DAYTON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN DAYTON, OHIO
From 1870 to the Present
Harvey I. Hylton, P. E.
August 18, 2007
Horses, Mules, and Rails
Dayton Ohio, has a rich history of public transportation, which has its origins in an 1870 horse-drawn streetcar line that ran East-West across 3rd Street. The western terminus was at Western Avenue (now McGee) and the other end of rail was near Findlay Street in East Dayton. The proprietors of the Dayton Street Rail Road were both men of means, each having extensive undeveloped real estate at each end of the line. The main purpose of this new transportation wonder was to encourage the sale of residential lots for new homebuilders. It was an immediate success, and made fortunes for Huffman (East side) and Williams (West side).
Other investors saw the opportunities to profit by establishing new street railways, and soon new horsecar routes were running to lower Dayton View, up the Wayne Avenue Hill, out Valley Street, and across 5th street. A short-lived line was built that ran between the public bathhouse on N. Main Street and thence South through downtown as far as the railroad station, located at 6th and Ludlow St. This short line was soon abandoned, and a new line was constructed to run out Brown Street to what is today 5-points, where S. Main and Oakwood Avenue merge. It was through-routed with the Dayton View line, and became known as the Oakwood and Dayton View Street Railway. Again, the driving force behind most of these early street railways was to augment the sale of new housing tracts. Much of today’s layout of the City of Dayton was established by these car lines. A nice side profit was also made by the sale of horse manure to local farmers, which was concomitantly fouling the streets, much to the unhappiness of residents living along the horse/mule streetcar routes.
The Electric Streetcar
These affairs continued unabated until the summer of 1888, when a new-fangled mode of public transport was introduced to Dayton. An entirely new streetcar line was built, extending from Fairview and N. Main Street, southward to downtown, where it jogged over 3rd Street to Ludlow Street, ran South to Washington Street, thence West, crossing the river, out Germantown Street, and eventually terminated at the lake on Gettysburg Avenue, opposite the Soldier’s Home. What made this line so unique was the fact that it was propelled by electricity, taken from an overhead wire.
On opening day, August 8, 1888 (8/8/88), free rides were given to all comers. Several fistfights broke out among the crowds vying to get on one of the new electric cars. The owners of the White Line Electric Railway, as this line was known, soon were running to the bank with handsome profits from their operation. But like any new endeavor, there were teething problems that quickly surfaced.
Tap-dancing Mules and Smoking Switchboards
The White Line Electric traversed the Oakwood horse car rails for a few blocks on Main Street, between 3rd and Monument. The electric cars also used the rails for an electrical return path to the powerhouse on Germantown Street, just beyond the grade crossing of the two steam railroads. But the Oakwood companies’ rails were not electrically bonded together (yet). Shortly after commencement of the electric line, Oakwood mules were often seen tap-dancing on Main Street, and occasionally sparks shot out of their tails. Bonding the rails together cured that situation, but then the telephone company started to experience mysterious fires in their downtown switchboards. The streetcar company had to reimburse the telephone company for damages, and thereafter had to provide better insulation on the poles they shared with the telephone company. Then rumors surfaced that riding on the new electric cars would magnetize and damage the passenger’s priceless Hamilton watches. That eventually proved to be erroneous. Eventually the efficiency of the electric cars (and the mitigation of animal droppings) soon led to electrification of all the other existing horsecar routes, one-by-one. By 1895 all the horses and mules were happily turned out to pasture.
Unification Begins, Interurbans Arrive
Starting in 1894, street railway corporation mergers commenced, with City Railway, Peoples Railway, and the Oakwood Street Railway, emerging, and all soon electrified, if not already so. Each had their own coal-burning, steam-powered, electric power generating plant.
In the late 1890’s, Dayton was rapidly becoming the hub of another exciting mode of transportation, the electric interurban railway, that entered Dayton over private railway trackage. Two interurbans, the Dayton & Miamisburg Traction Co., and the Dayton-Xenia Traction Company, soon commenced offering local service over the city portions of their trackage as they entered Dayton. Thus by 1900 or shortly afterwards, counting the two interurbans carrying city passengers, there were twelve electric city railway lines radiating out from the Dayton Central Business District (CBD), offering public transportation within the city.
The interurban craze soon added five more interurban lines entering Dayton, but these were usually not considered as streetcar lines per se, albeit that they used street railway tracks to get in and out of the CBD.
