The Colorado Springs and Interurban Railway (CS & IRR, CS&IR) was an

electric trolley A current collector (often called a "pickup") is a device used in trolleybuses, trams, electric locomotives and EMUs to carry electric power ( current) from overhead lines, electric third rails, or ground-level power supplies to the electric ...

system in the

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

area that operated from 1902 to 1932. The company was formed when

Winfield Scott Stratton Winfield Scott Stratton (July 22, 1848 – September 14, 1902) was an American prospector, capitalist, and philanthropist. He discovered the Independence Lode near Victor, Colorado on July 4, 1891, and became the Cripple Creek Mining District's ...

purchased Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Railway in 1901 and consolidated it in 1902 with the Colorado Springs & Suburban Railway Company. It operated in Colorado Springs, its suburbs, and Manitou Springs. One of the street cars from Stratton's first order is listed on the

Colorado State Register of Historic Properties Colorado is a state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas to the ea ...

Background

The Colorado Springs and Manitou Street Railway began horsecar trolley service in 1887. It ran between the Colorado Springs business district and

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory, the college offers over 40 majors a ...

. The following year the route extended north and west with a total of ten horse-drawn trolleys. The Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Railway, chartered in 1890, bought the system and established the first electric trolley line to

Manitou Springs Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to traveler ...

in October 1890, as they transitioned from horse-drawn to electric trolleys. In 1898, trolleys ran west to Colorado City, east to Knob Hill, to Cheyenne Park, and connected with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Passenger Depot. With the additional destinations, there were 44 electric trolleys in 1900.

Interurban railway company

The Colorado Springs & Interurban Railway Company was created after

bought the Colorado Springs Rapid Transit Railway in 1901 and consolidated it with the Colorado Springs & Suburban Railway Company in September 1902. Service ran to a

trolley park In the United States, trolley parks, which started in the 19th century, were picnic and recreation areas along or at the ends of streetcar lines in most of the larger cities. These were precursors to amusement parks. Trolley parks were often cre ...

beyond Boulevard Park in 1903. The north/south main line provided service from a loop at the town of Roswell Colorado Springs and Interurban Railway ridership peaked in 1911 and within three years it began to suffer financially as automobile ownership increased. By 1916, its offices were located at 530 South Tejon. At that time there were separate cars that ran from the Main Post Office and Federal Courthouse to the Printer's Home. The east/west mainline extended from Manitou's Iron Springs neighborhood eastward through

Garden of the Gods Garden of the Gods (Arapaho: ''Ho3o’uu Niitko’usi’i'') is a public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. of the park was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. Name The area now known as Garden of the ...

Balanced Rock Station in 1916. In 1916, the system had a power house building at 205 Rio Grande West. It served Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs, Ivywild, and Roswell over of track with 56 motor cars and 13 trail cars in 1917. Over the years, service ran east to the North Colorado Springs suburb and southward from the ATSF/Rock Island railroad bridge through the city to the Ivywild and Broadmoor suburbs, where the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club was along the Cheyenne Canon street car line and the terminus It also ran to Broadmoor Park and adjacent to Stratton Park at the entrances to the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and South Cheyenne Cañons. A north/south branch line on Spruce and Walnut streets extended from Yampa street southward to Huerfano Street. Buses began replacing the system's railcars in 1931 and the last electric tram ran on April 30, 1932. In the mid 1930s, the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

removed most of the street car rails. The Colorado Springs & Interurban power house site at the northwest corner of S Sierra Madre and Las Animas streets remains an electrical power station (now of Colorado Springs Utilities).

Cars 46-50

The first five streetcars purchased by Stratton were outfitted with safety features, like the retractable Narragansett steps, retractable windows that could be adjusted in transit, and had separate non-smoking and smoking sections. It was a step in the transition from wood to steel framed cars. These cars were numbered 46 to 50 and used the

Brill Brill may refer to: Places * Brielle (sometimes "Den Briel"), a town in the western Netherlands * Brill, Buckinghamshire, a village in England * Brill, Cornwall, a small village to the west of Constantine, Cornwall, UK * Brill, Wisconsin, an un ...

convertible design. Car 48 survives today and is listed on the

Car 59

Car 59, the last of an order of nine cars from the Laclede Car Company numbered 51-59, survives today and is undergoing restoration to operating condition at the Pikes Peak Historical Street Railway Foundation, a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the CS&I. It is also on the Colorado State Register of Historic Places.

Notes

References

External links

*
Colorado Springs Interurban Railway -- an organization that collects, preserves and displays history of the historic street car system
{{External media , float=left , image
New "power plant" in 1902
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Car at Manitou/Ruxton avenues
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Car at Stratton Park
1902 establishments in Colorado Defunct Colorado railroads History of El Paso County, Colorado Light rail in Colorado Transportation in El Paso County, Colorado Railway companies established in 1902 American companies established in 1902