• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

THE ELECTRIC PULLMAN THE ELECTRIC Railroads Past & Present • George M. Smerk, editor A list of books in the series appears at the end of this volume. PULLMAN Indiana University Press • Bloomington & Indianapolis THE Lawrence A. Brough } } ELECTRIC A HISTORY OF THE NILES CAR & MANUFACTURING PULLMAN COMPANY HERBERT H. HARWOOD, JR. Indiana University Press ◉ Bloomington & Indianapolis This book is a publication of The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the Indiana University Press American National Standard for Information 601 North Morton Street Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Bloomington, Indiana 47404-3797 USA Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. iupress.indiana.edu Manufactured in the United States of America Telephone orders 800-842-6796 Library of Congress Fax orders 812-855-7931 Cataloging-in-Publication Data © 2013 by Lawrence A. Brough Brough, Lawrence A. The electric Pullman : a history All rights reserved of the Niles Car & Manufacturing No part of this book may be reproduced or Company / Lawrence A. Brough. utilized in any form or by any means, electronic pages cm. — (Railroads past and present) or mechanical, including photocopying and Includes bibliographical references and index. recording, or by any information storage ISBN 978-0-253-00790-2 (cloth : alk. paper) and retrieval system, without permission in — ISBN 978-0-253-00799-5 (ebook) 1. Niles writing from the publisher. The Association of Car & Manufacturing Company. 2. Electric American University Presses’ Resolution on railroads—Cars—United States—History. 3. Permissions constitutes the only exception Railroad cars—United States—History. I. Title. to this prohibition. TF920.B77 2013 338.7'62523—dc23 2012042356 1 2 3 4 5 18 17 16 15 14 13 This story is dedicated to the volunteers in traction and railroad museums across the country, whose dedication to the preservation of equipment and artifacts allows the rest of us to enjoy and learn railroad history. } } CONTENTS preface • ix Acknowledgments • xi Introduction • 1 1 The Curtain Rises • 3 2 The Catalog • 7 3 The Cars Roll Out • 15 4 The Slow Decline • 31 5 A Look Back • 48 6 Observations • 70 7 The Survivors • 84 Epilogue • 89 appendix • 91 References • 105 Index • 109 PREFACE High Voltage. Pullman. Two words that imply high energy, quality, excite- ment. While not widely adopted in the traction industry, the Niles Car & Manufacturing Company participated in building high-voltage cars for elec- tric railways in several states. Although the electrical specification for the cars was developed by others, the cars completed in 1907 for the Washington Baltimore & Annapolis Electric Railway came to be called “Electric Pullmans” due to their heavy weight and quiet, comfortable operation. The designation stuck and was ever after associated with Niles cars. A latecomer to the party that was the interurban era was the Niles Car & Manufacturing Company, of Niles, Ohio, a car builder that didn’t build its first trolley car until 1902 and was gone by 1917, a mere fifteen years of activ- ity. Although its life was short, the Niles company left an indelible mark on the industry it served. Even nearly one hundred years after the firm’s demise, Niles cars are still regarded as some of the finest products of the car builder’s art and expertise and many survive in trolley museums around the country. Historical research is like an archeological excavation, a process that seems to have no end. It may reach a stopping point but that may not be the end of the story. There comes a time, however, when diminishing returns do not justify the expenditure of additional effort. Such is the case with this account of the life of the Niles Car & Manufacturing Company. While many years and count- less hours have gone into this work, there is more to be told, if only the history ix can be recovered from wherever it is hidden. It is hoped that future historians may use this account as a basis for further digging. This volume is intended to be a history of the company, and to that end will only report on cars as delivered to the original buyer, although it is known that many of the cars ran on successive traction lines. Hopefully this story will aid the reader in learning about the history of this firm and the scope of its influence on the industry it served. While the Niles Car & Manufacturing Company is long gone, it was a valued member of the community, creating jobs and excitement wherever the Niles name appeared, either in the factory in Niles, Ohio, or on the many traction lines that operated its cars. Lawrence A. Brough x Preface A CKNOWLEDGMENTS Historical research is seldom a solo effort, and this account is certainly not. Uncovering the life of the Niles Car & Manufacturing Company would not have been possible without the generous assistance of a number of individuals, including members