industry multiline access, the Niagara Junction provided switching service to the electrochemical industry with coal burners.  One day, a visionary thought that the efficiencies of electric power might be harnessed on this switching railroad located in "The Power City."  The NJ  hung lots of wire and the South Side of Niagara Falls was filled with a dozen or so chunky Baldwin-Westinghouse steeplecabs.  The NJ was once owned by the Niagara Power Company (the electric company), but was later sold to the NYC, ERIE, and LV in the 1920s. 

The Junction wore out its older  engines during WW-II and modernized postwar with General Electric E-2-B centercab electrics.  All went well until the bankruptcy of its parent railroads and its assimilation into Conrail.  Big Blue actually ran this unique operation under catenary for a while and patched the little black GE's with new CR numbers and CR markings.  Around 1980, perhaps at the same time that ex-PRR electric freight was dropped elsewhere, the Niagara Junction was de-energized, stripped of its copper wire by contractors, its GE's were transferred, sold off, or scrapped, and the physical plant was rationalized.  Conrail and later CSXT SW1200s, SW1500s, and MP15s took over for the electrics. About half of the former NJ trackage remains in operation today.

Rich

[Bob-Fryml]

Adding to your list....

Salt Lake, Garfield and Western with service between the west side of Salt Lake City and Saltair Pavilion located maybe 15-miles (?) west of town.

Aurora, Elgin, and Fox River Electric which went from overhead trolley wire to diesel (from the I.C. connection at Coleman, Ill to the Illinois State Hospital in South Elgin, Ill.), but this line is electrified (if somewhat truncated) today as the Fox River Trolley Museum.

Woodstock & Sycamore (I'm not sure if I have the complete name here).  This northern Illinois line had big plans to electrify, but the closest they came to that goal was a petroleum-fueled McKeen car or two.

The Milwaukee Electric with service to one of the Wisconsin Electric power plants south of Milwaukee, but very close to Lake Michigan.  Trolley wire and steeple cabs powered this line for awhile after the TM gave up passenger service, but I think it may have gone diesel afterwards.

Yakima Valley Transportation in southeastern Washington State.

Might the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis qualify? 

[wallyworld]

I am familiar with this one. Here's a link to some information on it as well as some photos. Sorry.... but I haven't mastered activating links as of yet.

http://www.trainweb.org/indianashortlines/SIND.htm

[daveklepper]

The only remaining rail remnant of the Indiana Railroad ("The Magic Interurban, not the current diesel freight hauling regional) is, if still running as it was iin 1991, the Southern Indiana Railroad. located around Jeffersonville, Indiana.   The interurban built some siding track to handle the freight business of a cement comapny, and this track and connections to the steam railroads, both PRR and B&O were still in service in 1991 and may still be.  The wire came down in 1947, with the arrival of two GE 44 tonners.   I imagine they been replaced by now if this operation is still in business.

[JonathanS]

You should add Chicago, South Shore & South Bend to the list.  While the passenger is still electric all of the freight has been diesel hauled for quite a few years.

[daveklepper]

The CERA book, THE INDIANA RAILROAD, THE MAJIC INTERURUBAN, discusses several short line and industrial operations that took over small parts of the interurban.  All continued with electric power for a while, but at least one dieselized and one may still be operating.

[Anonymous]

I can't really help you here, but it looks like you've been given the info you were looking for.

[wallyworld]

Thanks for the assistance and the e-mails in compiling a first attempt at a comprehensive list. In retrospect, I was somewhat surprised by the amount of roads that were converted over to diesel power. One way to get a central focus on this subject is to see if there was a general set of motive power choices that were preferred due to light rail capacity et al. I was surprised also by the possibility that according to one reference, The Winona RR used propane (!?) power. This part of the post-interurban story is an important part of that industry's history. Contrary to popular perception, they did not all go gently into that good night. The interesting portion of the story is just how resouceful they were. Thanks again for all the help.

