Interurban Lines in Wisconsin & Illinois

Interurban Electric Lines in Wisconsin

and Illinois.

BY GEORGE A. DAMON.

While a record of the progress being made in any art is always of value, there are few such records which will show a more healthy growth at the present time than a current history of electric-railroad building.

The two accompanying maps, showing the states of Wisconsin and Illinois, indicate the progress being made toward extending interurban electric lines over large portions of both these states. The scene of greatest activity at present appears to be the northern part of Illinois and the southern part of Wisconsin. In preparing these maps it will be noted that the relative size of the cities and larger towns has been indicated, so that the comparative possibilities of the various propositions can be studied from a passenger-traffic point of view.

In indicating the lines which are proposed but not actually under construction an effort has been made to select the companies which have made some considerable progress toward securing their rights-of-way and also toward financing their enterprises. Many of these proposed lines have points of ad-vantage which will sooner or later merit sufficient financial backing to enable them to be completed.

The maps also indicate the main waterways, and a glance will show how the locations of most of the important towns have been influenced by the rivers. In Illinois the waterpower sites along the Fox River, the Rock River and the Mississippi attracted early settlers, and the towns so started have naturally grown into cities of considerable manufacturing importance. In Wisconsin, also, the facilities for lumber traffic along the inland lakes and rivers determined the location of early settlements and gave the river towns considerable advantage. The electric railway, therefore, is naturally found very early in its growth picking its way along the banks of the waterways, bringing closer together the people of neighboring populous districts and furnishing a convenient means of reaching the many recreation resorts along the rivers and among the lakes.

Interurban Electric Railways in Wisconsin.

The second natural development of the electric line has been the gradually increasing sphere of influence of the city systems as they have been built out from the larger cities into suburban districts and to surrounding towns. The fact has often been demonstrated that an electric line will create a large share of its business, and it is an interesting study to note how each extending system gradually takes longer and longer steps to reach small towns and villages which a number of years ago would hardly have been considered large enough to add to the net earnings.

The high-speed line operating between cities of the larger magnitude now appears as the third step in the development of interurban electric-railway service. This type of road naturally finds a larger field in the more thickly populated sections of the eastern states, but there are a number of cities in Illinois and Wisconsin so located as to justify the investment necessarily connected with an enterprise of this character.

WISCONSIN.

Milwaukee, the metropolis of Wisconsin, is the only city in the state that can be said to be the center of a network of interurban electric lines. The transportation systems in and about Milwaukee are owned by the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company (17). Branches of this system extend to North Milwaukee, to Wauwatosa, to Waukesha and Pewaukee Lake, and south through the city of Racine to the city limits of Kenosha. The entire system comprises 240 miles of track. Extensions are now being made to Oconomowoc — a summer-resort district of considerable note, and no doubt this line will be carried to Watertown within a short time.

The city system of the Kenosha Electric Railway Company (6) is owned by a company independent of the interests operating the Milwaukee city system and also of the company which owns the road running south of Waukegan, Ill. The 16 miles between Kenosha and Waukegan are yet to be spanned before it will be possible to make a 90-mile ride by electric lines between Milwaukee and Chicago.

Janesville, which now has a city system, is the present northern terminus of the Rockford, Beloit and Janesville Railroad (13) — an interurban system 34 miles in length, serving the territory along the headwaters of the Rock River. An extension of this system will eventually make possible an electric-railway connection between the state capital (Madison) and Chicago.

A number of different railway organizations serve the cities and territory along the shores of Winnebago Lake. Starting at Fond du Lac on the south, the Fond du Lac and Oshkosh electric railway (3) connects the two cities from which it derives its name. This system rents its power from the Fond du Lac Street Railway and Light Company, and is practically controlled by the same interests. In Oshkosh the Winnebago Traction Company (17) operates the city system, which has been extended to Omro on the west and to Menasha and Neenah on the north, making a system of some 40 miles of track. The Omro branch will eventually be extended to Berlin. In Appleton, the system is owned by the Wisconsin Traction, Light and Power Company (18), which also controls the city lines in Menasha and Neenah and the branch extending north to Kaukauna. The lines of the Fox River Interurban Railroad (5) are now under construction to connect Kaukauna to the system of the Fox River Electric Railway and Power Company (4), which operates in Green Bay and vicinity. Eventually all of these lines along Winnebago Lake will probably be connected into one system.