Additional Electric Streetcar Lines
Additional electric car lines were soon introduced. Peoples Railway built their new Cincinnati Street and Leo Street lines in 1903; and extended the Valley Street line to Bickmore. City Railway built new lines on Broadway/Lexington, Kammer Avenue, and East First Street/Webb, in 1904, 1906 and 1911, respectively. These four City Railway lines all diverged off of the pioneer 3rd Street line, and thus all ran through 3rd and Main Streets.
And in 1909, another entirely new electric city streetcar line was built by latecomer Dayton Street Railway (not to be confused with the pioneering company, Dayton Street Rail Road). The Oakwood Street Railway was extended out Far Hills Avenue to Monteray. Thus by 1915, Dayton was well served in every quarter by a multitude of electric rail service. Extensions continued: The E.5th Street line was extended from Jersey Street up the Huffman hill to Overlook Avenue (now Smithville Road). City Railway also made a short extension north on Elmhurst, into Residence Park, from 3rd Street. In 1927 Peoples extended their North Main Street line by acquiring the abandoned DC&P interurban track from Maplewood out as far as Forest Park, near Siebenthaler. The final Dayton street car extension was made in 1937 when City Railway bought about 3 miles of abandoned Dayton & Western interurban trackage on West 3rd Street between Elmhurst and Miller Road, thus providing Drexel with direct streetcar service into downtown Dayton. Ironically, this final extension was also the final streetcar operation in Dayton, in 1947.
It also should be noted that Peoples Railway also owned and operated two successful public amusement parks-Fairview Park on N. Main Street, and Lakeside at the terminus of the Lakeview line. A big attraction every Sunday at Fairview was an elk that jumped into the lake from a platform—a real crowd pleaser. Peoples Railway had to haul trailer cars to handle the crowds. Long after the roller coaster at Lakeside was demolished, Lakeside continued as the Lakeside Palladium, which was the largest public dance pavilion in West-Central Ohio. Big name bands were featured.
For many years a unique operation was conducted by Peoples at their Lakeside terminus; the beautiful waiting station there also served as a transfer facility for rural mail carriers. Peoples Railway brought mail out from the central Dayton post office, and the Postmen for Western Montgomery County took the mail further west in horse-drawn buggies. Nice little piece of business for Peoples.
Counting the in-city operations of two interurbans, Dayton had six separately owned streetcar operating companies, surely a record of anywhere in the US.
Here Comes the Trolleybus: Orange, Brown, Red, Yellow, and Green
In 1932, the Dayton Street Railway (DStRy) had a disastrous fire in their car barn on Lorain Avenue, destroying almost all of their streetcars. With their tracks also in bad shape, and the depression in full sway, the DStRy had little money to rebuild the infrastructure of their street railway system. A solution was found by stringing one additional trolley wire, and introducing a fairly new transportation mode, the rubber-tired electric trolley bus, now known as the ETB. Twelve of the famous Brill T-40 model ETB’s sallied forth on the 23rd of April 1933. They were an immediate success, and residents all over the city clamored for the other railcar operators to convert to the fast and quiet vehicles that loaded passengers at the curb.
One-by-one all but one of the other companies did convert to ETB, and the final rail car ran its last mile on 27 September 1947. Thus for a short period in 1941 Dayton had five separate ETB operating companies, again a situation not found anywhere else. This fact alone garnered for Dayton a very unique legacy among transit operations. Starting in 1941, the largest company, City Railway, began to acquire the other, smaller, companies. Not until late 1956 did Dayton have one unified transit operating company. At that time, since rail cars had been long gone, the resulting merged company was renamed City Transit Company.
Glory Days for City Transit Company
After the merger was completed, City Transit Co. embarked upon a re-routing of several lines, something that had been espoused by Dayton city officials for years, but practically impossible under diversified operators. In the sixties, City Transit even extended trolleybus routes into the growing fringes of the city, and implemented a few motorbus feeder routes into low-ridership areas, thus providing a comprehensive public transportation service throughout the Dayton area. City Transit routes, with very few exceptions, rarely ventured beyond Dayton, Oakwood, and Kettering. Under the leadership of W. W. (Bill) Owen, one of the nation’s most dynamic advocate of public transit as opposed to private automobile commuting, the durable trolleybus was the mainstay of the City Transit Company. The trolleybus was always perceived as environmentally friendly, which in later years brought about an unexpected public support for retention of trolleybuses, rather than follow the hundreds of other cities that replaced them with diesel-powered motorbuses.
Suburban motorbus service was provided by smaller, independent, bus operators, often operating only during the AM and PM rush-hours.
Ridership on most City Transit Co. routes remained profitable through the early nineteen sixties, but trouble was on the horizon.
