Untitled Document
The Springfield, Troy & Piqua Railway
Springfield Terminal Railway & Power Co, Springfield Suburban RR
By Scott D. Trostel.
Soft, color cover, 8.5x11", 96 pages, 89 photos, maps, illustrations. 2017.
Light Rail: playing the internet to the dawn of the twentieth century!
This is the story of how a sleepy and isolated rural region was thrust into the twentieth century with not only reliable mass-transportation but telephone service and electricity. It meant the ability to receive and send daily mail, get a daily newspaper and to shop in distant towns every day. Children could travel by traction to attend high school in Troy or Springfield. The town doctor could more easily make house calls. Social events were easily accessible and the convenience of reliable travel was finally at hand."
"Here's the fascinating story of a rural interurban railway built in the first half of the 20th century. Operating between Springfield and Troy, Ohio, this 30 mile line was built between 1903 and 1904 by ex-Ohio Governor Gen. Asa Bushnell.
"It quickly became a highly successful enterprise, privately financed, and moving from being just a passenger carrying conveyance to a major passenger, freight and express hauler plus a utility electric provider. It connected Springfield and Troy to 5 rural communities and nine other stops. Interchanging passenger and freight via connecting lines such as the Dayton & Troy Electric Railway, the ST&P also met five steam railroads - making it a player in these expanding
Ohio
transportation markets.
"Bushnell built an Alternating Current power house at Maitland that fed current to three sub-stations along the line, the current was converted to Direct Current and fed into the trolley system -which handled 21 round trips daily plus excursions and special events. The AC current was sold to residential and commercial customers along the line, thrusting an entire rural region into an era of technological expansion."
