Twin Citiesby Trolley

JOHN W. DIERS & AARON ISAACS

The Streetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul

Twin Cities by Trolley The Streetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul

by John W. Diers and Aaron Isaacs Publication date: May 2007

University of Minnesota Press $39.95 Cloth/jacket ISBN 978-0-8166-4358-5 368 pages 10 X 11

A pictorial history of the streetcar era in the Twin Cities The recent development of light rail transit in the Twin Cities has been an undeniable

success. Plans for additional lines progress, and our ways of shopping, dining, and

commuting are changing dramatically. As we embrace riding the new Hiawatha light rail

line, an older era comes to mind—the age when everyone rode the more than 500 miles of

track that crisscrossed the Twin Cities.

In Twin Cities by Trolley, John Diers and Aaron Isaacs offer a rolling snapshot of

Minneapolis and St. Paul from the 1880s to the 1950s, when the streetcar system shaped the

growth and character of the entire metropolitan area. More than 400 photographs and 70

maps let the reader follow the tracks from Stillwater to University Avenue to Lake

Minnetonka, through Uptown to downtown Minneapolis. The illustrations show nearly every

neighborhood in Minneapolis and St. Paul as it was during the streetcar era.

At its peak in the 1920s and early 1930s, the Twin City Rapid Transit Company (TCRT)

operated over 900 streetcars, owned 523 miles of track, and carried more than 200 million

passengers annually. Recounting the rise and fall of the TCRT, Twin Cities by Trolley

explores the history, organization, and operations of the streetcar system, including life as a

streetcar operator and the technology, design, and construction of the cars.

Inspiring fond memories for anyone who grew up in the Twin Cities, Twin Cities by Trolley

leads readers on a fascinating and enlightening tour of this bygone era in the neighborhood

and the city they call home.

John W. Diers has worked in the transit industry for thirty-five years, including twenty-five

years at the Twin Cities Metropolitan Transit Commission. He has written for Trains, and

has served on the board of the Minnesota Transportation Museum.

Aaron Isaacs worked with Metro Transit for thirty-three years. He is the author of Twin City

Lines—The 1940s and The Como-Harriet Streetcar Line. He is also the editor of Railway

Museum Quarterly.

Please consider a book review, excerpt, or feature of Twin Cities by Trolley, or an interview

with the authors. Please contact Heather Skinner, Publicist, at presspr@umn.edu with

questions, requests, or comments.

###

For additional information please visit

http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/D/diers_twin.html

Twin Cities by Trolley The Streetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul

by John W. Diers and Aaron Isaacs Publication date: May 2007

University of Minnesota Press $39.95 Cloth/jacket ISBN 978-0-8166-4358-5 368 pages 10 X 11

John W. Diers John Diers grew up in the Twin Cities and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, where he

majored in history and worked part time as a reporter for the Minnesota Daily. His career in public

transportation spans some thirty-four years, twenty-five of them at the Metropolitan Transit

Commission, starting as a bus driver and moving on to subsequently become a dispatcher, an

Administrative Assistant to the General Manager, Division Superintendent, Chief of Radio

Communications, and Manager of Maintenance Administration. He later joined ATE Management

and Services Company and served as the General Manager of the Racine, Wisconsin transit system.

He is currently a writer-researcher and an independent consultant on transit operations.

John’s interest and involvement in historic preservation both predates and coincides with his career in

the transit industry In 1969, he joined the Minnesota Transportation Museum and was one of the early

volunteers who worked to restore the Lake Harriet Trolley. He subsequently served on the board of

the museum and was its Chairman. He has also served on the board of the Preservation Alliance of

Minnesota and currently serves on the board of the Scott County Historical Society, and the Editorial

Board of the Ramsey County Historical Society.

He has written for Passenger Transport, Trains Magazine, Ramsey County History, The Minnegazette

and the Scott County Scene. He is currently working on a history of the St. Paul Union Depot.

John resides in Prior Lake with his wife, Marcia, a cat, Bailey, and a Norwegian Elkhound, Tino, the

Wonder Dog.

Aaron Isaacs

Aaron inherited his interest in streetcars from his father, who was one of the founders of the Como-

Harriet Streetcar Line. Aaron grew up with streetcars, riding them in cities across North America.

This youthful interest led to a career in public transit, 33 years with Metro Transit until retirement in

2006. During his career, Aaron was a route and schedule planner, operations analyst, and facilities

planner. He created the shoulder bus lanes that are a now a common feature of the metro freeway

system and free express buses from traffic congestion. During the last 15 years, he was responsible for

planning all the regional transit centers and park-and-ride lots.

