The Omaha & Southern Interurban Railway Company built and operated around 1907 an interurban railway from South Omaha, Nebraska, to Belleview College and Fort Crook, 6 miles south.
South Omaha is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. During its initial development phase the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth, due to the rapid development of the Union Stockyards. Annexed by the City of Omaha in 1915, the community has numerous historical landmarks many are within the South Omaha Main Street Historic District.
The chosen route required a large amount of grading. For the entire length of the line cuts averaged about 40,000 cu. yds. per mile (19,000 m3 per km), and for several miles the road was a succession of cuts and fills. The deepest cut was midway of the line and was 48 feet (15 m) deep. Owing to the peculiar holding qualities of the clay in which the cuts were made, the slope of the banks was made ¼ to 1, which is quite in contrast to the practice of 1½ to 1 elsewhere. R. N. Towl, of Omaha was in charge of the construction. [1]
The line was planned to be extended to Plattsmouth, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Fort Crook, the initial southern terminus. This fort was a government post, and usually four or five companies were stationed at it. The line was built on private right of way 100 feet (30 m) wide. Fills for single track were 22 feet (6.7 m) wide at the top and cuts were 37 feet (11 m) wide at the bottom. Oak ties and 70-lb. per yard (35 kg/m) rails were used. [1]
Span trolley construction was employed. The poles, which were of cedar, were spaced 100 feet (30 m) apart, and those on one side of the track were high enough to carry high-tension cross-arms. The butts were treated with a tar compound, the bi-product obtained in the manufacture of artificial gas. A lightning arrester was installed every quarter mile. [1]
Initially, power was obtained direct from the direct-current power house of the Omaha & Council Bluffs Street Railway Company. As the terminus of the line is 12 miles (19 km) from the power house, a booster was employed, which raised the voltage at the power house to 825 Volts. The booster set consisted of two 100-kW Edison bi-polar generators. The winding of the one serving as a motor was unchanged. The voltage of the other has been halved and the amperage doubled by connecting the armature leads so as to give two independent circuits paralleled by the brushes. Plans contemplated a sub-station in South Omaha for the city lines and power for the interurban line to be obtained from this. [1]
An hourly service was ordinarily maintained by one car, but during the summer season three were scheduled to be operated. The cars used were 30 feet (9.1 m) long, seated forty-four people, and were equipped with four G. E. 67 motors. They were maintained in the shops of the Omaha & Council Bluffs Street Railway. [1]
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate incorporated in New York City and headquartered in Boston. As of 2018, the company operates through the following segments: aviation, healthcare, power, renewable energy, digital industry, additive manufacturing, venture capital and finance, lighting, and oil and gas.
Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and forms part of the Omaha (Nebr.) Metropolitan Area. It is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, across from the city of Omaha. Council Bluffs was known, until at least 1853, as Kanesville. It was the historic starting point of the Mormon Trail. Kanesville is also the northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trails, since there was a steam powered boat to ferry their wagons, and cattle, across the Missouri River.
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The interurban is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like light electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. They were prevalent in North America between 1900 and 1925 and were used primarily for passenger travel between cities and their surrounding suburban and rural communities. Limited examples existed in Europe and Asia. Interurban as a term encompassed the companies, their infrastructure, and the cars that ran on the rails.
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Transportation in Omaha, Nebraska, includes most major modes, such as pedestrian, bicycle, automobile, bus, train and airplane. While early transportation consisted of ferries, stagecoaches, steamboats, street railroads, and railroads, the city's transportation systems have evolved to include the Interstate Highway System, parklike boulevards and a variety of bicycle and pedestrian trails. The historic head of several important emigrant trails and the First Transcontinental Railroad, its center as a national transportation hub earned Omaha the nickname "Gate City of the West" as early as the 1860s.
Railroads in Omaha, Nebraska have been integral to the growth and development of the city, the state of Nebraska, the Western United States and the entire United States. The convergence of many railroad forces upon the city was by happenstance and synergy, as none of the Omaha leaders had a comprehensive strategy for bringing railroads to the city.
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The Portland–Lewiston Interurban (PLI) was an electric railroad subsidiary of the Androscoggin Electric Company operating from 1914 to 1933 between Monument Square in Portland and Union Square in Lewiston, Maine. Hourly service was offered over the 40-mile (64 km) route between the two cities. Express trains stopping only at West Falmouth, Gray, New Gloucester, Upper Gloucester and Danville made the trip in 80 minutes, while trains making other local stops upon request required 20 minutes more. The line was considered the finest interurban railroad in the state of Maine.
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