Glory Days at City Transit Company Screech to a Halt
In the later 1960’s, public transit ridership drastically declined in most US cities. Dayton was no exception. Revenue collection by the City Transit Company dwindled to a point where service cuts had to be made; evening and Sunday service were the first to go. Bill Owen, President of City Transit lobbied hard and long for a local operating subsidy, but that did not materialize. Instead, a new publicly-owned entity was formed in 1970, the Miami Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA). This new agency was controlled by trustees representing Dayton, Oakwood, and Kettering, the three cities that City Transit operated in.
The new MVRTA entered into negotiations with City Transit about purchasing the privately-owned system and its properties, infrastructure, and vehicle fleet, which were mostly elderly trolleybuses. The RTA had plans to completely operate the bus system with new diesel-powered motorbuses, and not buy any of City Transit property or equipment. Bill Owen would have to remove all of his trolleybus infrastructure, and dispose of the trolley fleet. A strong argument set forth by the MVRTA trustees was that “trolleybuses had not been in manufactured in twenty years”. Owen soon mounted a public campaign to retain the trolleybus as the primary mode, albeit under the forthcoming new public management. Bill used scarce money to buy a new trolleybus made in Canada, brought it to Dayton, where it had a sign painted on it declaring “New Trolleybus”. During the prolonged negotiations, City Transit struggled to provide a modicum of public service. After very tenuous negotiations, City Transit agreed to sell their property to the MVRTA for less than $3 million. On November 2nd, 1972, the RTA slapped their stick-on logos over the City Transit logos on the sides of the busses, and took over operations. With the exception of Bill Owen, City Transit employees instantaneously became new MVRTA employees.
MVRTA Takes Over
As soon as the new public agency became responsible for public transportation in the three cities, service was partially restored to former levels. But the RTA soon learned that the farebox revenue didn’t come near to what it needed to conduct operations at a level even close to what the private company had been doing for many years before the crunch came. What to do? Meanwhile, remember, suburban transport was provided by small independent bus companies, giving limited service to residents living outside the boundaries of the three MVRTA cities. Obviously, a form of subsidized support was quickly needed, or the MVRTA would face the same dilemma, as had the City Transit Company. How can subsidy be obtained? The US government may have been willing to grant monies for new equipment, etc., but no money for operations.
County-Wide Service?
An idea surfaced whereby if the MVRTA expanded its service throughout Montgomery County, perhaps the citizens would support the expanded service via a sales tax imposed upon most retail sales in the county. Put up for referendum by the voters, it was defeated the first time, in 1978. The MVRTA persisted with this plan, and in 1980 it was finally passed by the voters, who thereby agreed to tax themselves ½% on retail sales in the county. The MVRTA commenced negotiations with the small privately-owned bus lines that had been providing limited suburban service. Some sold their operation to RTA, others got out of the business. The RTA soon bought several second hand diesel transit busses, and started service out into the county over new routes, many of which had never seen public transit. On a few trolley lines, which had been cut back to the city limits, once again ventured out beyond city boundaries. Concomitantly with the County-Wide service, the RTA Board of Trustees was expanded to include representation from the County at large. Also, new diesel busses were bought, allowing the badly deteriorating used busses to be retired. Then the old issue about the trolleybus system came forth once again.
Shall We Dump The Trolleybus?
The Board continued to be overwhelmingly against renewal of the trolleybus system. But public support for retention of the trolleybuses became exceptionally vocal, driven by the Citizens for Clean Air, League of Women Voters, and a new consortium, the Save Our Trolleys Coalition (SOTC). These groups, largely led by a private citizen, one W. W. Owen, forced the Trustees to rethink the matter; soon 64 new Flyer trolleybuses were ordered, just in time to replace the decrepit old Marmon-Herringtons and Pullman-Standard trolleys, then approaching 30 years old.
Guess Who Gets Appointed to the MVRTA Trustee Board?
After the County-Wide referendum was passed, the Board of Trustees was greatly expanded. Former City Transit President W. W. (Bill) Owen, a nationally respected transit expert, with some 50 years experience in the field, continued, as a private citizen, to often deeply criticize the management of the MVRTA.
Surprise! In the early 1980’s, the Montgomery County Commissioners appointed Bill as one of their trustees on the MVRTA Board. During his last year on the Board, his fellow Trustees elected him President of the MVRTA Board. During his tenure on the Board, his penetrating questions often made the RTA staff squirm, to say the least.
Another Trolley Fight?
