The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-03
TROLLEY EXPANSION
Growth of Rural Trolley Systems
Has Been Rapid and Is ..
Increasing.
New York Commercial and Finan-
cial Chronicle Points Out Re. =
- ..-.f
~ suits and Tendencies.

The March street railway supplement to
the Commercial and Financial Chronicle,
New York, issued four times year, has
an editorial on electric systems which is
in line with recent news published in T h e
j o u r n a l. showing that to many will
come the sudden realization that the en-
tire northwest and the country as we'll is
covered with a network of interurban
lines. The supplement says: ! -. ....
1.-The most interesting present process
in electric railroading is its stretching out
after distance-from merely local street.
surface roads becoming urban, then inter-
urban, and SO gradually growing in size,
Importance and aggressiveness.
From Springfield, Worcester, Provi-
dence. rather more than from New York,
and from. Indianapolis, Detroit and Chi
cago, more than in the east, passenger
electric roads radiate for moderate dis
tances. One can go, barring a few gaps
here and there, between Boston and New
York by trolley, and even as far as Chi
cago, and narratives of such trips have
appeared in several periodicals, this ap-
pearance showing their pioneer character:
=: but the electric roads which count must
be of thorough modern construction and
must have their own private right of way.
"rhere are already several pieces OF
such road, of which the most notable are
those Of the Union Traction company of
Indiana, and the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago.
The. former is an overhead trolley. mostly
single track, operated In connection with
an interesting telephone SYSTEM and
claiming maximum speeds OF forty to SIX
ty miles. The other is even more remark
able It was opened six months ago, be-
ginning at the moderate speed OF 27H
miles, but the aim is to run at forty on
local service, with stops three miles apart
and at sixty-five maximum; the plan looks
to even eighty and one hundred, and thus
to contributing towards the working ou'
of the problem of real high speeds The
Elgin road is largely double tracked anc
the single tracked portions have long sid
| |ings and were built with the intention o.
doubling. The culverts and masonry
bridges show solidity Of constructions; the
cars also follow regular types Gncludins
specimens of parlor and sleeping). anc
the extra rail is all which visibly distin
guishes this from what is now understood
/ by the best modern railway practice.
| 'trhis road. perhaps the most highly de-
| yeloped of all as a piece Of construction
| is only thirty five miles long, from Chi
cago to Aurora but the like process is
| going on in many places. The Lake
! Shore Electric. which is quite close
| parallel announced a cut a year ago o.
| a little more than one-third on the steam
rate over the 115 miles between Cleveland
| and Toledo. and one of nearly one-hal
l
/ cases the lower rate has an offset in thu
| greater time consumed thus far. but frey:
i uuency of service and convenience of ac
I cess modify this offset somewhat. Thus
i two steam roads had the travel over tn
4 ten miles between Minneapolis and st
Paul. giving an hourly service. and max
1 ing the actual interval of a half hour
the fare was 80 cents single. so cent
1 round trip and 15 cents each way to com
! muters The electric road came in. re
ducing the fare to 10 cents each way
The running time was some twent
minutes more: but the trips were full
I, three times as frequent. transfers to con
! Meeting lines were given. and the car
could be taken at any corner of the prin
4 cfpal streets in the business districts in
i stead Of only at one or two depots.s Tim
81 was thus saved in one way while los
j in another and the lower fare and great
i er ersconVenience gave the electric lines tn
u business:
:. .The electric roads which have got pas
the Limitation suggested by broom site
II train, are approaching the steam road.
!. There has been some OVERRIDING. ma tural
! Fly: but the tendency to notification
$ clear Yet there is no occasion for UT
: easiness about present or possible con
3 petition. The steam roads are observan
2 and are free stoause the newSsvstern then
y selves as well as to dispose OF parallels h
& the old method of absorption. The riva
9 ry will work itself out peaceably.''