Centralia & Central City

Centralia & Central City Streetcars

by Stephen Scalzo

Headline image: Car 39 boards a load of workmen - probably railroad workers - at an unknown location and date. The car has obviously seen better days. All photos are from the Stephen Scalzo Collection at the Illinois Railway Museum except where noted.

Centralia and Central City, IL, owe their origin to the Illinois Central Railroad. Central City was platted in 1853 and was named because it was near the center of the IC line between Cairo and Freeport. Centralia was founded in 1853, and owes its existence to greed; when the IC was acquiring land for a new shop, speculators wanted too much for the logical location in Central city, so the IC built on land it already owned two miles to the south.

Central City constructed a brewery and brick mill in 1856, and later a barrel making industry, but Centralia overshadowed that smaller community.

With the opening of the IC line from Mattoon to Chicago, Centralia began to boom. In 1855, about 500 people lived there (mostly IC trainmen and shop men) and a year later the population increased to 1,900. By 1891, the population was about 5,000. Construction on the first part of the railroad shops was completed in October, 1854, and the city grew up around the shops, which between 1853 and 1911 stood in the center of the business district (the site later became a park and two business blocks). Centralia also was a coal mining town from almost the first year of its existence. The Jacksonville & Southeastern Railroad, the Louisville & Southern Railroad, the Louisville Evansville & St. Louis Consolidated Railroad (which later became part of the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad), and the Centralia & Chester Railroad (which later became the Missouri-Illinois Railroad) also built lines through Centralia. Because of the increased population, the need for developing public transportation became obvious.

The horsecar era in Centralia and Central City lasted for 15 years. Here, one of the horsecars is shown in front of the barn at Elm and 5th Streets.

The Centralia & Central City Street Railway Company was chartered on January 18, 1891, and obtained a 20-year franchise from the city of Centralia on February 6, 1891. Construction began in April, 1891, on a three-mile line, which opened piecemeal. A single horsecar began operating on May 20, 1891, and by the end of the month six cars and ten mules were being used. The company developed Columbia Park, a 40-acre parcel located north of Central City, at the north end of the company's trackage. There were numerous plans to electrify and expand the system to Sandoval (seven miles distant), Odin (ten miles), and Salem (16 miles), but nothing was done. By 1894, the company had grown to 3.25 miles with eight cars and 25 mules, but earnings for that year were only $4,500. By 1900, the company was in receivership.

This Sanborn Fire Insurance map showing the C&CCT carbarn dates to 1916. North is to the right, and the intersection is Elm Street and 5th Street (today known as Haussler).

The Centralia & Central City Traction Company (C&CCT) was incorporated on May 30, 1906, with $100,000 of capital, and acquired the property and assets of the Centralia & Central City Street Railway Company. A $100,000 first mortgage 5% gold bond that matured on April 1, 1926, was obtained. The old company already had obtained an ordinance permitting them to electrify the system, so rebuilding began immediately. The old carbarn on North Elm Street was rebuilt into a new repair shop, new T rail was installed, three new streetcars purchased (some of the old horsecars were converted into trailers), and the overhead was installed using power purchased from the Centralia Gas & Electric Company (which later became the Illinois Power Company) through the Hickory Street power station.

Initial electrified service was provided by three single-truck cars including car 39, which seems to have been the most-photographed car on the system. This photo was taken at the plant in St. Louis exactly one week before service opened in Centralia. The car was heated by a centrally located coal stove.

Regular streetcar service began on July 31, 1906, with three new closed streetcars, from the railroad crossing on Broadway to Elm Street, and on Elm to Central City and White City Park (formerly Columbia Park). The west side line, single track with two passing sidings, was opened on August 7, 1906. By 1910, Centralia had a population of 12,000 served by five streetcars and three trailers. The company was prospering, and by 1913 it was earning $20,000 annually, and was paying 4% dividends yearly, a rate which it paid through 1923.

Car 39 is pictured sometime around 1906 at White City Park at the north end of the line. Dan McCance and Frank Greer are the crewmen.

Car 39 is back at White City Park, this time festooned with students of Brown's Business College.

