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HISTORY OF THE DAYLINES |
East St. Louis &
Suburban Railway (EStL&S): The EStL&S system ran from Eads Bridge over the
Mississippi to Lebanon, Illinois and stretched from Waterloo, Illinois north
to Alton, Illinois. The system served
East St. Louis, Belleville, Collinsville, Waterloo, Columbia, Granite City,
National City, Winstanley, Edgemont, Lebanon, Horseshoe Lake, Caseyville, and
French Village, Illinois resembling an octopus in the process. From 1870 to 1910, the East St. Louis
transportation hub attracted industrial development to the area, nearly
doubling the city's population each decade.
At the same time, the EStL&S developed by assimilating a variety
of smaller operations. During this
period, the Illinois Traction System (Illinois Terminal) reached St. Louis
via trackage rights over Eads Bridge until the completion of its own McKinley
Bridge. In 1930, the IT leaseded the
Alton line from the EStL&S, which had acquired this line in 1924,
purchasing the line outright in 1940.
Starting in 1928, the EStL&S begins abandoning lines, shrinking
toward East St. Louis and discontinuing streetcar service entirely in 1935. |
My Version of the Great
East Side Electric Railway System: Instead of disintegrating during the Great Depression, the
Daylines, as the East St. Louis & Suburban and St. Louis & Belleville
Electric Railways were known, hung on to life. With World War II, gas rationing boosted
ridership and allowed for modernization after the war. After an incident in Belleville on the
Southern's stub branch involving several cars and a caboose arriving in the middle of Illinois Ave.
less trucks caused the Southern to demolish the round house and abandon the
line, the StL&BE bought and electrified the branch adding several online
customers. In addition the system leased
the East St. Louis Junction from the National Stockyards gaining that
business as well. Finally the Freeburg
extension to the River King Mine brought additional revenue. Although the primary commodity is still
coal, a variety of freight is now carried.
Through connections with the TRRA, Illinois Central, Illinois
Terminal, and Alton & Southern, the system interchanges with a dozen
class I railroads. Despite these
actions, 1955 represents the beginning of the end of the interurban system as
automobiles and trucks continue to make inroads in the transportation market. |