Quote:
Originally Posted by M II A II R II K
Before Interstates, America Got Around on Interurbans
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Once upon a time, interurbans were the fastest way to get from suburbia to downtowns. Here's wiki on interurbans...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interurban
"From 1900 to 1916, a large network of interurban lines was constructed in the United States. In 1900, 2,107 miles (3,391 km) of interurban track existed, but by 1916, this had increased to 15,580 miles (25,070 km), a seven-fold expansion. To show how exceptionally busy the interurbans radiating from Indianapolis were in 1926, the immense Indianapolis Traction Terminal (nine roof covered tracks and loading platforms) scheduled 500 trains in and out daily and moved 7 million passengers that year. At their peak the interurbans were the fifth-largest industry in the United States.
Many interurbans had been hastily constructed without realistic projections of income and expenses. They were initially financed by issuing stock and selling bonds. The sale of these financial instruments was often local with salesmen going door to door aggressively pushing this new and exciting "it can't fail" form of transportation. But many of those interurbans did fail, and often quickly. They had poor cash flow from the outset and struggled to raise essential further capital. Interurbans were very vulnerable to acts of nature damaging track and bridges, where flooding was common. Receivership was a common fate when the interurban company couldn't pay its payroll and other debts, so state courts took over and allowed continued operation while suspending the company's obligation to pay interest on its bonds. As the interurban companies struggled financially they faced rising competition from cars and trucks on newly paved streets and highways, while municipalities sought to alleviate traffic congestion by removing interurbans from city streets. Some companies exited the passenger business altogether to focus on freight, while others sought to buttress their finances by selling surplus electricity in local communities. Several interurbans which attempted to exit the rail business altogether ran afoul of state commissions which required that trains remain running "for the public good," even at a loss.
Many financially weak interurbans did not survive the prosperous 1920s, and most others went bankrupt during the Great Depression. A few struggling lines tried combining to form much larger systems in an attempt to gain operating efficiency and a broader customer base."
Automobiles and paved highways and paved streets replaced the interurbans.
It took Eisenhower 62 days to drive Model T Fords (cars and trucks) from the White House in DC to downtown San Francisco in 1919 along the Lincoln Highway, which was mostly dirt and gravel and little to no pavement. 62 days. Google suggest 41 hours of driving time today. Depending upon how long you will drive a vehicle per day, its a four, five, six or seven day journey.
Around 10 times faster. If you drive 70 mph on the interstates today, Eisenhower was averaging 7 mph back in 1919. it's a 10 to 1 ratio.
Interurbans were traveling faster than 7 mph back in 1919. They were the fastest way to get from the suburbs to the inner cities. But as roads and highways were paved, as automobiles averaged higher speeds, interurbans lost their competitive advantage - and that is why few of them remain today.