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 Alabama Interurbans and Streetcar Railroads
The information included here covers a general history of Alabama interurbans and streetcar railroads once operated throughout the state. Interurban systems were once a common form of transportation for many towns both large and small although they began to fall out of favor in the 1930s and 1940s for the common automobile as its technology and better highways became vastly improved and more reliable. While interurbans served a vital transportation purpose prior to reliable autos and highways from a historical perspective they are fascinating because of many small companies that popped up and also disappeared nearly overnight. During the peak of interurban operations in the country there were even several builders of motorcars including J. G. Brill & Company, St. Louis Car Company, Pullman-Standard, American Car Company, Standard Steel and the Jewett Car Company. The information below includes short paragraph descriptions of most Alabama interurbans and streetcar railroads. Alabama Power Company: Today the Alabama Power Company is a electricity provider to over one million customers but back during the early 20th century it also owned a number of streetcar railroad operations including in the cities of Anniston, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa. Most of its operations were out of business and shutdown by the 1920s. Mobile Light & Railroad Company: The Mobile Light & Railroad Company began operations in 1893 serving Mobile. It operated until 1939 at which point it had grown to a nearly 50 mile system. The interurban was shutdown that year when its president died, J. Howard Wilson and it was acquired by the National City Lines, which converted all operations to bus-only operations. Capital City Electrical Railway, "The Lightning Route": The Capital City Electrical Railway, also known as the Lightning Route, began operations on April 15, 1886 serving Montgomery and was one of the first to recognize that dense commercial and residential areas within a city should be separated. It operated for exactly 50 years before the service was replaced by buses. Today, Montgomery is attempting to rebuild a small interurban operation. For a small gallery of photographs highlighting Alabama interurbans and streetcar railroads please click here.
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