Comfort - Speed - Safety = INTERURBANS 101

[Ocklawaha]

A new Interurban Car reproduction, just delivered

Interurban's were often Streetcar or Trolley lines that grew up with Cities. Mostly outside of the deep South, though we did have a few, NONE are credited in Florida. A short lived operation in Sarasota, another at Coral Gables, Pensacola, Tampa and Jax bordered on "interurban" status, but never quite made the roll.


Typical Midwest-Iowa-South and Southwest style small Interurban car

Perhaps the easiest way to think of the classic interurban of yesteryear is usually(but not ALWAYS):

A typical streetcar line in a urban center that expanded to surrounding towns or villages. Dallas to Waco for example. Oklahoma City to Guthrie. Jacksonville to Ocala (proposed, some grading done, never built). In a lesser scope, several others that extended from a central core to a near-by area. Example, Chicago - Michigan City, or Los Angeles - Santa Monica. Some of these grew and absorbed streetcar lines in smaller communities as they went, becoming regional giants. King of the Interurban's was the Pacific Electric Railroad with over 1,200 miles stretching from Los Angeles to Riverside, Santa Monica to Long Beach, San Fernando to Orange County, and EVERYWHERE in between. They offered local and express services. (read that traditional trolley type operation AND trains of longer larger cars, running at speed to connecting streetcar routes and towns).



Interurbans often had mid-block small town stations, the big city terminals were
sometimes as fancy as our own Union Station, just a bit smaller. This one in IN.

So in town, the interurban can be a  trolley car size vehicle, but the spotting differences are they are a bit more weighty, and have more "beef" or bulk. Sort of a railroad size Trolley, yet short enough to handle downtown corners and traffic.


Oh My God, 1963 was a bad year in Long Beach, California...

Inside the classic interurban's is a study in the TV show, "The Wild Wild West". Remember that rail car? PLUSH! Velvet, stained woods, rare woodwork, restrooms, cafe or bar cars (or sections), baggage cars or doors (perfect for today's ADA lifts and ramps) all under the most basic and simple, CHEAP trolley wire system.


Bet you thought "Low Floor-Center Entry" Transit was a new thing?

So what I am proposing is build that long dreamed of FLORIDA INTERURBAN, use the same cars in town, out of town and down the "S" or "A" or "FEC". They are big enough to play trains, small enough to do something not done since the last PE car ran to Long Beach in 1963. The interurban zenith was perhaps 1923. What a year for Jacksonville to recreate.


Just how big did the systems get? This was the biggest. Note that the last owner
"Motor Transit", is the same outfit that bought the Jacksonville Traction Company
"to modernize it"...Anyone want to buy a bridge???

Lake, the good thing is, your modern cars are a basic out-growth of the classic interurban. They can also run under that simple trolley wire, they could be ordered dual powered (I just found out the River Line uses some dual power cars). We can mix or match, they are completely compatible. Moreover they are MUCH more compatible with regular railroad equipment then the smaller heritage trolleys. This would be having our cake and eating it too. We get RAIL, COMMUTER RAIL, LIGHT RAIL, TROLLEY, HERITAGE, TOURISM, as well as what the Pacific Electric called..."SPEED COMFORT SAFETY." AC, ADA, restroom or bar equipped for about the same $$$ as an Austin or San Diego car. Though, some COULD BE Austin or San Diego type cars... I say, let's have it all.


Seattle loved and remembers it's interurban system as this poster recalls.

Time for the "new" INTERURBAN ERA in the USA? Let's start it in Jacksonville!


The Typical Interurban self-image, and the famous PE emblem, NOTE the ever
present "LIGHTNING BOLT" almost always a part of electric railroad symbols.

Ocklawaha