The Great East Side Electric Railway System

The Great East Side Electric Railway System was the slogan used by the network of electric railways on the Illinois side of the Mississippi, across from St. Louis. The network included four companies: the Alton Granite & St. Louis, which operated interurban and streetcar service between East St. Louis and Alton; the East St. Louis & Suburban, which operated interurban service from East St. Louis to Edwardsville, Lebanon, and Belleville, along with streetcar service in Belleville; the East St. Louis Railway, which operated streetcar service in East St. Louis; and the St. Louis & Belleville Electric, which operated electric freight service between East St. Louis and Belleville. Equipment, especially interurban equipment, was often exchanged freely between the various companies.

Many thanks to Art Peterson, who has kindly sent a truly fascinating trove of photos including shots of all four of these lines from the Krambles-Peterson Archive. Caption information largely comes from the Stephen Scalzo history of these lines.

Part 1: Alton Granite & St. Louis

The oldest interurban cars on the AG&SL were cars 1-8, built in 1898 by St. Louis on order #5. They had originally been built for the St. Louis & Belleville Electric but were sold to the Alton line early in their lives. In 1915, they were rebuilt into parlor cars, at least some with open platforms on the ends as shown in this image of car 2. They also saw regular use on the ESL&S.

On November 12, 1919, two of the Alton line cars were caught at Allen Park. Car 2, on the right, has obviously been rebuilt with closed platforms since the top photo. It's towing control trailer 12, on the left, which was one of four cars numbered 9-12 built by Jewett in 1898. When new, cars 1-12 all had K-control, but they were later rebuilt with GE Type M equipment for MU operation.

This July 20, 1918, shot is a better view of car 2 after its ends were enclosed. Note that the motorman's cab, however, has remained in the same place, probably six or eight feet in from the end of the car!

This undated broadside view of car 3 shows it in much the same condition as car 2, apparently rebuilt from open-platform configuration judging by the location of the motorman's cab.

Enclosed-platform car 3 leads open-platform car 7 departing the Eads Bridge Station in St. Louis.

Car 6, shown here, had its motorman's cab located at the end of the car, where you'd expect it. It's uncertain whether this was a later modification, but the car does have steel-sheathed sides in this image.

This classic view has open-platform car 7 trailing a three-car train near Eagle Park in April 1916. The other two cars in the train have enclosed platforms.

This view is dated 1917, but shows car 7 in Collinsville on the ESL&S with its platforms already enclosed. Note that the motorman's cab is at the end of the car, as can be seen by the rooftop bell and whistle.

Jewett-built car 9 was a control trailer at the time this photo was taken.

Car 12, one of the 1898 Jewetts, started life as a motor car, then became a control trailer, and then - judging from this photo - later became a motor car again, this time with an arched roof, steel-sheathed sides, and Peckham trucks.

In 1904, the AG&SL ordered eight cars numbered 51-58 from St. Louis Car Company. These handsome interurban cars saw use all over the AG&SL and ESL&S systems. Here, car 51 leads a 1902 ESL&S car and another 51-series car on a Miners Special at French Village in 1916.

Car 53 is shown when still fairly new, in 1905.

Car 55 is pictured in its later years, likely trained with another 51-series car.

This undated broadside view of car 57 shows the car's handsome lines. Compare it with the photo below of car 59, which was built in 1902.

Car 59 was older than cars 51-58, and was built by St. Louis in 1902 as part of the ESL&S 13-24 series (later 14-25 series).

The pride of the Alton line were cars 60-64, the "Yellowhammers," which were big center-entrance high-speed cars built by American between 1917 and 1924. Here, car 61 sits in the yard with one of the 4/5/11/15-series cars behind it. Car 61 would end up as Illinois Terminal 101 and is today preserved at IRM, though with quite a few changes. 

Between 1922 and 1924, the ESL&S built four center-entrance cars for the Alton line that were similar to the 1917 "Yellowhammers." Numbered 4, 5, 11, and 15, they were lower-speed cars but outwardly similar. On March 14, 1927, car 5 showed off some accident damage it took toward the left end of the car.

