Yakima Valley Transportation Company
Encyclopedia
The Yakima Valley Transportation Company (YVT Co.) 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.
line downtown, opened on December 25. Although some freight operation took place almost from the beginning, streetcar service was the company's primary activity for its first several years, and service was extended to several new areas through new construction. A line west to Ahtanum
and the area that would eventually be known as Wiley City was completed in 1910, as was the first part of a line to Henrybro. A line north to Selah
and Speyers was completed in 1913. From 1909 onward, the company was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad
(originally through the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company
), and the freight division functioned as a feeder service to the UP main line. Freight service expanded in the 1910s and by 1920 had become a major function of the YVT.
service which began operation in the 1970s). The first streetcars purchased new came from the Danville Car Company (of Danville, Illinois), while later purchases were from the John G. Stephenson Company (Elizabeth, New Jersey) and the J. G. Brill Company (Philadelphia). YVT began experimenting with buses in the 1920s, and in 1926 the company sought permission from the city to replace all streetcar service with buses, but the request was denied. In later years, ridership on the streetcars declined, and automobile
s proliferated, creating congestion in downtown.
Streetcar service operated for the last time on February 1, 1947. YVT continued operating the local bus service until 1957, under a 10-year franchise it had received from the city in 1947. The city itself took over the bus service in 1957.
The YVT railroad, however, continued operating for many more years, as a freight-only operation feeding the Union Pacific main line. In the 1970s, the city reached agreement with YVT/UP to allow a then-proposed heritage streetcar
operation to use the tracks and overhead trolley wires
of the railroad. This began operation in 1974, with volunteers from a new non-profit organization
named Yakima Valley Interurban Lines
(replaced in 2001 by Yakima Valley Trolleys
), and continues to the present day , on a reduced scale.
Due to declining revenue, Union Pacific filed for abandonment of the YVT on April 26, 1984, and this was approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission
on June 5, 1985. Operation ceased on November 18, 1985. However, at the request of city officials, Union Pacific donated the entire railroad to the City of Yakima, to allow continued operation of the heritage streetcar
service by the Yakima Valley Trolleys
, a 501(c)(3) volunteer-run non-profit organization
. The donation included two of the railway's three locomotives, 1909 "Line car" A (for overhead line
maintenance) and 1922 GE
"steeple-cab"
locomotive No. 298. The third YVT electric locomotive, 1923 boxcab
-type No. 297, was donated by UP to the Orange Empire Railway Museum
, and left Yakima for that museum (on a railroad flatcar) the day after the YVT closed. UP retained ownership of the stone carbarn, on Pine Street, but agreed to lease it to the city for only $100 per year. The YVT was one of the last freight railroads in North America to use trolley pole
s on its locomotives, never having changed to pantograph
s.
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...
electric railroad headquartered in Yakima, Washington
Yakima, Washington
Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
. It was operator of the city's streetcar
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
system from 1907–1947 and also provided the local bus
Transit bus
A transit bus , also known as a commuter bus, city bus, or public bus, is a bus used for short-distance public transport purposes...
service from the 1920s until 1957.
Early history
YVT Company began operations in 1907 as a streetcarTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line downtown, opened on December 25. Although some freight operation took place almost from the beginning, streetcar service was the company's primary activity for its first several years, and service was extended to several new areas through new construction. A line west to Ahtanum
Ahtanum, Washington
Ahtanum is a census-designated place in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,601 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Ahtanum is located at ....
and the area that would eventually be known as Wiley City was completed in 1910, as was the first part of a line to Henrybro. A line north to Selah
Selah, Washington
Selah is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,147 at the 2010 census.-History:Selah was officially incorporated on April 3, 1919. The government is a Strong Mayor/Council form. The Tree Top apple processor co-operative has its headquarters and two processing...
and Speyers was completed in 1913. From 1909 onward, the company was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
(originally through the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company
Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company was a railroad that operated a rail network of of track running east from Portland, Oregon, United States to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho...
), and the freight division functioned as a feeder service to the UP main line. Freight service expanded in the 1910s and by 1920 had become a major function of the YVT.
