The Terms "Traction Railroad" or "Traction Company".

[Anonymous]

Sometimes interurbans were called either a "traction RR" or a "Traction Co." Why? Does traction have a big part on interurbans? Or is is something else?

[Modelcar]

I can simply confirm of one: Johnstown Traction Co., in Pennsylvania....and it was made up of street running..."streetcars" and several out of town routes...that most would call "Interurbans". Can't help on why "traction" would be a 'big part" of Interurbans. The JTCo. ran both.

[Overmod]

"Traction" means 'electric traction' -- whether it's just "lingo" or has a more technical basis for its use, I don't know. Any company so described uses electric cars and locomotives, usually with overhead wire (but I don't think third rail is specifically ruled out). There's no specific reference to increased adhesion, better pulling, etc. (although Frank Sprague, who essentially invented MU operation as we know it, made up a list of advantages of distributed power that stressed rapid, less slipperier acceleration and other 'good things' that a multiplicity of powered wheels could provide...

[locomutt]

I think that falls into the same catagorey as "Railroad&Railway"[:)]

[Randy Stahl]

I like the Milwaukee Light Heat & Traction Co.
BTW Frank Sprague also invented the axle hung Traction motor that is in almost universal use today.
Randy

[bfsfabs]

The mind is idling right at the moment. A dangerous condition. Could it be that the phrase "Electric Traction" originated a loooong time ago to distinguish an electric powered street car from , say, a horse drawn street car, a cable powered street car, or a gravity powered street car, possibly even a "Steam Dummy" powered streetcar. I would presume the "Traction" part comes from the car's motion being produced by turning the wheels. As opposed to the motion being imparted via the traces from the horse's harness, or the cable in the slot in the street. "Somewhere" I can remember, dimly, reading the phrase "Steam Traction". Maybe it was in relation to Steam Tractors for agricultural/logging work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Duuhh, maybe to distinguish a steam tractor from a stationary steam engine.

Maybe an SW1000 is really a "Diesel Electric Traction" device ? An SP AC-12 a really big "Steam Traction Engine" ? Whatcha think ?

An attempt to discribe a UP turbine in this manner might lead to some humorous strings of words.

Language degrades/changes with use/missuse and familiarity. I don't know for sure, just guessing around in the dark.

Typin' at Ya,

[CShaveRR]

I think you're onto something, Lowell.

There is currently an Iowa Traction railroad; it's historically the Iowa Terminal, an interurban. Their IATR freight cars are all over the place.

So if you're a traction engine of any sort, you're capable of movement, or, more specifically, of pulling things. However, if you're in traction at a hospital, it's best not to move.

I need this vacation!

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

The above posting by bfsfabs is probably the correct answer since street railways generally converted from cable to electric power during the end of the Victorian era with its overly precise and florid language (see Lucius Beebe's writing).

Another example is Illinois Traction System, later known as the Illinois Terminal.

[Modelcar]

...I think it is a description from back early in the 20th century to ANY wheeled vehicle that may have been self propelled....The above example of moving from horse power to electric power in street running vehicles...[street cars..], etc....I think is exactly right. I have personal memory of certain business men owning threshing machines and they would pull them around the county to thresh farmers wheat, etc....and these devices were moved from farm to farm by a steam tractor called a "traction engine"....They were simply a steam engine in the form of a tractor. They would pull the threshing machine, a water tank, and maybe a wagon all in a "train" type movement. Once at the farm the machinery would be set up to thresh....and in so doing the traction engine would drive the threshing machine by a large and long leather type belt to a pulley on the machine. So I concur with others that "traction" in the discription context means it is self propelled by what ever means....

[oltmannd]

I think it most likely refers to propulsion from wheel/rail adhesion as opposed to cable, rack, horse or gravity.

[jchnhtfd]

Good heavens, Modelcar -- just how old are you? I thought I was getting on, but I have no personal memory of steam traction engines in useful work! By the time I started pitching hay, all our tractors were gasoline powered, and cranky devils they were, too!

[Modelcar]

...Well Jamie, how old is old....I don't know. Some days I feel pretty old. You can see a complete description of me in my bio...and a photo of just a few years ago. My memories of the above relating to traction engines relates back when I was quite young but even then I had a directed interest in "machinery" and probably payed close attention when such machines would pass through our small western Pennsylvania home town and out to various farms....I simply simply took noticed and remembered.

[Randy Stahl]

Modelcar: To go along with this Thread do you know what is left of the West Penn trolley lines, I would like to explore Pennsylvania soon and am looking for ideas. I want to see West Penn system, Lehigh Valley Transit, Lehigh & New England etc.
Randy

[Modelcar]

...Randy: Sorry, I have no personal knowledge of West Penn trolley lines....Wish I could help but can't on that one...But for anyone with general rail interest...western Pennsylvania reeks with transportation history including a lot of rail locations, both operating and in the past. If interested in some sites bring up Google and enter Johnstown tourist area....and I'm sure you will find all kinds of interesting places to visit in the general area....

[Modelcar]

PS...Randy...Check in Google: Trolley Museum in Washington, Pa., Gallitzin tunnels, Horseshoe Curve, Altoona railroad museum...[former railroad shops of mighty Pennsy]...Portage Railroad.....The flood museum in Johnstown...for starters. Also enter your question on: West Penn Trolley Line....there is info avail.

[vsmith]

Frank Sprague invented the axle hung truck mounted Electric Traction motor in the 1870's and spent the next 30 years perfecting it. The truck mounted rotating motor drove thru gears directly to the axle, creating "traction", its basically the same thing you will find under a DASH-9's truck. So just as the F119 Stealth Airplane is the *** great great grandchild of the Bicycle, the modern 6000hp diesel-electric locomotive is the mutant offspring of the humble streetcar.

The term "traction" as a company name had more to do with distinguishing the difference between a horse drawn trolley, a gas or steam trolley and an Electric motored trolley. Originally people feared the electric trolleys, and preferred the other types, but they had there drawbacks, steam dummy drawn trollies were noisy and spewed out ash and cinders, Gas powered units were very smelly, and horse drawn trollies were only as fast as a horse could walk. As the Electric motored trolley became more reliable, faster and more comfortable it became a very good drawing factor to advertise your line was a clean, fast, and comfortable "traction" trolley car line. No smoke, no gas fumes, no horse droppings or horse dropping over dead. That is why the term Traction became common to early trolley lines.

[Modelcar]

"Traction Cars"...that ran on city streets were a good place to put advertisments too. They could become rolling advertising signs...both inside and out.