There are a number of isolated lines through the state connecting contiguous cities. Superior is connected to Duluth by the Superior Rapid Transit Railway Company (15). Hurley and Ironwood are served by the Twin City General Electric Company (16), Eau Claire is connected to Chippewa Falls by the Chippewa Valley Electric Railroad Company (2), which owns 22 miles of track. The Manitowoc and Northern Traction Company (10) runs to Two Rivers. The Sheboygan Light, Power and Railway Company (14) operates 20 miles of road, including an extension to Sheboygan Falls. This company as been reorganized recently, and is now building an extension to Plymouth. The Marinette Gas, Electric Light and Street Railway Company (11) crosses the river and the state line to Menominee, Mich., and will in time extend southwest to Oconto. From Harvard, Ill., the Chicago, Harvard and Geneva Lake Railway (1) serves the southern shore of Lake Geneva. At La Crosse the La Crosse and Onalaska Street Railway Company (7) owns a short line connecting the two places. At this place an interurban system of some length is being constructed by the La Crosse and Southern Railroad Company (8), extending through Vernon County to Viroqua, the county seat.

There are many other lines proposed, but few companies have perfected their organizations or secured their rights-of-way. Fond du Lac promises to become a center. The Wisconsin Rapid Transit Company (19) proposes to build between Fond du Lac, Waverly Beach and Chilton. The Madison and Northwestern Railroad Company (9) contemplates a line from Fond du Lac to Madison. The Wisconsin River Valley and Power Company (20) has been incorporated to build a line connecting Merrill, Wausau, Scofield, Mosinee, Knowlton, Stevens Point and Plover.

ILLINOIS.

Chicago, with its population of two million, is naturally the center of a number of suburban systems. On the South Side the South Chicago City Railway Company (31) extends its system across the state line to Hammond and Whiting, Ind. The Chicago Electric Traction Company (6), which was for a number of years operated with storage-battery cars, connects with the city systems at several points and serves Blue Island, Harvey and Morgan Park. On the West Side the Suburban Railroad Company (33) carries considerable traffic between La Grange, Riverside and Berwyn, and city connections. The lines extending to Oak Park, Maywood, Jefferson and Evanston and other suburban towns in the immediate vicinity of Chicago have been consolidated with, and are really an integral part of, the city systems and now participate in the benefits of a transfer arrangement.

Interurban Electric Railways in Illinois.

There are three interurban lines of some length extending out of Chicago. The Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway Company (8), which is owned by the American Railways Company of Philadelphia, combines the city system of Joliet and the line connecting Lockport, Romeo, Lemont, Willow Springs and Summit with Chicago. This line is located insight of the famous Drainage Canal for nearly its entire length. Two terminals for this system are now provided — one at Archer Avenue with the Chicago City system and the other at Riverside with the Suburban Railroad. This road derives its supply of electric energy from a waterpower plant operated by the Economy Light and Power Company at Joliet, which utilizes the water of the Drainage Canal.

Extending directly west from the Forty-eighth Avenue terminus of the Metropolitan West Side elevated railway is the high-speed line of the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railway Company (3). This road represents the most advanced practice in electric-railroad building. It is equipped to operate multiple-unit trains over a fenced private right-of-way. It is provided throughout nearly its entire length with a third-rail conductor, and its timetable shows a schedule speed of nearly 40 miles an hour. The line consists of double track from Chicago to Wheaton, with single-track branches from this point to Aurora and to Elgin, as well as on another division running to Batavia, where is located the model powerplant of the road upon the Fox River. The other towns served by this system are Oak Park, River Forest, Maywood, Melrose Park, Elmhurst, Lombard and Glen Ellyn.