of many traction museums throughout the United States. Among those who graciously shared their knowledge of traction history was P. Allen Copeland of El Cajon, California, whose knowledge of western trac- tion lines, his review of this story, and suggestions for enhancement have been especially appreciated. In addition, Norman Krentel added much informa- tion about the traction lines in Michigan and William Fronzcek about lines in Pennsylvania, both states that received significant numbers of Niles cars. Audrey John, curator of the Niles Historical Society, got me started on this project and shared a wealth of material in the form of photographs and the previous research of the late Grace Allison, whose passion for Niles history seemed to have no bounds. I must also mention Bob Korach, Bill Vigrass, the late LeRoy O. King Jr., and Craig Berndt for their contributions. To all of those mentioned the author extends a big thank you. xi This page intentionally left blank THE ELECTRIC PULLMAN Figures 0.1 (above) and 0.2 (below). Picture postcards of New Haven, Ohio, typical of the isolated country towns awaiting rail service at the turn of the twentieth century. INTRODUCTION By 1901, the year that the Niles Car & Manufacturing Company was formed, the interurban era was well on its way, although its greatest growth still lay ahead. The Niles company was entering the industry at the right time. Why interurbans were so quickly and widely accepted can best be understood from studying the photo postcards of a wide place in an otherwise dusty country road known as New Haven, Ohio (Figs. 0.1 and 0.2). You can sense the remoteness of the place when you realize that it has no contact with the outside world except via a long, slow wagon ride to the near- est town, which may have been hours, perhaps days, away. It would appear that visitors to the place were few and far between, as evidenced by children playing in the road without fear of being trampled by a horse or run over by a horse-drawn wagon. At the turn of the twentieth century, there were hundreds of New Havens across the country that were denied access to steam railroads and eagerly welcomed the electric interurban that could whisk residents away in comfort and with speed unmatched by their horse-drawn buggies. Progress came quickly to New Haven, Ohio, because shortly the Sandusky Norwalk & Mansfield Electric Railway found its way into town, bringing not only a connection to the outside world, but also electricity and perhaps even the telephone. Children no longer played in the middle of the road but stared starry- eyed at the big, handsome Niles coach as it swept into town, wondering what it would be like to ride in it or even to be the motorman in the front, driving the car speeding down the rails. For too brief a time, until it was supplanted by the automobile that was rapidly developing elsewhere, the interurban was the lifeline for these small towns, and Niles cars played a significant role in transporting people and merchandise quickly and conveniently over electric railways like the Sandusky Norwalk & Mansfield. 1 While not the largest manufacturer in the industry, Niles became one of the most respected, producing interurban, suburban, and street railway cars of the highest quality for railways throughout the United States, Canada, Cuba, and reportedly the Philippines. A testament to their high standards of con- struction are numerous Niles cars still operating in railway museums across the country nearly one hundred years after their manufacture. 2 The Electric Pullman 1} } THE CURTAIN RISES The year was 1901. William McKinley, the favorite son of Niles, Ohio, began his second term in office as president of the United States. National unemploy- ment was at 4 percent, and Marconi demonstrated his wireless by sending messages through the air from England to Newfoundland. The electric rail- way era was well along and, like the steam railroads before, electric lines were springing up all over the country in an attempt to connect nearly every town and hamlet. Did this look like an opportunity to invest in America’s future? It did to a group of Niles businessmen, and on May 3, 1901, they incorporated the Niles Car & Manufacturing Company, which, according to its Articles of Incorporation, intended to “manufacture and deal in all kinds of street and railway cars, motors, steam engines, water tanks, and acid tanks and for manufacturing and dealing in railway supplies and appliances of all kinds.” The company was capitalized at $200,000. The inclusion of the manufacture of water and acid tanks was no doubt influenced by the fact that Niles was located in what was then the heart of industrial America and was home to steel mills, rolling mills, and plants that produced glass, pottery, and firebrick—businesses that would require such equipment—and these tanks were made out of wood, as would be the trolley car bodies.

Load more

  131

Copy Link