Mattoon
Central Illinois Traction Co.
1924 American Car Company built Central Illinois Traction Company (owned by the Central Illinois Public Service Company-CIPSCO) interurban #231 on display in Mattoon shortly after being received from the car builder .  There were two interurbans (#230 and 231) in  the order, and they shortly thereafter replaced all older equipment on the 20-mile CIT interurban line between Mattoon and Charleston.  However these interurbans could not counter the passenger decline due to automobile and concrete highways, and the line was converted to buses on May 18, 1928.  Afterwards, the two interurbans were sent to CIPSCO's Chicago & Joliet Electric Railway (and renumbered 250 and 251) where they operated until interurban service was bused on January 17, 1934, and then sold to the Jamestown (NY) Street Railway Company where they operated until January 1938 before being scrapped.
Caption data from Stephen M. Scalzo
Bill Volkmer collection
Back to Illinois Page
State-by-state listings
Back to Main Page