After barely eight years of County-Wide operation, it became apparent that for the County-Wide motorbuses to get in and out of the central city, they had to travel on the same streets that also have trolleybus routes on them, thus causing duplication of service in many cases. So, in 1988, with the Flyer trolleybus fleet just over 10 years old, (1/2 of their life expectancy) the Trustees became enamored with the dual-mode bus concept, wherein the bus has both a diesel engine and electric trolley propulsion. A demonstration vehicle was brought to Dayton, but since it was an articulated bus, and such long busses where then illegal in Ohio, nothing came of it. But soon a new Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued for new trolleybuses. In late 1988 cost proposals were received; the Board thought the price was outrageous, and cancelled the action. Shortly thereafter, some of the trolley overhead was dismantled; causing many observers to perceive the trolley system was doomed. During this same period, RTA had on contract the manufacture of several small “packaged” substations. When it was revealed publicly that RTA’s management was quietly trying to find another buyer for the subs, getting RTA out of the contract, an uproar was made by the pro-trolley coalitions. Almost immediately upper management was changed, and the Trustee Board directed that “the trolley issue be revisited.” But Bill Owen had already gone to his grave, at age 89, assuming his beloved trolleys would soon follow.
Trolley System cut-backs
In 1987 the MVRTA eliminated two trolley routes, and essentially replaced them with diesel busses running duplicative service. On March 24th, Route 2W (Home Avenue) which ran into the VA Home loop, was dismantled due to US 35 expressway construction over much of the route. Diesel route 22W replaced 2W by running on nearby streets. Lightly used route 8N (Leo) was discontinued on September 24th; diesel route 22N covers portions of the old trolley route.
From 4/27/93 until August 2000 route 8W (Lakeview) no longer went around the lake, but instead terminated at a loop just short of the lake. This again was due to US 35 expressway construction.
New Trolleybusses, Once Again
In 1994, a contract was given to Electric Transit Incorporated (ETI) for a fleet of new trolleybuses. ETI was a wholly-owned subsidiary of SKODA in the Czech Republic (CZ), and AAI in Baltimore, Maryland. The new Dayton trolleys were close relatives to the SKODA 14TR, which is widely used in Eastern Europe. Modified to meet US safety standards, the frame and propulsion system are made in Ostrov, CZ., then shipped to Baltimore where AAI put on the exterior skin. These “shells” were then trucked to Dayton, where at an ETI facility the final assembly was done. The first of the ETI/SKODA trolleys arrived in late 1995; the final, 57th bus, was accepted in September 1999. These trolleys are fitted with wheelchair lifts, powerful air conditioning, and other passenger-friendly amenities. An auxiliary battery (APU) system allows limited off-wire travel, often needed to circumvent a detour.
Hubs and Extensions to the Trolley Routes
Starting in 1996, the MVRTA embarked upon a plan to extend trolleybus service, with new routes and extensions to existing ETB lines being made. Additionally, hubs were built in outlying neighborhoods, where inter-route transfers could be made without going all the way into the CBD hub, at 3rd and Main.
In June of 1996 the Radio Road extension was made to Route 1E. A new, long, route (3W) was opened in August 1999 from the new Westown Hub on Elmhurst to Hoover and Miller Road in Trotwood.
In August of 2000 several major ETB route extensions were opened, serving the new Hubs. On the East side, both routes 3E and 4E were extended out Linden Avenue to the Eastown Hub, making connection with several diesel routes. Route 8 was extended on both ends, to the new Hubs. Once again traversing around the lake, 8W ran via Gettysburg and W. 3rd to the Westown Hub, connecting with several other ETB and diesel routes. Route 8N was extended out Salem Avenue to the new NorthWest Hub.
Diesel Busses
Motorbusses have operated in Dayton since about 1924, but these were usually feeder-bus routes to extend service beyond the electrically-operated main line vehicles, both street car and trolleybus. City Transit operated one or two lightly used routes that traversed the center city. These smaller busses were gasoline powered until the mid-sixties, when diesel became the dominant engine choice.
After the commencement of County-Wide service, large diesel busses were bought to service those long routes. Wheelchair lifts were installed on all busses to comply with ADA requirements. The MVRTA was one of the first transit properties in the US to be fully ADA compliant. In 2001, the MVRTA was renamed the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (GDRTA).