Aaron is a past president and board member of the Minnesota Transportation Museum, and now

serves on the board of the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. He has edited the museum's quarterly

magazine since 1990. He also edits Railway Museum Quarterly for the Association of Railway

Museums. Before this book, he authored Twin City Lines: The 1940s, and The Como-Harriet

Streetcar Line.

###

For additional information please visit http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/D/diers_twin.html

Twin Cities by Trolley The Streetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul

by John W. Diers & Aaron Isaacs University of Minnesota Press $39.95 Cloth/jacket ISBN 978-0-8166-4358-5

Fascinating facts about the history of Twin Cities’ Trolleys Fast Facts

The Twin City Rapid Transit Company was built and operated without public

subsidy. It stretched from Lake Minnetonka to the St. Croix River and carried more than 200 million passengers a year.

TCRT’s steam and hydroelectric plants generated 89,500 KW of electricity—

enough power for a small town or city.

In 1940 there was an auto for every 3.5 persons in the Twin Cities. Now there are more cars than people.

In 1930 TCRT had more miles of track than the combined total of all light rail

systems in the US, today.

In 1910 it cost TCRT approximately $60,000 a mile to lay track in city streets.

TCRT operated over 900 streetcars during rush hours in the 1920’s. Turn of the nineteenth century Twin Citians referred to streetcars as Tom Lowry’s.

TCRT President, Thomas Lowry, owned a private streetcar and used it to entertain

President McKinley when he visited the Twin Cities. Trolley Way of Life

During the streetcar era everyone went downtown, where more than half the jobs and most of the shopping were located. The streetcar was the easiest often way to get around the Twin Cities.

615,280 people lived in Minneapolis and St. Paul in 1920. That year streetcars

transported 238,388,782 passengers--some 387 trips per capita. It was the all time peak year for transit in the Twin Cities.

Some 53,000 people worked for TCRT between 1890 and 1954. Everyone had a

relative, or knew someone, who worked for the streetcar company.

The carhouse, or station, was at the center of a trainman’s day. The stations had some of the amenities of a men’s club, including libraries, pool tables, and paid attendants who cut hair and performed other services for tips.

In 1949 most people lived within 5 miles of their work, and one third of them used

the streetcar. In the late 1940’s Streetcars were scheduled at one-minute intervals on the St. Paul-

Minneapolis line.

After World War II, as automobile ownership grew, people continues to go to the Minnesota State Fair by streetcar. It was almost as traditional as the fair itself and easily as enjoyable.

In 1913, even with three-minute service, streetcars on some lines were so crowded

that St. Paul passed an ordinance prohibiting more than 84 people on a car.

The nickel streetcar fare was in effect from 1875 until 1920.

In Your Neighborhood

TCRT’s Snelling shops at Snelling and University Avenues, now the site of Midway Shopping Center, was one of the largest and best electric railway shops in the United States.

In 1920 it took 45 minutes to travel by streetcar from downtown Minneapolis to

Excelsior.

TCRT’s high-speed cars, used on its lines to Lake Minnetonka and Stillwater, weighed 58,900 pounds and were capable of 60 MPH.

In 1887 St. Paul city officials applied political pressure to the St. Paul City Railway

to proceed with a cable system that would tackle the steep grades out of downtown. Construction costs for the lines were an astounding $1,564,809 and not fully paid off until 1947.

The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul required TCRT to pave and maintain the

streets used by its streetcars.

TCRT owned two amusement parks, one on Big Island in Lake Minnetonka, the other, Wildwood Park, on White Bear Lake.

Between 1951 and 1954 TCRT spent approximately $14 million to convert the Twin

Cities from streetcar to bus operation. Life of a Trolley

TCRT’s homebuilt streetcars were 46’ long, 9’ wide, weighed 45,000 pounds, were powered by four, 50 horsepower electric motors, and cost approximately $7 thousand (1910) dollars.

TCRT’s electric power distribution system consisted of some 200 miles of

underground cable and 300 miles of overhead feeder wire.

Under the terms of its franchise agreements with Minneapolis and St. Paul TCRT was required to remove snow from all city streets that were used by its streetcars.

When streetcars crossed railroad tracks, they often did so on a single track. This

minimized the cost of maintaining and replacing the crossing diamonds. To prevent a de-wirement that could stall a streetcar on the crossing, an electrically charged wire trough was hung around the overhead wire. Even if the pole came off the wire, the car would still draw power and clear the crossing.

The local lines from Stillwater to Bayport served the front door of the Minnesota State

Prison. Special cars were chartered to transport prisoners, chained to the brass seat handles.