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Mississippi Interurbans and Streetcars

(Please note the below photos do not depict Mississippi interurbans.)

Like most other southeastern states, Mississippi interurbans were very uncommon. While the Magnolia State was once home to a handful of street railways (or those companies that provided public transportation in just one city, almost always confined to the streets) it could claim only one true interurban system, the Gulfport & Mississippi Coast Traction Company which was located directly along the beachfront. Much of the South's interurban network was located in the northern states such as Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. While even these states did not have extensive systems (aside from North Carolina, which was home to the exceptional Piedmont & Northern Railway, a company that more closely resembled a standard railroad than an interurban) they were much further developed than any other as states like Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, and Alabama were almost entirely devoid of any such lines.

Because of the fact that the state had only one true interurban, its network crumbled at the time most the industry collapsed, between 1920 and 1930. While the street railway systems did try to provide some very limited freight service they were simply not built to handle the traffic and the final system, the Vicksburg Street Railway, had been abandoned by 1935. Today, no city in Mississippi still offers anything resembling light rail transit service (today's name for interurban operations) although perhaps one day it will return somewhere. In any even, the information below includes short paragraph descriptions of most Mississippi interurbans and streetcar railroads.

Gulfport & Mississippi Coast Traction Company: The Gulfport & Mississippi Coast Traction connected Pass Christian, Biloxi, and Gulfport on a system that was about 24 miles in length. The interurban began operations in 1905 and later extended services through 1907. Early on the company was able to move substantial amounts of passenger traffic given the larger cities it served. However, by the oncoming of the automobiles in the 1920s and lack of freight service this quickly played out. It remained in service until 1926 when streetcar service was discontinued in favor of buses. Part of railroad continued to carry the remaining freight services until 1949 when this too was abandoned.

Greenville Street Railway: The Greenville Street Railway served the City of Greenville beginning operations in 1901. At its peak it would operation eight miles of track. Over the years it was known by several different names; Greenville Light & Car Company, Delta Electric Light Power & Manufacturing Company, Delta Light & Traction Company and Mississippi Power & Light Company. Streetcars remained in service until 1929 when they were discontinued.

Hattiesburg Street Railway: The Hattiesburg Street Railway was a small interurban operation serving the City of Hattiesburg. It operated between West Main Street and 8th Street remaining in service until the late 1920s when it was abandoned.

Pascagoula Street Railway & Power Company: The Pascagoula Street Railway & Power Company began operations in January of 1903 and would eventually connect Anderson Park, Moss Point and Dantzler Shipyard. It remained in service until 1925 at which time streetcars were discontinued in favor of buses.

Vicksburg Street Railway: The Vicksburg Street Railway dates back to 1891 and at its peak operated about seven miles of track in the city. Over the years it was known by several different names; Vicksburg Railroad Power & Manufacturing Company, Vicksburg Railway & Light Company, Vicksburg Traction Company, Vicksburg Light & Traction Company and the Mississippi Power & Light Company. Streetcar service remained until 1935 when it was discontinued in favor of buses.

For a small gallery of photographs highlighting Mississippi interurbans and streetcar railroads please click here.

Please Click Here To Return To The Main Interurbans Section

For more reading on Mississippi interurbans consider picking up a copy of the book The Electric Interurban Railways in America by authors George Hilton and John Due. Many consider their book to be the quintessential resource guide to the interurban and streetcar railroad movement that was once so common in our country during the first half of the 20th century. At nearly 500 pages the book is stuffed full of information on trolley operations and covers virtually every topic on the subject. If you have any interest in trolleys and interurban railroads and/or would like to learn more about their history I would strongly consider Mr. Hilton and Mr. Due's book first before purchasing any other. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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