Growth Rate: The last years of the 19th Century and the first years of the 20th was a time of rapid growth for the US, with the population sometimes increasing by more than 20% per decade. Much of this growth occurred in urban areas such that, by the tine of World War I, half of the population was urban, up from one third in 1880. Thus it is not surprising that street railways increased at a rapid rate, too, especially electrified lines.

What are some of the numbers? According to the 1890 Census, there were 1262 miles of electrified street railway track in the entire country. By 1902, there were 22,000 miles. Certainly, much of this growth was the result of electrification of existing horse and cable lines. But it is clear that the industry, as a whole was growing rapidly. Over those years, both the number of passenger cars and the number of employees more than doubled. Total track mileage increased three times, investment in street railways increased form about 400 million dollars to more than two billion, and annual passenger totals increased from two billion to more than five.

The growth of the cities and of street railways fed one another. The increasing population made possible the growth of the railways and the railways made the growing cities possible not merely by improving transportation in crowded areas but, by making it possible for people to travel longer distances, reducing the crowding.

The explosive growth of the 1890s left behind more than just statistics; it left a legacy of engineering that we are working to preserve today. While the Lorain Street Railway #83 pictured above, is currently resting in our collection, its story is woven into everything you see at the museum.

From the click of the rails to the hum of the electric motors, the era of rapid urban expansion comes to life at the Northern Ohio Railway Museum. Come explore our public collection, walk through our historic carbarns, and see how the ‘Great Railway Boom’ shaped the Northeast Ohio we know today.