When the IC outgrew their shops and facilities in downtown Centralia, the railroad sold its property for a good profit as there was not any room for expansion. Property was purchased two miles south in 1911, and that brought about the town of Wamac, which was incorporated in 1913. When the C&CCT chose not to extend trackage to the new shops, rivals, not realizing the impossibilities of operating two systems in a small town, formed the East Side Electric Railway on March 12, 1912, with $25,000 of capital.

Car 43, in the foreground, was one of the three electric cars that opened service. This is a rare photo in that it shows trailer operation in Centralia - evidently the lead electric car is towing two trailers with car 43 bringing up the rear. It's Columbus Day, year unknown, looking west on Broadway at Locust.

Car 39 is pictured in downtown Centralia, probably before 1910, headed eastbound on Broadway at Locust (not "Lucost"). The Old National Bank building behind the car still stands.

When nothing progressed with that company, a second group formed the Centralia Traction Company (CTC) on September 12, 1912, with $25,000 of capital. The company quickly constructed its trackage, with the first mile opening on March 30, 1913, using two secondhand streetcars from Chicago, operating every 20 minutes from Second and Walnut Streets to Wamac. The remaining section was completed on April 6th, and the company eventually had 3.3 miles of track and five streetcars. Transfers were exchanged between the two companies. There was the usual talk of expansion, with the CTC proposing a line to Irvington (five miles away). However, only a 1.5-mile extension was built on private right-of-way to the IC's new "B" yard, which was put into service in April, 1914. That extension was single track with three passing sidings, an interchange track, and an industrial spur to the gas plant.

CTC 26 and 28 were interesting cars. Their design (and that of identical cars built concurrently for Beaumont, Texas) was chosen by the Stone & Webster holding company over competing designs from other manufacturers as S&W's favored "standard" one-man safety car. As such, these were effectively final prototypes for what became the Birney.

Within a few year the two companies were controlled rather informally by the same interests. The peak of patronage for the two companies was the period of World War I and immediately after. With the paving of a road between Central City and Centralia in 1922 and the advent of the automobile, the streetcar was doomed. Between 1916 and 1921, eight new one-man, two-axle Birney streetcars were purchased to improve service, six by the CTC and two by the C&CCT. The CTC purchased two of the Birneys for the C&CCT in return for the use of the C&CCT trackage, carbarn, and equipment, with C&CCT shop men taking care of all the equipment for both companies.

The ever-popular car 39 is eastbound in downtown Centralia, on Broadway about to cross the IC main line. Behind it is the Langenfeld Hotel, which still stands.

All eight cars were used indiscriminately throughout both systems, but those little economical streetcars failed to boost earnings. Fares were increased from five to six cents on July 1, 1920, and to 10 cents by 1927. C&CCT bond interest and coupons were in default beginning on October 1, 1923. Earnings of the C&CCT were $16,401 in 1924 and only $7,199 in 1929, while the CTC earned $21,543 in 1928 and only $9,452 in 1930. Ironically, the 1920s was a time of great prosperity for both Central City and Centralia, with increased railroad employment, several new factories, and the development of the southern Illinois oil field (the real oil boom did not come until 1938).

We're looking west at the corner of Broadway and Poplar. Most of the buildings in this photo are still there.

Car 32 was one of the two "true" Birneys built for Centralia Traction by American in 1918. Unusually, the car appears to have an early form of roller bearing journals.

The C&CCT could not survive the Depression. By 1930, its physical facilities were in poor condition. The trackage was deteriorating, with many broken rail bonds, which caused many residents to make numerous complaints about interference to their radio reception. Also, it was learned that the 20-year franchise had expired in 1926. The city of Centralia requested a $25,000 indemnity bond from the company to protect the city from accidents, but after some consideration, the company's local backers refused to support the bond plan. As a result, streetcar service was terminated on January 8, 1930. The property was sold at foreclosure on March 7, 1931, and the equipment sold to a local scrap dealer for $12,700.

C&CCT car 41, one of the original group of three electrics delivered in 1906, is in Central City near the north end of the system looking well worn. The church on the right is still there, at the corner of Green and Broadway (not to be confused with Broadway in Centralia).

