Red Devil (interurban)
| Red Devil | |
|---|---|
|
C&LE #119 at the Ohio Railway Museum in 1966 | |
| In service | 1929-53 |
| Manufacturer | Cincinnati Car Company |
| Number built | 20 |
| Operator(s) |
Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Lehigh Valley Transit Company |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 44 ft 9 in (13,640 mm) |
| Width | 8 ft 10 in (2,692 mm) |
| Wheel diameter | 28 in (711 mm) |
| Maximum speed | 90 mph (140 km/h) |
| Weight | 48,000 lb (22,000 kg) |
| Traction motors | 4 × 100 hp (75 kW) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Notes | |
| [1] | |
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The Red Devil was a high-speed interurban streetcar built by the Cincinnati Car Company for the Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad (C&LE) in 1929–1930. They saw service throughout Ohio in the 1930s. After the failure of the C&LE in 1939 they saw service with the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway (CRANDIC) and the Lehigh Valley Transit Company. Several have been preserved.
Design
The Red Devils were among the first lightweight interurban trolleys with side plates of aluminum. They had a toilet, luggage compartment, and up to 44 seats.[2][3][4] The construction had some weaknesses. The riveting of aluminum plates to a steel frame produced an electrolytic reaction that gave rise to corrosion in the side panels and the front and rear dashers. The C&LE replaced some of the aluminum plates with steel.[5]The cars featured Art deco styling and a distinctive bright red paint scheme. Half of the cars were outfitted as parlor cars with first class seating.[6]
Service
The Red Devil's commercial speed was 90 mph (145 km/h).[7] Not only was it the fastest interurban of its time, it outpaced even the fastest conventional train in commercial traffic, the 80 mph (129 km/h) Cheltenham Spa Express and was almost as fast as the German 160 km/h (99 mph) Fliegender Hamburger, which was inaugurated in 1933. (see Land speed record for rail vehicles#Scheduled trains).
In 1930, a race was organized between a Red Devil and a plane. The stunt's result was that the interurban car ran at 97 mph (156 km/h) – and won.[8][9]
Competition with a growing population of automobiles riding on state paved highways and the financial impact of the Depression led to a decline in C&LE passenger business. The freight business collapsed as the C&LE's interchange partners went out of business.[10] The C&LE ceased operations in 1939.[11][12] The innovative Red Devils were sold after abandonment: six to the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway (CRANDIC) and thirteen to the Lehigh Valley Transit Company.[13][14]
Notes
- ↑ Keenan 2001, pp. 6-10
- ↑ Koffmann 1980
- ↑ Hilton & Due 1960, p. 207
- ↑ Keenan 1974, p. 42
- ↑ Keenan 2001, p. 7
- ↑ Middleton 1961, pp. 67-69
- ↑ Alex Campbell. "The Columbus Interurban Terminal". Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ↑ Middleton 1961, p. 147
- ↑ Timothy Collins. "Bring Back the Interurban". Daily Yonder. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ↑ Harwood 2000, p. 230
- ↑ Keenan 1974, p. 238
- ↑ Hilton & Due 1960, pp. 178-189
- ↑ Keenan 1974, p. 205
- ↑ Middleton 1961, p. 24
References
- Harwood, Herbert (2000). Lake Shore Electric Railway Story. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33797-6.
- Hilton, George W.; Due, John Fitzgerald (1960). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0804705534. OCLC 237973.
- Keenan, Jack (1974). Cincinnati & Lake Erie Railroad: Ohio's Great Interurban System. Corona Del Mar, CA: Golden West Books. ISBN 0-8709-5055-X.
- Keenan, Jack (2001). "The Fight for Survival: the C&LE and the Great Depression" (PDF). Indiana Historical Society.
- Koffmann, J.L. (1980). "Der Rollenstromabnehmer in Amerika". Der Stadtverkehr (4): 182–184.
- Middleton, William D. (1961). The Interurban Era. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89024-003-8. OCLC 4357897.
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