The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company

Last updated
The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company
Milwaukee streetcar 846 on East Troy Electric Railroad in 2006.jpg
Preserved 1920 vintage Milwaukee streetcar 846 at the East Troy Electric Railroad
Overview
Headquarters Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Reporting mark TMERL
Locale Wisconsin
Dates of operation18961938
PredecessorThe Milwaukee Electric Railway
SuccessorThe Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transport Co.
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification 600 V DC
Length191 miles (307 km)
Route map

Watertown
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Sheboygan
Pipersville
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Weedens
Ixonia
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Oostburg
Oconomowoc
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Cedar Grove
Okauchee
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Belgium
Nashotah
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Druecker’s
Summit Center
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Port Washington
Delafield
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Lutzen’s
Buena Vista
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Saukville
Waukesha Beach
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Grafton
Waukesha
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Cedarburg
Gravel pit
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Quarry
Springdale
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Thiensville
Rocky Knoll
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Mequon
Calhoun
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Brown Deer
Sunny Slope
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Brown Deer Park
County Line
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Mill Rd. – Hillside
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Silver Spring Rd.
West Junction
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Northside
84th Street
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Milwaukee
Public Service Building
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National & 100th
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Greenwood Junction
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Powerton
Hales Corners
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Lakeside Power Plant
St. Martins Junction
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Cudahy
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South Milwaukee
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Muskego
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South Junction
Big Bend
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Durham Hill
Vernon Center Rd.
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Muskego Dam Rd.
Riverside St.
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Wind Lake Rd.
Mukwonago
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Waubeesee
Phantom Lake
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Waterford
Beulah Lake
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Rochester
Army Lake
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Bellwood Rd.
East Troy
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Burlington
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Caledonia Junction
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Ives
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Mount Pleasant
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Berryville Road
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Fairview
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Kenosha BSicon BRILL.svg
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local streetcar service

The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company( reporting mark TMERL), also referred to as the Milwaukee Interurban Lines or TMER&L, is a defunct railroad that operated in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the largest electric railway and electric utility system in Wisconsin, and combined several of the earlier horsecar, steam dummy, and streetcar lines into one system. Its Milwaukee streetcar lines soon ran on most major streets and served most areas of the city. The interurban lines reached throughout southeastern Wisconsin. TMER&L also operated the streetcar lines in Appleton, Kenosha, and Racine, as well as its own switching operations at the Port Washington and Lakeside power plants.

The first electric streetcar in Milwaukee operated on Wells Street on April 3, 1890. The Waukesha Beach Railway was formally opened on June 25, 1895. The first interurban ran between Milwaukee and Kenosha on June 1, 1897. Other lines soon reached Watertown, Burlington, and East Troy. In 1922, TMER&L acquired the Milwaukee Northern Railway and added their Milwaukee to Sheboygan interurban line to the system.

During the Great Depression, services on streetcar and interurban lines were reduced, replaced with buses, abandoned, or sold. Abandonments ceased during World War II when gas and tires were rationed and defense workers needed transportation. After the war, riders returned to their automobiles and abandonments resumed. The last streetcar to run in Milwaukee and the entire state operated on Wells Street on March 2, 1958. [1] Electric locomotives continued operating at the power plants until the early 1970s. [2]

The last two remaining sections of interurban lines were to Hales Corners and Waukesha. They continued in operation until June 30, 1951 as part of the Milwaukee Rapid Transit and Speedrail Company's rapid transit service, as it had essentially lost the remainder of its postwar ridership following a collision in Greenfield, Wisconsin that killed 8 people and injured around 40, just the year before. [3] The outer end of the East Troy branch (beyond Mukwonago) continues to operate as the East Troy Electric Railroad, a 7-mile (11 km) long heritage railroad. [4] There were plans to extend the Watertown line to Madison, the East Troy line to Delavan, and the Burlington line to Lake Geneva. However, none of these plans came to fruition.

References

  1. "The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company (TMER&L)". Encyclopedia of Milwaukee.
  2. "TMER&L". TrainWeb.
  3. "History of The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company". The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transit Historical Society. 10 June 2020.
  4. "History of The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company -- and the East Troy Electric Railroad" (PDF). East Troy Railroad Museum.