The third interurban line with Chicago connections is the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad (9). This road was the first interurban road to be built in the vicinity of Chicago and also has the distinction of being one of the first electric lines in the country to be operated by means of rotary-converter sub-stations connected to one main steam-power plant by means of a high-tension transmission line. The name of the road indicates a through connection with Milwaukee, but, as a matter of fact, the present terminus is Waukegan — a city 40 mile north of Chicago. The intervening territory along the shore of the lake is divided into a chain of suburban districts, making an almost ideal territory for an electric railroad. The earnings of this line have already proved so satisfactory and its future is considered so full of promise that there is now being spent on the property considerable money for improvements. The cars have been equipped with four motors instead of two, and the speed increased to compare favorably with the paralleling Chicago and Northwestern steam road. The sub-stations are being increased in capacity by the addition of larger rotaries and by doubling the size of the storage batteries with which each sub-station is provided. Differential boosters have also been purchased and the transmission line strengthened by the addition of an entirely separate line. Glass insulators have been replaced by porcelain insulators on iron pins, and eventually the transmission voltage will be raised from 5,500 volts to 13,000 volts. The double track is being pushed north from Highwood, which is the location of the power plant, and soon the entire system will have two tracks. Private right-of-way has been purchased wherever possible. A five-mile double-track extension is about completed from Lake Bluff directly west to Libertyville. The plans made for the growth of this property contemplate a four-track road-two tracks being intended for express and two for local-passenger traffic. The extension of this line will naturally be north toward Kenosha, Wis. — a distance of 16 miles-thus completing the connection by electric trolley between the cities of Chicago and Milwaukee. Franchise complications in Kenosha and difficulty in making satisfactory arrangements to get through Zion City, which is now a city of 10,000 people six miles north of Waukegan, have prevented the completion of this part of the connecting system.

The Waukegan, Fox Lake and Western Railway Company (35) is holding a franchise in Waukegan, with the intention of extending west to the Fox Lake district, a beautiful and popular summer-resort territory, which, although only 60 miles from Chicago, is still unprovided with satisfactory transportation facilities.

The Elgin, Aurora and Southern Traction Company (15) is a combination of several city and suburban systems, and is now controlled by the same interests which are behind the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railway, so that it acts as an important feeder to the high-speed third-rail line. The towns and cities served are Elgin, Aurora, Carpenterville [sic] Carpentersville, Dundee, St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Montgomery, Oswego and Yorkville-a chain of manufacturing centers in the Fox River Valley. This road also operates city systems in Elgin and in Aurora .Aurora will eventually become an important electric-railroad center. To connect Aurora with Joliet, the Joliet, Plainfield and Aurora Railroad Company (21) has been organized, and, according to a late report, it expects to have 10 miles of the entire 22miles projected ready for operation before the end of the year. This road will be operated from sub-stations, taking current from the waterpower plant at Joliet.

The Aurora, De Kalb and Rockford Electric Traction Company (2) has secured a franchise in Aurora, for which it has deposited $10,000, to be forfeited in case it fails to build the road. This proposed line extends to De Kalb and thence to Rockford, a total distance of 60 miles. At De Kalb there has recently been installed by the De Kalb-Sycamore Electric Company (13) a line extending to Sycamore, the county seat of De Kalb County. This line is eight miles in length and has been operating since the first of the year, during which time its earnings are said to have been very satisfactory.

Rockford, which has come to be known as the "Lowell of the West" on account of its manufacturing interests, has a city system which has been combined with the interurban line to Belvidere, under the name of the Rockford and Interurban Railway Company (30), making a system some 36 miles in length. The owners of the Rockford lines are also back of the line from Rockford to Freeport (29), which passes through Winnebago, Pecatonica and Ridott, making a line 29 miles in length, which will probably be completed before the end of the year. All of the Rockford lines rent current from the combined waterpower and steam plant on the Rock River at Rockford.

