Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Preserved Illinois Terminal lightweight center entrance electric interurban car # 101. The Illinois Railway Museum. Union Illinois USA. July 3rd 2009.

Preserved Illinois Terminal Railroad center entrance lightweight interurban car # 101. The Illinois Railway Museum. Union Illinois. Friday, July 3rd 2009.

I took this photo during a family visit to the Illinois Railway Museum on Friday, July 3rd 2009.

Before there were many paved highways and main roads available in the outlying or rural areas, many people traveled between towns and citties aboard electric interurban railroads. Illinois Terminal # 101, is a lightweight mid 1920's era electric interurban car with center entrance doors, much like a modern Metra gallery commuter does today. This car operated in suburban or outlying service between St. Louis Missouri and Alton Illinois. It's last assignments were in suburban service between St. Louis Missouri and Granite City Illinois until June of 1958.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Inexpensive, environmentally friendly, mass transportation. What a time it was.

We operate The BEALL MANSION Greater St. Louis Bed and Breakfast in Alton, Illinois and the street car tracks used to run front of the mansion down the center of 12th Street. What a great tourist attraction that would be for the area today.

Fortunately a few cities, like New Orleans, still have their street cars operating.