There were some horrendous wrecks on streetcar lines, especially on some of the interurbans. But how dangerous were they, really? Data show that, overall, streetcars had quite a low accident rate when compared against the number of passenger miles of…

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When large vehicles carry large numbers of passengers and operate on city streets, there was considerable likelihood that injuries to people and damage to property would occur. Also, it appears that, then as now, many people believed that that large,…

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In their era, horsecar operations could earn profits of, perhaps, 8 or 9% annually. If not spectacular, this income was more than sufficient to keep them operating and to encourage construction of new lines. However, in most communities, horsecar operations…

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In earlier posts, we’ve discussed how many interurbans, especially in later years as passengers were lost to automobiles, carried freight to gain badly needed income. As we’ve explained, much interurban freight was in the form of small packages and other…

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