At Rockford there is a traffic arrangement between the city system and the Rockford, Beloit and Janesville Railway (28), which is a line 34 miles in length, running north into Wisconsin. Eventually this line will become an important link in the connection of Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, to Chicago, entirely over electric-railway lines. An inland-lake resort popular with Chicago people is Lake Geneva. The Chicago, Harvard and Geneva Lake Railway (7) connects this well-known lake with the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad at Harvard, Ill., and with the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad at Walworth, Wis., and in summer does a heavy passenger business. This electric line also has a freight connection with both of the steam roads mentioned and handles considerable freight in both car lots and less than carloads. The carload freight is handled on a switching arrangement with the steam roads, the charges being paid monthly by the agents of the railroads. This arrangement appears to offer a very satisfactory solution for the handling of bulk freight by electric lines. From Dixon to De Kalb is a distance of 56 miles, through a very rich farming district, at present provided with poor transportation facilities. The Northern Illinois Electric Railway Company (24) has recently let a contract for building part of its pro-posed road between these two points.

Running southwest from Rockford is the Rock River, famous for its summer resorts and having along its banks a number of small cities and towns which no doubt will eventually be connected by the electric trolley . Two of these cities, Sterling and Dixon, are but a few miles apart, and are now being connected by a line being built for the Sterling, Dixon and Eastern Electric Railway Company (32). A waterpower site at Grand Detour is owned by the Illinois and Rock River Railway Company (19), which is securing rights-of-way and franchises along the river.

At the junction of the Rock River with the Mississippi is found the three growing cities of Moline, Ill., Rock Island, Ill., and Davenport, Iowa. These cities are served by the Tri-city Railway Company (34), which operates a system of considerable extent. There has recently been organized the Moline, East Moline and Watertown Railway Company (23), which is now engaged in building 30 miles of road, six miles of which has been completed and is now in operation.

There have been numerous projects for building electric lines between Rock Island and Moline and Galesburg, and eventually this line will no doubt be constructed as an extension to one of the roads proposed out of Galesburg. The Galesburg lines have recently passed into the hands of the McKinley syndicate. The Galesburg city system, known as the Galesburg Electric Motor and Power Company (16), extends southeast to Knoxville. A line 18 miles long is now being located to Monmouth, and actual construction work will soon be in progress.

The line of the People's Traction Company (25) ,extending from Galesburg south to Abingdon, a distance of 12 miles, has recently been completed and is now in successful operation. To connect Galesburg with Kewanee, and also to serve the intervening towns, Watega, Oneida, Altoona and Galva, the Galesburg and Kewanee Electric Railway Company (17) has been organized. This company is now completing its lines in Kewanee, which is a growing city of 10,000 people, which has hitherto been unprovided with a city system. The line will be extended shortly to Galva.

A study of the map would seem to indicate that eventually the Galesburg lines will find an outlet toward Chicago, over the lines of the Illinois Valley Traction Company (20) . This important system is also owned by the interests represented by Mr. W. B. McKinley, and at present has 18 miles of road in operation, 25 miles under construction and 12 miles proposed. The system will eventually serve Marseilles, Ottawa, Utica, La Salle, Peru, Spring Valley, Ladd, Seatonville, Otterville, Clear Valley and Princeton. Many of these cities are along the Fox River, La Salle being the location of the well-known "Pictured Rocks." Natural extensions for this system appear to be toward Morris and also south from Ottawa to Streator, which latter city now has a city system.

Peoria, which is the second largest city in Illinois, has several electric-railway organizations, the most important, from an interurban point of view, being the Peoria and Pekin Terminal Railway (26), which handles an extensive freight and passenger business. There has been a line proposed between Peoria and Bloomington, but no actual work has been started.

The Macomb and Western Illinois Railway Company (22) and the Quincy and Eastern Railway Company (27) are two organizations working on plans for roads in the western part of the state.

