by frank754
Having recently moved to Wilkes-Barre, PA, (in L&WV territory), I have been hunting down info on third rail interurbans in the US, and have made up a list. This covers all that I know about so far, and the dates of discontinuance on each.
If anyone knows about more (some I have missed) or date corrections, please post back. This list does not include city operations, like NYCMTA, CTA, MBTA, LIRR, Metro North, etc., but does include, for example the P&W Norristown line.
All dates are "passenger service discontinued" dates, and not necessarily electrified discontinuance dates if they still may have had electrified freight service a few more years. I will add more details (mileage, voltage, etc.) to some of the lesser "popular" ones.
CA&E - Third rail Chicago suburban service - all service discontinued Chicago - Aurora/Elgin 7/3/57
Through service to CTA loop until 9/19/53
CNS&M mostly overhead but 3rd rail into Chicago via CTA -
last run 1/21/63
Scioto Valley Traction Co. - 600 volts 3rd rail -
Columbus, OH - Chillicothe 47 mi Columbus - Lancaster 30.8 mi
Last passenger service 9/30/30
Northwestern Pacific - 3rd rail commuter service Sausalito-San Rafael, CA with a branch to Mill Valley - main line 10.5 miles
Ended 2/28/41 (Mill Valley branch ended 9/30/40)
Oneida Railway (NY State Railways) Syracuse - Oneida - 3rd rail
Ended 12/31/30
P&W (Red Arrow) 69th St - Norristown (13.7 mi) - still in operation
Strafford Branch (Villanova - Strafford) disc. 3/23/56
Lehigh Valley Transit through service Allentown-69th St disc. 9/26/49, while overhead LVT to Norristown lasted until 9/6/51
Sacramento Northern - 3rd rail (portion of line) Sacramento - Chico, CA passenger service ended 10/31/40, lower part of SN to San Fran was overhead, but used 3rd rail over bay bridge in San Fran, which ended 1941. Also SP "Big Red Cars" service used 3rd rail on bridge until 1941. Key System (overhead except for bridge) until 4/20/58
PRSL (Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines) - 650 volt combo 3rd rail/overhead from Camden, NJ to Atlantic City (overhead in cities), also branch from Camden-Millville, NJ electrified.
Atlantic City line (electric operations) disc. 9/26/31, Millville line cut back to Glassboro 6/20/49, and last electric operations (Glassboro-Camden) on 9/8/49
WB&H (Wilkes-Barre & Hazleton) 3rd rail line disc 7/17/33
L&WV (Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley) Scranton-Wilkes-Barre 12/31/52
Michigan Railways - Kalamazoo-Grand Rapids (50 miles), also Allegan-Battle Creek, Jackson-Muskegon, Grand Rapids-Muskegon
Some lines were experimentally 2400 volts dc for a while, but this was too high for practical use (arcs, power failures, etc.) and were all cut back to 1200v shortly (in about a year) - all lines disc. 11/30/28
Were these the only third rail lines in Michigan?
Puget Sound Railway (WA) Seattle-Tacoma ended 12/30/28
New Haven Nantasket Beach Line - Cohasset-Nantasket Jn-Weymouth-Braintree (MA) 6.5 miles - center third rail (like Lionel) until 1902
Also New Haven Hartford-New Britain-Bristol (18.6 mi) plus branch to Berlin, CT (3 1/4 mi) - center third rail (v-shaped)
Reports say most 3rd rail removed in June 1905, but New Britain also mandated via injunction that all third rail service end by 8/1/1906 due to public safety
Albany Southern RR (NY) Albany - Hudson NY - third rail 37 miles + 2 miles overhead in Hudson, NY - ended 12/21/29
Central California Traction - third rail Stockton-Sacramento, 1200 volts, passenger service ended 2/4/33 with electric freight until 12/24/47, and the line in still in operation with diesel freight.
Are there any I have missed?
If anyone knows about more (some I have missed) or date corrections, please post back. This list does not include city operations, like NYCMTA, CTA, MBTA, LIRR, Metro North, etc., but does include, for example the P&W Norristown line.
All dates are "passenger service discontinued" dates, and not necessarily electrified discontinuance dates if they still may have had electrified freight service a few more years. I will add more details (mileage, voltage, etc.) to some of the lesser "popular" ones.
CA&E - Third rail Chicago suburban service - all service discontinued Chicago - Aurora/Elgin 7/3/57
Through service to CTA loop until 9/19/53
CNS&M mostly overhead but 3rd rail into Chicago via CTA -
last run 1/21/63
Scioto Valley Traction Co. - 600 volts 3rd rail -
Columbus, OH - Chillicothe 47 mi Columbus - Lancaster 30.8 mi
Last passenger service 9/30/30
Northwestern Pacific - 3rd rail commuter service Sausalito-San Rafael, CA with a branch to Mill Valley - main line 10.5 miles
Ended 2/28/41 (Mill Valley branch ended 9/30/40)
Oneida Railway (NY State Railways) Syracuse - Oneida - 3rd rail
Ended 12/31/30
P&W (Red Arrow) 69th St - Norristown (13.7 mi) - still in operation
Strafford Branch (Villanova - Strafford) disc. 3/23/56
Lehigh Valley Transit through service Allentown-69th St disc. 9/26/49, while overhead LVT to Norristown lasted until 9/6/51
Sacramento Northern - 3rd rail (portion of line) Sacramento - Chico, CA passenger service ended 10/31/40, lower part of SN to San Fran was overhead, but used 3rd rail over bay bridge in San Fran, which ended 1941. Also SP "Big Red Cars" service used 3rd rail on bridge until 1941. Key System (overhead except for bridge) until 4/20/58
PRSL (Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines) - 650 volt combo 3rd rail/overhead from Camden, NJ to Atlantic City (overhead in cities), also branch from Camden-Millville, NJ electrified.
Atlantic City line (electric operations) disc. 9/26/31, Millville line cut back to Glassboro 6/20/49, and last electric operations (Glassboro-Camden) on 9/8/49
WB&H (Wilkes-Barre & Hazleton) 3rd rail line disc 7/17/33
L&WV (Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley) Scranton-Wilkes-Barre 12/31/52
Michigan Railways - Kalamazoo-Grand Rapids (50 miles), also Allegan-Battle Creek, Jackson-Muskegon, Grand Rapids-Muskegon
Some lines were experimentally 2400 volts dc for a while, but this was too high for practical use (arcs, power failures, etc.) and were all cut back to 1200v shortly (in about a year) - all lines disc. 11/30/28
Were these the only third rail lines in Michigan?
Puget Sound Railway (WA) Seattle-Tacoma ended 12/30/28
New Haven Nantasket Beach Line - Cohasset-Nantasket Jn-Weymouth-Braintree (MA) 6.5 miles - center third rail (like Lionel) until 1902
Also New Haven Hartford-New Britain-Bristol (18.6 mi) plus branch to Berlin, CT (3 1/4 mi) - center third rail (v-shaped)
Reports say most 3rd rail removed in June 1905, but New Britain also mandated via injunction that all third rail service end by 8/1/1906 due to public safety
Albany Southern RR (NY) Albany - Hudson NY - third rail 37 miles + 2 miles overhead in Hudson, NY - ended 12/21/29
Central California Traction - third rail Stockton-Sacramento, 1200 volts, passenger service ended 2/4/33 with electric freight until 12/24/47, and the line in still in operation with diesel freight.
Are there any I have missed?