[artpeterson]

Also add Sand Springs to the list.

[joseph2]

Add the Winona RR in Indiana.    

[daveklepper]

You can add the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley (Laural Line) to the list. They also ran diesel freight after ending the electrification which followed abandonment of a good passenger service with hourly service and two-car trains during rush hours.  Part of the line has been restored and re-electrified as part of the Electric City (Scranton) Musuem operation which does serve a transportation need in transporting people from downtown Scranton to the local baseball field and which includes a tunnel.   The Laural Line was mostly third rail, with the exceptions being the Willsbarre end and the single-track South Scranton branch, but the museum operation is conventional trolley wire.   The car in use is a double-end heavy center-door car from Philadlephia Suburban - Red Arrow converted from wide to standard gauge.  Its right by Steamtown.

 

The interurban cars used by Laural Line were steel mu cars much like those on any electrified suburban railroad, but with trolley poles, not pantographs, as well as the third rail shoes.   There was a loop at each, so the cars were setup for single-end operation, but with backup trolley poles.   Color was closed to Pennsy Tuscan red, but if my memory is correct, white lettering.   It was a fast operation.   When I rode it several times, there were still four local trolley lines operating in Scranton, Nay Aug Park, South Scranton, Green Ridge Peoples and Green Ridge Suburban, and the Nanicoke trolley line still ran south from Willksbarre with a branch and shuttle car to Hanover, the junction being close to San Souci amusement park.   Scranton had ten of the somewhat modern looking Osgood Bradley "automotive" design lightweight cars, similar to Brill "Master Units", and the rest of the cars, and those in Willksbarre, were regular-looking double-truck lightwieghts.   Blue with white trim and lettering in Scranton, and brown with red and white trip in Willksbarre.

[artpeterson]

Can't help you immediately on the "why" question for BRR, but the BRR RS1 was around when electrified freight and passenger service was still running (summer of 1950).  There are some other examples similar to this, CCW had a non-electric (can't immediately recall if it was a diesel- or gas-electric) switcher on the property at the same time that it was still running electric-hauled freight service.

In the realm of other electrified carriers that dieselized, there's also Salt Lake Garfield & Western (can't recall if this was on your original list, or not).

[wallyworld]

I read it quite awhile ago. I live in a mostly rural county in NC., so the library choices are slim.That's a good suggestion. I'll try Amazon for a used copy. Thanks

[nanaimo73]

Have you seen this book-

Hilton, George W. & Due, John F. (1960, 2000). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4014-3.

You may be able to get it through an Interlibrary loan.

[wallyworld]

CSSHEGEWISCH,
Thank you for the list of addition roads. That brings the total to 23. If I could bother you further, can you give me some idea of the Bamberger decision to dieselize? I am familiar with it's passenger role, but have no idea as to what industries it served or, for that matter, the date of conversion and \ or, if it is still in operation. The same applies to D&CI. I think it was dieselized around 1955(?) Thanks Much.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Some additions:

Bamberger,

Des Moines & Central Iowa,

Sacramento Northern,

Central California Traction,

Tidewater Southern,

Visalia Electric,

[wallyworld]

I am in the process of researching interurban roads that converted to diesel powered operations for a possible article. I avoided mainline electrifications aka Milwaukee Road etc, or roads that contemplated but did not convert to diesel power like the CA&E. So far, I have compiled a list of 18 roads. Can anyone add a road that I missed? Thanks in advance for the help.
Here is the list;

Oregon Electric,
Houston North Shore,
Fort Dodge DesMoines and Southern,
Pacific Electric,
Illinois Terminal,
Piedmont and Northern,
Fox and Illinois Valley,
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City,
Jamestown Westfield and Northwestern,
Baltimore and Annapolis,
Springfield Terminal,
Aroostook Valley,
Southern Indiana,
Waterloo Cedar Falls and Northern,
Minneapolis Anoka and Cuyuna,
Arkansas Valley Interurban,
Tulsa Salupa Union.