Interest naturally centers in the possibility of an electric line from Chicago to St. Louis, but a glance at the map will show that very little actual work has been so far accomplished. As already noted, a line extends from Chicago to Joliet. From Joliet to Bloomington surveys are being made and right-of-way secured by the Bloomington, Pontiac and Joliet Electric Railway (4), which proposes to build a third-rail, high-speed road some 90 miles in length. At Bloomington the Bloomington and Normal Railway, Electric and Heating Company (5) operates an interurban system, Normal being the seat of the State Normal School, Lincoln, Decatur, Jacksonville and Springfield, the last-named the capital of the state, are all growing cities, with city systems, which will no doubt eventually be connected by an extensive system centering in Springfield, but at the present time no actual work of construction can be recorded upon any of these lines. The McKinley syndicate is now building a line southwest from Springfield toward East St. Louis as an extension of the proposed line from Decatur to Springfield, the entire enterprise being known as the Decatur, Springfield and St. Louis Railway Company (12).This entire line will be 120 miles long, and recent reports indicate that 80 miles is already under construction. At Alton the Alton Light and Traction Company (1) already occupies the field, serving also Upper Alton, North Alton and East Alton, with three miles of road under construction and an extension of 20 miles proposed from East Alton to East St. Louis. At East St. Louis there are a number of lines combined under the title of the East St. Louis and Suburban Railway Company (14), which operates an important system of over 100miles of track, furnishing both passenger and freight service to the surrounding cities and towns. Considerable coal in train loads is moved by electric traction in this vicinity.

The Granite City and St. Louis Railway Company(18) owns 13 miles of track between Venice, Madison and Granite City.

The entire southern part of the state of Illinois is known as "Egypt," and this section has apparently only begun to realize the possibilities of the electric interurban railroad, but there are several good proposition which have been developed on paper. Marion is now the center of a 20-mile freight and passenger line, operated by the Coal Belt Electric Railway Company (10).

Two lines are proposed out of Paris, one extending to Terre Haute, Ind., and the other to Clinton.

Construction work has been begun between Mattoon and Charlestown on what promises to be a system of considerable length, but the plans of the promoters have not yet been publicly disclosed.

The Danville, Urbana and Champaign Railway Company (11) has 50 miles of line already in operation. This road is an extension of the city systems at Champaign and Urbana, which have been owned for a number of years by the McKinley interests. The Danville city system, which is also now a part of this line, extends south to Westville. There has been some talk of building a line from Danville to Paxton and also to Hoopeston, but nothing definite has matured.

At Kankakee there are two companies engaged in running electric cars, but no effort has apparently been made to extend to surrounding cities.

TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION.

A study of the constructive features of the electric lines in these two states will show that they can be divided into three classes. There is the road which runs along the public highway, operating comparatively light cars on a schedule of about 15 miles an hour and doing an express business in combination passenger and baggage cars, with possibly a milk car, and occasionally a special express car for package freight. The expense of building and equipping a road of this character is ordinarily under $20,000 a mile.

The next step in advance, is the line with its own private right-of-way, which permits the building of a road with lighter grades and with curves of larger radius. The cars are heavy and are provided with motors of sufficient capacity to secure a schedule speed of 25 to 30 miles an hour. Considerable attention is paid to express and freight business. This more substantial method of construction and equipment approaches a cost of $30,000 a mile.

Still more money can be expended upon right-of-way, terminal and local-station facilities, track, bridges, etc., resulting in a road costing from $40,000 to $50,000 a mile. Such a road is capable of attaining a schedule speed of 40 miles an hour with stops every two or three miles. It is equipped with a third-rail conductor and in operation its service approaches steam-road conditions.

It is very probable that the next steps in the development will produce at least two more types .We are about ready for the very high-speed, long-distance electric road, connecting distant cities by means of frequent service, and carrying passengers comfortably to their destinations without dirt or smoke. On the other hand, there is a decided demand for a very cheap form of construction to provide the farming districts with electric-railway facilities. The modern farmer, with his telephone and rural mail delivery, is in complete touch with the outside world and begins to feel the need of an improved method of taking his produce to market. Such roads would have a limited earning capacity in themselves, but would act as valuable feeders to more important steam or electric trunk lines. A development of some form of electric road which could be built for less than $15,000 a mile would open up immense fields which are anxiously awaiting the advent of the electric trolley.