It's a rainy April 25, 1931, and AG&SL car 5 is at the Eads Bridge Terminal in St. Louis alongside an ESL&S 30-series deck-roof interurban car in this atmospheric Robert V. Mehlenbeck photo.

The four homebuilt center-entrance cars weren't built in order; car 5 was outshopped in 1922, car 15 in 1923, and cars 4 and 11 in 1924. The four cars ended up being sold to the Illinois Terminal, which numbered them 120-123. Here, car 15 is at 2nd and Madison in Madison, IL, on March 9, 1925, headed south for the Eads Bridge Terminal.

This roster shot of car 15 is undated and shows it in the company of an ESL&S 30-series interurban car at left rear and Illinois Terminal "bridge car" 956 at right rear.

Car 82 was one of five long trailers, nicknamed "dachshunds," that were built by the ESL&S shops in 1917-1918 by taking pairs of old single-truck city cars and splicing them together. Cars 81-82 were assigned to the AG&SL, while 83-85 went to the ESL&S system.

The AG&SL ran city service in a few of the municipalities along its route, most notably Alton. Here, car 102, part of a series of four built in 1900 for the Venice Madison & Granite City, is in operation at an unknown location.

Line car 995 was built in 1906 by the ESL&S and assigned to the Alton line.

Part 2: East St. Louis & Suburban

The biggest cars on the ESL&S in the early years were the 13-24 series (car 14 was later renumbered 25) built by St. Louis in 1902 on order #261. Car 19, shown here at an unknown location, is an example of what the cars looked like in their early years.

Car 25, shown here, began life as car 13 but was renumbered and rebuilt as a parlor car named "St. Louis." Other cars of this type acquired the names "Mounds" and "Bluffs."

On April 25, 1932, Robert V. Mehlenbeck captured this shot of ESL&S deck-roof interurban car 27 eastbound at 20th and State, headed inbound from the Belleville line. This car was transferred in 1921 from the AG&SL, where it had worn the same number.

ESL&S car 36 is pictured in a 1908 builder's photo. The 30/40-series deck-roof interurban cars formed the core of the ESL&S interurban fleet for most of the line's existence. They were big cars and were fitted with Type M control for MU operation.

Interurban car 38 is pictured in the yard in East St. Louis.

This classic view shows ESL&S interurban car 50 leading a trio of AG&SL 51-series cars with a fifth car bringing up the rear. Although the Alton line cars have more of an interurban "look" with their railroad roofs, they're barely bigger than the ESL&S car, and all five cars look to be trained together.

In 1923, the ESL&S ordered four center-entrance cars from St. Louis that were mostly copies of the Pacific Electric's "Hollywood" suburban car design. Differences included the signature ESL&S markers and rooftop headlights as well as a canvas, rather than steel, roof.

This Robert V. Mehlenbeck photo is undated but was probably taken in the early 1930s. It shows car 72 westbound on the Eads Bridge, approaching the St. Louis terminal. The four 70-series ESL&S cars were later sold to the Illinois Terminal, where they became IT 470-473.

Car 21 is a mystery. It does not appear on any published ESL&S roster. It may have been rebuilt from an ESLR city car.

Express car 01 was built by St. Louis in 1901 and seems to have been used across the entire East Side system at one time or another, including on the SL&BE, AG&SL, and ESL&S.

Part 3: East. St. Louis Railway

ESLR 283 was one of six cars in the 280-285 series built by American in 1910 on order #902. All six were retired between 1919 and 1925.

ESLR 300 is pictured westbound on the Eads Bridge in a July 3, 1932, photo by Robert V. Mehlenbeck. This car was built in 1917 by American as ESLR 650, but was one of several that were modernized by St. Louis Car Company in 1927 and renumbered into the 300-series. This car was sold in 1936 to the Market Street Railway in San Francisco, where it became MSR 755.

ESLR 301 on the right is inbound at the Eads Bridge Terminal while "Rail Sedan" 354 on the left is headed outbound. Car 301 had a similar history to car 300 shown above; it was built as 651 and later became Market Street Railway 756. Car 354 was built in 1927 by St. Louis.

