Niles Car and Manufacturing Company
Encyclopedia
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
cars. It was founded in 1901 in Niles, Ohio
Niles, Ohio
Niles is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 20,932 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, and ceased producing railroad cars in 1917; the plant and equipment were purchased by the Engel Aircraft Company to produce aircraft parts for the United States Army Signal Corps
United States Army Signal Corps
The United States Army Signal Corps develops, tests, provides, and manages communications and information systems support for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, and has had an important role from...
.
The company also produced equipment for the trucking industry, an industry reference citing 2 models of 1 and 2 tons respectively, costing $1500 to $2400, utilizing a worm drive
Worm drive
A worm drive is a gear arrangement in which a worm meshes with a worm gear...
and custom bodies to suit.
Niles specialized in building wooden-bodied cars in the heyday of interurban building. Its cars had a reputation of being well-built and stylish; Niles advertising called them "The Electric Pullmans."
Customers
Niles' clients included the:- Aurora Elgin and Chicago Railroad (later the Chicago Aurora and Elgin RailroadChicago Aurora and Elgin RailroadThe Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad , known colloquially as the "Roarin' Elgin" or the "Great Third Rail", was an interurban railroad that operated passenger and freight service on its line between Chicago, Illinois and Aurora, Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, and Elgin. The railroad also operated...
); including the oldest operating interurban in the US (#20) - Bamberger Electric Railroad
- Buffalo, Lockport and Rochester Railway
- Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Railway
- Northern Electric Railway (later part of the Sacramento Northern RailwaySacramento Northern Railway←The Sacramento Northern Railway was originally a electric interurban railway linking Chico in northern California to the California capitol of Sacramento The original name of the line was the Chico Electric Railway, or CERY. CERY was sold after a few months of operation to the Northern Electric...
) - The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company
- Northern Ohio Traction & Light
- Pacific Northwest Traction Company
- Rock Island Southern RailwayRock Island Southern RailwayThe Rock Island Southern Railway, or RIS, was one of the most unusual interurban systems in the United States. It consisted of two distinct divisions, each with its own unique operating parameters...
- San Francisco, Napa and Calistoga RailwaySan Francisco, Napa and Calistoga RailwayThe San Francisco, Napa and Calistoga Railway, later briefly reorganized as the San Francisco and Napa Valley Railroad, was an electric interurban railroad in the U.S. State of California....
- St. Paul Southern Railway
- Toledo, Port Clinton and Lakeside RailwayToledo, Port Clinton and Lakeside RailwayThe Toledo, Port Clinton and Lakeside Railway was an interurban electrified railway system serving northwestern Ohio's Marblehead Peninsula.It was incorporated in 1902, began operating in 1905 and only ceased operations in 1958, much later than most other interurbans...
- Toronto Civic RailwaysToronto Civic RailwaysToronto Civic Railways was an agency created and owned by the City of Toronto, Canada, to run streetcars in newly annexed areas of the city that the private operator Toronto Railway Company refused to serve...
(DE DT M - late TTC Class H, H1 and H3 cars). - Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric RailwayWashington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric RailwayThe Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway , now defunct, was an American railroad of central Maryland and Washington, DC built in the 19th and 20th century. The WB&A absorbed two older railroads, the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad and the Baltimore & Annapolis Short Line, and...
- Yakima Valley Transportation CompanyYakima Valley Transportation CompanyThe Yakima Valley Transportation Company was an interurban electric railroad headquartered in Yakima, Washington. It was operator of the city's streetcar system from 1907–1947 and also provided the local bus service from the 1920s until 1957....
- Youngstown and Ohio River RailroadYoungstown and Ohio River RailroadOne of the smaller interurban railways in the state of Ohio was the Youngstown and Ohio River Railroad, or Y&OR. Along with the Youngstown and Southern Railway, the Y&OR formed a traction link between Youngstown, Ohio and the Ohio River at East Liverpool...