Home :: CERA Books :: CERA Catalog :: Bulletin #129: Not Only Passengers
Order a book buttonCERA Home button CERA books button CERA Programs buttonCERA Digital Bulletin Archive buttonCERA Trips buttonAbout CERA ButtonCERA Membership buttonCERA Traction Links buttonCERA Contact Us button

Table of Contents

  Page
Introduction 2
Part I : The Traffic  
1.  You Can Take It with You 4
Riders brought baggage aboard, so electric railway cars carried “not only passengers."
2.  A Hundred and Fifty Pounds Free 6
Checked baggage and package express were adjuncts to passenger operations on many lines. Combines...On many interurban railways the typical car was a combination passenger-baggage unit.
3.  Their Appointed Rounds 10
Mail moved on electric railways in closed pouches and in Railway Post Office Cars.  Newspapers... Electric railways were well located to carry newspapers in bulk.
4.  From Dairy Farm to City Dairy 14
Milk went to the city market on many interurban railways.  Ice...Before electric refrigerators, transporting and vending ice was a sideline of a few railways.
5.  Barrels, Bags and Boxes 18
The greatest traffic on most interurbans, besides passengers, was less-than-carload freight.  Mixed Train... Some interurbans ran full cars of LCC in passenger trains.
6.  In the Name of Efficiency 30
Several interurban railways in the 1920's and 1930's tried containers or piggyback.
7.  Pulling the Red Box Cars 32
Freight in carloads--mainly in red box cars of the steam lines---was significant on many interurban railways.
8.  Digging Their Own Grave 42
(Electric railways often moved bulk materials for highway construction or other purposes.  Ore...Mine products were carried by private industrial electric railways and a few streetcar and interurban lines.)
9  Juice in Its Solid Form 46
(The urban fuel moved by electric railway at various stages of its journey from coal mine to consumer.  Ashes...After the coal was burned, in some places electric railways hauled away what was left.)
10.  What You See Is What You Get 50
(The lading on gondolas, flats and other open-top cars was in sight to stimulate the imagination of every passer-by.)
11.  Saves Weight and Time 54
  (Beef cattle, sheep and hogs travelled by electric railway.)
12.  Here Comes the Beef 56
(The distinctive yellow cars with the narrow doors carried perishables on both steam and electric railroads.)
13.  Tanks for Shipping by Trolley 58
Petroleum and chemical products were widely hauled by the electrics.

Part II: The Railroading  
14.  Don't Call it a Freight Car 60
By whatever name, box motors or express motors carried much of the LCL and other traffic as well.  Box Trailers... Especially in the Midwest, interurban roads hauled unpowered traction boxes behind box motors.
15.  Many Shapes and Sizes 72
The locomotives that hauled freight trains were similar in purpose but different in appearance. A Gallery of Oddities...Steeple-cab locomotives had plenty of variety.
16.  No Revenue This Time 72
A caboose was a freight-train car but brought in no revenue.
17.  A Few Good Men
Freight operation occupied fewer trainmen than the busy passenger service on most electric railways.  Oops!... Even the few good men met bad experiences at times. 74
18.  An Obstacle Course
Handling freight presented extra troubles because the fixed plant of many interurbans wasn't designed for it. 76
19.  Pressed into Service
At one time or another, freight equipment found many other uses.  It Pays to Advertise...The interurbans used flashy paint jobs to present a message. 80
20.  At the Interchange
(The points where electric railways interfaced with steam railroads were important places for their carload freight.) 84
21.  What It Takes to Be a Railroad 86
>Railroading is more than transportation.  It also requires meeting the demands of a regulated world.
22.  Not Only Electric 88
The electric railways weren't and aren't entirely electric.

Part III: Case Study  
23. Trolley Freight in New York State
In a typical region the electric railways involved the many types of freight service which have been described.  New York state is the case study in this book. 92
The End of a Hard Day's Work  
About This Book 122
Notes and Sources 123
Index to Companies and Localities 125

back to Catalog


Home | Books | Programs | Bulletin Archive | Trips
 About CERA | Membership | Links | Privacy | Contact Us

© 2006-2007 Central Electric Railfans’ Association