As with the previous two photos, this shot of car 301 on the Eads Bridge was taken on July 3, 1932, by Robert V. Mehlenbeck.

The "Rail Sedan" was St. Louis Car Company's answer to the moderately successful Brill "Master Unit," but the only buyer for the "Rail Sedan" was ESLR. In 1927, the company ordered five of the automotive-inspired lightweight cars, numbered 350-354. Car 351, shown here, would outlast the ESLR; along with its four sisters, it was sold to the Market Street Railway in 1936, where the cars became MSR 402-406.

The date is July 1, 1932, and William C. Janssen has snapped a photo of ESLR "Rail Sedan" 351 in operation at an unknown location.

On the same date, July 1, 1932, Robert V. Mehlenbeck caught "Rail Sedan" 352 on Collinsville Avenue near Division in East St. Louis. A few of the buildings in the background, including the tall building in the left background, are still there.

On April 25, 1931, Robert V. Mehlenbeck caught "Rail Sedan" 353 at the west end of the Eads Bridge at the St. Louis terminal. Ahead of it is an ESL&S deck-roof interurban car.

"Rail Sedan" 353 is westbound on the Eads Bridge on July 1, 1932, in this Robert V. Mehlenbeck photo.

In 1924, ESLR ordered four cars numbered 660-663 that were near copies of the standard Milwaukee 800-class lightweight design. They differed from Milwaukee cars slightly, though, notably in their door arrangement. Car 660 is pictured in a Robert V. Mehlenbeck photo on July 1, 1932, at the west end of the State Road/Missouri Avenue line.

In this Robert V. Mehlenbeck photo, car 660 is at Broadway and 3rd Street in East St. Louis. In the background is the bridge over the Terminal Railroad's tracks. The buildings in the background were obliterated by construction of I-64 and Highway 40.

Part 4: St. Louis & Belleville Electric

SL&BE line car 500 was former ESL&S, then ESLR, line car 503. It was built by the ESL&S at its Winstanley shops and was purchased by the SL&BE in 1935.

SL&BE 550 was a standard 50-ton GE steeplecab built in 1926.

SL&BE 600 was a unique dual-power electric/gas-electric locomotive built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1938 as Illinois Central 11000 and later sold to the SL&BE, which just operated it as a straight electric, I believe. This April 30, 1949, photo is attributed to William C. Janssen.

And this shot of SL&BE 600, also dated to April 30, 1949, is attributed to George Krambles. This locomotive was later sold to Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting in Flin Flon, Manitoba, where it ended its days in heavily rebuilt form.

Part 5: Terminals and Right-of-Way

This view of the Eads Bridge Terminal was taken on a rainy April 25, 1932, by Robert V. Mehlenbeck. ESLR car 613 on the left was one of 45 600-series cars built by American in 1917; ESL&S interurban car 21 on the right was rebuilt and modernized from a 30/40-series car.

This 1916 view of French Village Junction shows where the interurban line to Lebanon joined the north-south line through Caseyville that joined the Belleville and Edwardsville lines of the ESL&S.

It's April 1908, and a United Railways city car in the foreground is at 3rd and Washington at the west end of the Eads Bridge to pick up passengers from the East Side Lines. The closest of the three cars at the bridge terminal is a rarity: ESLR open car 310, built in 1904 by St. Louis and retired by 1919.

The Eads Bridge Terminal at the west end of the East Side Electric Railway System is abuzz with activity on July 2, 1931, in this Robert V. Mehlenbeck photo.

This July 1925 photo shows the "Eads Bridge Trolley Station" from the west, including its impressive lit-up rooftop sign. Underneath giant letters reading "THE ELECTRIC WAY" there is a giant map of the Great East Side Electric Railway System. St. Louis is at bottom center, with Alton at the far left; Edwardsville at top left, with Collinsville to the right of it and Caseyville to the right of that. In the upper right, there's Lebanon under the "W" and Belleville under the "Y," with Edgemont at the junction of those two lines. The bottom right of the map is the East St. Louis Columbia & Waterloo, which wasn't under the corporate umbrella that the rest of the East Side lines were but did run to the Eads Bridge terminal via trackage rights over the ESLR.