Peoria
Peoria & Pekin Terminal
Railway
The Peoria & Pekin Terminal
Railway Company began operating electric interurbans on December 14, 1899
from Hamilton and Adams Street in Peoria south to South Bartonville (where
the company's office, shop and powerhouse was located). Service was
extended to Pekin on April 3, 1900. The company went into receivership
because of financial problems on October 17, 1906, and was reorganized
on December 17, 1906 as the Peoria Railway Terminal Company and sold under
foreclosure on February 9, 1907 to the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific
Railroad and the Chicago & Alton Railroad. When the C&A
went into bankruptcy on August 3, 1922, the CRI&P took over completely.
Outside of street trackage in Peoria, freight service was operated strictly
by steam locomotives. The last electric passenger train operated
on August 31, 1924 due to the completion of a paved highway from Peoria
to Bartonville and Pekin which greatly reduced patronage in favor of the
automobile. Afterwards, the line became strictly a freight carrier
(however there was a short lived limited steam passenger service to local
coal mines before the supply was exhausted). The line continued to
operate as a freight line under CRI&P ownership (strictly using CRI&P
diesels after 1953) until the CRI&P failed in 1980, after which the
C&NW was the high bidder for all remaining trackage in the Peoria area.
The remaining Pekin freight trackage at the Corn Products Plant was purchased
by the Peoria & Pekin Union Railway.
Interurbans 55 and 102 at
the Powerhouse, Office, Carbarn and Shop in South Bartonville shortly after
passenger service began operating.
Stephen Scalzo collection
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