Local transit service
The Yakima Valley Transportation Company operated the local streetcar system from 1907 until 1947 and was the only entity ever to operate streetcars in Yakima (not counting the limited heritage streetcarHeritage streetcar
Heritage streetcars or heritage trams are a development of the heritage railways that are becoming popular across the world. As with modern streetcar systems, the vehicles are referred to as trams or tramcars in the United Kingdom, Australasia and certain other places , but as streetcars or...
service which began operation in the 1970s). The first streetcars purchased new came from the Danville Car Company (of Danville, Illinois), while later purchases were from the John G. Stephenson Company (Elizabeth, New Jersey) and the J. G. Brill Company (Philadelphia). YVT began experimenting with buses in the 1920s, and in 1926 the company sought permission from the city to replace all streetcar service with buses, but the request was denied. In later years, ridership on the streetcars declined, and automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s proliferated, creating congestion in downtown.
Streetcar service operated for the last time on February 1, 1947. YVT continued operating the local bus service until 1957, under a 10-year franchise it had received from the city in 1947. The city itself took over the bus service in 1957.
Freight-only period
Heritage streetcar
Heritage streetcars or heritage trams are a development of the heritage railways that are becoming popular across the world. As with modern streetcar systems, the vehicles are referred to as trams or tramcars in the United Kingdom, Australasia and certain other places , but as streetcars or...
operation to use the tracks and overhead trolley wires
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
of the railroad. This began operation in 1974, with volunteers from a new non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
named Yakima Valley Interurban Lines
Yakima Electric Railway Museum
Yakima Electric Railway Museum is located at the corner of South Third Avenue and Pine Street in Yakima, Washington.The museum is operated by Yakima Valley Trolleys, a non-profit organization. Vintage trolleys operate on a seasonal schedule on some of the original tracks of the Yakima Valley...
(replaced in 2001 by Yakima Valley Trolleys
Yakima Electric Railway Museum
Yakima Electric Railway Museum is located at the corner of South Third Avenue and Pine Street in Yakima, Washington.The museum is operated by Yakima Valley Trolleys, a non-profit organization. Vintage trolleys operate on a seasonal schedule on some of the original tracks of the Yakima Valley...
), and continues to the present day , on a reduced scale.
Due to declining revenue, Union Pacific filed for abandonment of the YVT on April 26, 1984, and this was approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
on June 5, 1985. Operation ceased on November 18, 1985. However, at the request of city officials, Union Pacific donated the entire railroad to the City of Yakima, to allow continued operation of the heritage streetcar
Heritage streetcar
Heritage streetcars or heritage trams are a development of the heritage railways that are becoming popular across the world. As with modern streetcar systems, the vehicles are referred to as trams or tramcars in the United Kingdom, Australasia and certain other places , but as streetcars or...
service by the Yakima Valley Trolleys
Yakima Electric Railway Museum
Yakima Electric Railway Museum is located at the corner of South Third Avenue and Pine Street in Yakima, Washington.The museum is operated by Yakima Valley Trolleys, a non-profit organization. Vintage trolleys operate on a seasonal schedule on some of the original tracks of the Yakima Valley...
, a 501(c)(3) volunteer-run non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
. The donation included two of the railway's three locomotives, 1909 "Line car" A (for overhead line
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
maintenance) and 1922 GE
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
"steeple-cab"
Steeplecab
In railroad terminology, a steeplecab is a style or design of electric locomotive; the term is rarely if ever used for other forms of power...
locomotive No. 298. The third YVT electric locomotive, 1923 boxcab
Boxcab
A boxcab, in railroad terminology, is a locomotive in which the machinery and crew areas are enclosed in a box-like superstructure . It is a term mostly used in North America while in Victoria , such locomotives have been nicknamed "butterboxes"...
-type No. 297, was donated by UP to the Orange Empire Railway Museum
Orange Empire Railway Museum
The Orange Empire Railway Museum , 2201 South "A" Street, Perris, California, is a railroad museum founded in 1956 at the Pinacate Station as the "Orange Empire Trolley Museum." The museum also operates a heritage railroad on the museum grounds.-Background:The collection focuses on Southern...
, and left Yakima for that museum (on a railroad flatcar) the day after the YVT closed. UP retained ownership of the stone carbarn, on Pine Street, but agreed to lease it to the city for only $100 per year. The YVT was one of the last freight railroads in North America to use trolley pole
Trolley pole
A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" overhead wire to the control and propulsion equipment of a tram or trolley bus. The use of overhead wire in a system of current collection is reputed to be the 1880 invention of Frank J....
s on its locomotives, never having changed to pantograph
Pantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...
s.