The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-10-18
LONG TROLLEY TRIP,
Continuous Line Between Chi
cago and st. Louis.
CAN SLEEP AND EAT ON CARS

Into SIeepers at Niaht--company to
Operate the Line Owns Four Hundred
and Seventy-five Miles of Track.
Upper as Well as Lower Berths.
BY the end of the next year, ii finan-
cial conditions remain favorable, II
will be possible for the tourist to go to
bed III his sleeping car in Chicago and
be walked up In time for breakfast in
ST. Louis. travelling the entire distance
by single trolley line, says Chicago
dispatch to ihe New York Herald.
The Illinois Traction system, as the
line is called, the name railroad" hav-
ing been definitely abandoned, now
covers the state from Peoria eastward
TO Danyille and south to East ST.
Louis. Trackage already In operation
amounts approximately to 475 miles.
There Is now under construction 105
miles of road. and the general scheme
provides for about 100 miles more.
This will give a completed system
with n trackage In the neighborhood
of 700 miles
whole work has been completed, the
building OF great bridge across the
Mississippi at East st. Louis is actual
ly under contract, and the plans of the
promoters involve a continuous line
between Chicago and st. Louis. Thus
the system is not only the largest In
Illinois, but 1t runs the longest dis
tance without transfers.
1t is OF the pure interurban type and
has not as yet been taken up with
suburban business. such as that which
largely supports the lines from Chica-
20 to Aurora on the west, Joliet ON
the south and Racine on the north.
Furthermore, the Illinois system is not
only running sleeping cars between
Springfield and East st. Louis regu-
larry every night, but is also managing
limited trains between the principal
cities on quite frequent schedules, run
ming cars with individual chair facili-
ties and complete buffet lunch, which
Is as good at least as that served by
the Pullman company on short runs.
The interurban trolley sleeping car
is a novelty In its way, at least to
most people. Those In use on the line
between Springfield and East st. Lou
ton, are entirely comfortable. The
company has adopted type which
economies room to remarkable ex.
tent, but which may or may not bear
the test of continued service.
These limited sleeping cars are built
to use as chair cars in the daytime
the chairs being arranged In pairs on
either side, with fixed compartment
between each chair. To see the porter
converting a chair car into a sleeping
car Is so much of curiosity that
many people are willing to make the
journey for this experience alone.
The two chairs are spread out te
make the foundation of bed. The
arms Of the chair are dropped to tile
side and form additional width of sup
port for the mattress Then two NOV
able wooden screens are unexpectedly
pulled out OF the floor OF the car and
fastened at the top, forming two-thirtls
OF the curtain between the berth and
the aisle. The barrier between the
public and the sleeper is completed by
a curtain forming the other third. thus
making the berth practically com
partment.
There are upper berths which ARK
formed In much the same way as II
| the Pullman car, but which must bf
| intended for small men only. The dif
Hculty about the trolley sleeper lies II
| the fact that the berth itself Is ex
tremeiy narrow, being but little ovel
half OF the width of the ordinary dou
BILE lower berth Of a Pullman car, o.
about that In the stateroom OF al
ocean liner. Otherwise the compart
ment is exceedingly comfortable, be
Ing equipped with electric lights on al
| trains. The toilet rooms, with theil
| electric cigar lighters at one end and
curling iron heaters at the other, ara
| ii some respects superior to the Pull
man type.
| At the present time sleeping cars OF
| interurban lines are about % much d
an advertisement a. anything else
| The average time schednle from Eas
! st, Louis to Springfield = inside o
sqaE hQursA % th1t thA 1l14plRG @!