When the C&CCT system stopped operating, the CTC continued service on its own trackage because their company's franchise did not expire until 1932, and because the city of Wamac felt they were providing a valuable service to the IC employees. However, there was a problem in that the company shared track and carbarn facilities with the C&CCT. It was determined that it would cost about $4,000 and take six months to construct a new carbarn, but nothing was done. In the meantime, a bond had to be obtained in order to continue using the C&CCT facilities.

Motorman Joe Randall is pictured with an unidentified Birney in front of the Terminal Hotel near the south end of the CTC line. Whether this is in Wamac or all the way at the south end, at B Yard, is uncertain. Note the odd bars across the end windows, the purpose of which is unknown, and the incongruous smokestack at the far end of the car. Was Centralia the only city to run Birneys heated by coal? It's impossible to say.

On November 25, 1930, the CTC stockholders applied with the Illinois Commerce Commission to discontinue service. It was stated that during the years 1928 through 1930, operating revenues had been insufficient to meet operating expenses, without allowing for depreciation or a return on the investment, and that continued operation would result in the confiscation of the property. The company had no bonded indebtedness, but had current liabilities of $6,821, and an estimated property sales value of about $10,000. When the C&CCT was sold at foreclosure on March 7, 1931, the CTC was left without any maintenance facilities, so service was immediately discontinued. On May 5, 1931, the ICC gave the company authority to abandon its line and scrap the equipment. The trackage in both cities was torn up in a World War II scrap drive.

This article was edited and laid out by Frank Hicks. Thanks go to Richard Schauer and Ray and Julie Piesciuk for making available the materials from the Stephen Scalzo Collection used for this article.

Equipment Roster - Centralia Traction Company

1 - ST cab-on-flat work motor - purchased secondhand 1913 - 24' long, Brill truck, 2xGE 1000 motors, K-2 control - converted from streetcar

20 - ST car - Pullman, purchased secondhand 1913 from Chicago Railways (ex-Chicago Union Traction) - 30' long, 7'5" wide, 11' high, 18000 lbs, 24 seats, Brill 21E truck, 2xGE 54 motors, K-2 control

22, 24 - ST cars - Brownell, purchased secondhand 1913 from Chicago Railways (ex-Chicago Consolidated Traction, ex-Chicago Electric Transit) - 30'8" long, 7'8" wide, 12' high, 17500 lbs, 24 seats, Brill 21E truck, 2xGE 800 motors, K-10 control

26, 28 - ST AR DE cars - American 1916 (ord#1049) - 30'1" long, 7'10" wide, 10'2" high, 14000 lbs, 32 seats, Brill 21E truck, 2xGE 258 motors, K-10 control - something of a "proto-Birney"

30, 32 - ST AR DE Birneys - American 1918 (ord#1133A) - 27'9" long, 7'8" wide, 9'9" high, 15400 lbs, 28 seats, Brill 78M1 truck, 2xGE 258 motors, K-10 control

34, 36 - ST AR DE Birneys - Cincinnati 1921 (ord#2480) - 27'9" long, 7'8" wide, 9'9" high, 15400 lbs, 28 seats, Cincinnati C-139 truck, 2xWH motors, K-63BR control

Equipment Roster - Centralia & Central City Traction Company

6 - ST 10-bench open car - St. Louis, purchased secondhand - 31'2" long, 8'4" wide, 11'6" high, 16000 lbs, 50 seats, Brill 21E truck, 2xGE 1000 motors, K-11 control

39, 41 - ST DR DE cars - American 1906 (ord#621A) - 32'5" long, 8'4" wide, 11'8" high, 22000 lbs, 32 seats, Brill 21E truck, 2xGE 54 motors, K-10 control

43 - ST car - St. Louis 1906 (ord#705) - 32' long, 8'8" wide, 11'8" high, 23000 lbs, 32 seats, St. Louis 46 truck, 2xGE 54 motors, K-10 control

45, 47 - ST AR DE Birneys - Cincinnati 1921 (ord#2480) - 27'9" long, 7'8" wide, 9'9" high, 15400 lbs, 28 seats, Cincinnati C-139 truck, 2xWH motors, K-63BR control

(2 cars) - ST DR trailers, ex-mule cars - Brill 1891 - 26' long, 26 seats, Brill truck, unpowered

(1 car) - cinder car - homebuilt - 20' long, 3'6" high, unpowered

Click here for a map of the Centralia and Central City streetcar system