Streetcars in Streator

Streetcars in Streator

by Stephen M. Scalzo

Headline image: Streator car 20 poses with its crew, date and location unknown. All photos are from the Stephen Scalzo Collection of the Illinois Railway Museum except where noted.

For those unfamiliar with Streator, Illinois, it is a small city in central Illinois located about 15 miles south of Ottawa and 45 miles north of Bloomington-Normal. To traction fans, it is perhaps best known as the southernmost point on the Illinois Valley traction system. In 1890, its population was roughly 11,400 people.

The Streator Railway Company was organized in December 1888 with $250,000 of capital. In January 1890, the city granted the company a franchise to construct an electric street railway, and construction began in June. The powerhouse and carbarn were constructed on South Sterling Street just south of Main Street. Construction proceeded through the summer, and on October 11, 1890, the first two streetcars began operating on 5.25 miles of trackage on Illinois Street to the Wabash Railroad tracks - where the crossing was not installed - and then to the north end of the North Bloomington Street line. About 2,400 people rode the line on the first day of service. Some trouble was encountered with steam railroads permitting installation of crossings in their tracks, which delayed completion of construction. By the end of October, the company was operating eight four-wheel streetcars, and during November construction began on the South Bloomington line. The company eventually operated over 6.25 miles of trackage, charging a five-cent fare.

We're on Main Street at Monroe, looking west with a streetcar in the near distance.

In February 1891, service stopped when the carbarn burned down. Although service was resumed a few weeks later, earning never recovered from the fire, and the company went into receivership in 1896. In November of that year, streetcar service was halted because of the lack of funds, as the company was only able to produce a profit during two of its six years of operation.

On October 8, 1898, the entire property was sold to C.C. Barr for $14,000, and Mr. Barr proceeded to put the system into operating condition. An additional mile of trackage was constructed, giving the system a total of 6.25 miles. It was the intention of Mr. Barr to reopen the system in the spring of 1899, which didn't occur.

Streetcar crews pose for a photo in front of a pair of handsome single-truckers, a peaked-window car similar to car 20 pictured earlier and a mystery car with an ornate Bombay roof.

On August 27, 1901, the People's Light & Railway Company was incorporated and acquired the property from Mr. Barr. On August 27, 1901, streetcar service was resumed. On October 17, 1905, the company was consolidated with the Streator Gas and Light Company to form the Illinois Light &  Traction Company. In 1907, the company operated six miles of trackage and 0.5 miles of second trackage with seven closed streetcars and five open streetcars. During September 1909, a one-mile extension was opened to the factory district. In 1910, the company was acquired by the Illinois Valley Gas and Electric Company. For several years, some of the streetcar trackage was used by the interurbans of the Chicago Ottawa & Peoria electric railway.

On August 31, 1911, the Public Service Company of Northern Illinois was incorporated, and a short time later acquired the property of the Illinois Light & Traction Company. By that time, the system had 10.5 miles of trackage operated by 16 streetcars. Except for the double trackage on Main Street, the system was single-track with passing sidings. On June 1, 1913, the street railway property was sold back to the stockholders of the Illinois Light & Traction Company, and the corporate structure of the company remained unchanged for the next 10 years.

Car 29, shown in a builder's photo, was likely built by McGuire-Cummings during the brief period of PSCNI operation during the 1911-1913 period.

In 1920, Streator had a population of only 16,000. When automobile usage in the early 1920s began to draw passengers away from the streetcars, the company began to experience financial problems. Fares were increased to eight cents in 1921, but that did little to produce additional revenue. The Streator Yellow Bus Company was already operating in Streator but not in direct competition with the streetcars. In the spring of 1924, the company petitioned the Illinois Commerce Commission to abandon service. On July 30, 1924, the official order was received from the ICC authorizing the company to discontinue streetcar service, with the bus company promising to substitute buses. On announcing its findings, the ICC stated that the company had been operating at a loss for many years and that neither a change in the operating schedule nor increases in fares would ensure a profit. The last streetcars operated over the six miles of trackage on October 21, 1924. The company then dismantled most of its trackage, replacing the pavement, and scrapped the remainder of the equipment. The Chicago Ottawa & Peoria Railway purchased the Hickory Street trackage, and rerouted its interurbans over that new, more direct entry into Streator from Ottawa.

Memories of Streetcars in Streator

"One of the city's elder citizens recalls a great practical joke which juvenile delinquents of his day often played on the streetcar motormen. The youngsters would raid the warehouse of the New York Central Railroad for regulation rail warning torpedoes under cover of darkness and then place them at short intervals on the Illinois streetcar tracks.

"When the streetcar hit the torpedoes it bounced so high it looked like it was dancing, the oldster recalls, the motorman and passengers hanging on for dear life.

"It was customary for the motorman to stop the car, provided a derailment had not already accomplished this purpose, and chase after any youngsters he could spy. The perpetrators always managed to elude him, however, and paid no penalty for their 'crime.'"

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

Roster of Equipment

There is virtually no roster information available for Streator. Fragmentary evidence, mostly from photographs, includes:

Eight single-truck cars built in 1890, possibly Van Depoele equipment (numbers unknown)

Five 10-bench open cars built in 1902 by St. Louis Car Company on order #294 (numbers unknown)

Single-truck deck-roof closed car number 20, builder/year unknown, Brill 21E truck

Single-truck arch-roof closed car number 29, probably built by McGuire-Cummings c. 1911-1913

Single-truck arch-roof closed car number 30, possibly identical to car 29

Single-truck arch-roof closed car number 33, possibly identical to car 29, leased to Bloomington Pontiac & Joliet c. 1921

Route Map

Click here for a route map of the Streator streetcar system

The brick carbarn, shown here in a 1909 Sanborn fire insurance map, was on the southeast corner of Main and Sterling. Today the structure and adjacent Wabash Railroad are both long gone and the site is an auto repair shop.

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