Streetcar Suburbs and Interurban Trolleys

As the railways of Schenectady, New York grew, they moved beyond the limits of pedestrian traffic and outward along city lines. Schenectady, the home of the General Electric Company (GE), then became the site of an important experiment. In 1903, GE successfully tested a dual current powered trolley that could switch from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) en route. This innovation was first put into service in 1904 between Schenectady and Ballston Spa, another New York community some 14 miles away.

Trolley Technology

The trolley motor consisted of a series of compensated wound motors, which were operated by means of a series parallel controller. The center poles along the rural trolley routes supported two types of electric copper wire above the trolley tracks. One carried 600 volts of DC current, primarily within the city limits, while the other supported the 2,200 volts of AC current to power the vehicle during the transition to and outside the city limits. These trolleys were also constructed in a way that enhanced their stability at higher speeds along rail lines running through the country and between cities.

Thanks to this new technology, the trolley's range and speed were increased. Now, the new AC/DC electric trolley lines could be built outward from city centers into the countryside, connecting neighboring cities many miles away. These new trolleys were known as interurbans.

Trolley Travels, Trolley Tracks

Interurban lines radiated out from city centers. Because they used AC current to propel them, they could acquire the speed of a locomotive. Typically, interurbans reached speeds of over 60 miles per hour when leaving the city limits. Because of this, independent interurban rail companies were able to extend their presence across New England and the Midwest. Ohio led the way with the most trolley track of any state, with over 3,000 miles of track laid by 1920.

Fun, Fares and Freedom

With interurbans, a rider could travel from Chicago, Illinois to Oneonta, New York in a matter of three days - just by using the trolley system. This was still a lengthy trip by today's standards, but one was much faster than with a horse-drawn carriage. Waiting for trolley transfers and lodging overnight contributed to much of the trolley trip's duration.

Closer to home, these fast interurban lines made it feasible for workers to live away from the congestion of the city and commute to work from afar. The streetcar fare for an interurban run between the center of downtown Schenectady and the center of Albany, New York some 16 miles away was 25 cents one-way and 40 cents round-trip. The typical fare for a local trolley route was a nickel. This 5-cent fare remained the standard in most American trolley cities for many years. This provided greater opportunity for the business owner, and also provided freedom to the working-class family that wished to escape the dreariness of the increasingly congested city center.

The Schenectady Experience

Managers and laborers alike, some of who lived as far away as Gloversville (20 miles west of Schenectady), could commute to work at the massive new General Electric plant in Schenectady. But workers also commuted to many industries throughout the tri-city region and beyond. Textile workers commuted to the glove factories in the aptly-named Gloversville while ironworkers traveled from Waterford along the Hudson River to nearby Troy to work at the Iron Works. Some domestic servants also commuted to well-heeled Saratoga Springs, New York, an emerging resort town north of the city. Yet not all passenger traffic on the different trolley lines was merely just for commuting to work.

Streetcar Suburbs

By facilitating the growth of "streetcar suburbs", interurbans helped to change the fabric and face of American life. Soon, trolley companies promoted their lines to people who were looking for a place to live or land to buy outside of the city. For many, a residence along a trolley route represented a refuge from the overpopulated urban downtown. In essence then, the trolley companies (and not the automobile) were the first drivers of suburban living.

Editor's Note: Part 11 of this multi-part series will run in two weeks.

Resources:

Trolleys Down the Mohawk Valley, Charles Gordon, 1968

Previous Blog Entries in This Series

The American Streetcar (Part 1)

From Stagecoach to Streetcar (Part 2)

From Horse-Drawn Streetcars to Cable Cars (Part 3)

The Birth of the Electric Streetcar (Part 4)

Electric Streetcars and Trolley Technology (Part 5)

Electric Streetcars: Private Lines and Public Roads (Part 6)

The Rise of the Electric Streetcar (Part 7)

Electric Streetcars and the Industrial Revolution (Part 8)

General Electric and the Schenectady Streetcar (Part 9)