Recent Changes
In February 2007 the GDRTA made significant route and service changes, reflecting a desire to contain operational costs within a tighter budget. As a result, only routes 7 and 8 are now full-time ETB-operated. The Nicholas Road branch of 8W has been eliminated, as has the Redwood loop on 7N. Route 4 is ETB daytime only. Route 3 has daytime ETB service on the West end, with only a few trips running through to the East end of the line. Both ends of routes 1, 2, and 5 see only one ETB run each weekday AM and PM. These routes have duplicative diesel routes over most of their
territory. Extensive changes to the all-diesel routes were also made at the same time.
In Summary
The history of public transportation in Dayton in one of extreme interest to transit historians, largely because of the retention of electric trolleybuses in such a relatively small city. Also, the late-in-the-game final consolidation of the several separate transit properties provided a variety of transit equipment never operated concomitantly anywhere else.
It is hoped this brief discussion covers most of the salient points.
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Dayton Transit History in Photographs
Over 100 of my favorite photographs, illustrating the history of public transportation in Dayton, dating from 1870 through the present day can be found on the Dayton Railway Historical Society’s (DRHS) web site at http://www.daytontrolleys.net/drhs/pictures/drhssd.htm
Included are horse and mule-powered cars, electric street cars, a few motor busses, and of course, lots of electric trolley busses (ETB’s).
PS: There are literally thousands of great photographs of Dayton’s several transitvehicles available for viewing on the internet.
For Dayton streetcars, see Dave’s Electric Railroads at:
http://www.davesrailpix.com/dayton/dayton.htm
For Dayton trolleybuses, see Tom Morrow’s Electric Trolleybusses at:
http://www.trolleybuses.net/day/day.htm
and http://www.daytontrolleys.net/
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DAYTON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN DAYTON, OHIO
From 1870 to the Present
Horse & Mule Cars: 1870 to 1895
Electric Streetcars: 8/8/1888 to 9/27/47
Electric Trolleybusses: 4/23/33 to Present
Motorbusses: ~1924 to Present
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DAYTON STREET RAILROAD CO.
1870 Rules for Drivers:
· 6 MPH Maximum Speed
· 200 feet Minimum Headway
· On Curves: Horse to be Driven
No Faster than a Walk
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Dayton Horse & Mule Car Operators
Dayton Street Rail Road Co.: June 1870-1894 (3rd Street)
5th St. Railway Co.: 1880-1894 (E. 5th St.)
Green Line Railway Co.: 1883-1894(Labelle-Richard St.)
Dayton-Soldiers Home Railway Co.: 1890-1894 (Home Ave.)
These Four Companies Merged 10/15/1894 forming the City Railway Co., which electrified all these lines shortly thereafter.
Oakwood Street Railway Co.: 1871-1895
(Included Dayton View St. Ry.: 1871-1875)
Electrified about 1895
Wayne & 5th St. Railway Co.: 1872-1896 (Wayne Avenue)
Citizens St. Ry. Co. 1883-1889 (Valley –Alaska)
These became part of the new People’s St. Railway Co. on 6/18/1896, and electrified thereafter.
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Dayton’s Electric Streetcar Operators: 1888-1947
White Line Electric Railway Co.: 8/8/1888 ( N. Main St. –Lakeview)
Wayne & 5th St. Ry. Co. ~1896 (Wayne-Valley)
Merged to become Peoples St. Ry. Co., 6/18/1896; electrified Wayne Ave. line.
Added new Cincinnati St. line ~1903. Added new Leo St. line ~1903
All People’s lines converted to Trolleybus by 1940
People’s ETB system sold to City Railway Co. 3/9/1945
Oakwood St. Ry. Co.: Salem/North Ave.-Oakwood
Electrified ~1895; Converted to ETB 1/19/1936
Sold ETB system to City Transit Co. November 1956
City Railway Co. formed 10/15/1894;
electrified shortly thereafter these horsecar lines: 3rd St., 5th St., Green Line, & Home Ave. line.
Built these new electric lines: Lexington (1904); Kammer (1906), E. 1st/Findlay (1911), Elmhurst (1926). Operated Drexel Transit Co. to Miller Ave, 1937-1947. Converted all to ETB 9/27/1947. Became City Transit Co. November 1, 1955
Dayton-Xenia Railway Co.: Jan. 1900 (Dayton CBD-Belmont)
Converted to ETB October 1940. Merged with City Ry. Co. November 1955.
Dayton Street Railway Co. ~1908-1933
Converted to ETB 4/23/1933—Ohio’s first ETB line!
Sold ETB system to City Railway Co. April 1941.
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Conversion
to
Trolleybusses
After the August 1932 car barn fire of the Dayton Street Railway Company, one-by-one all five of Dayton’s separate streetcar operators converted their streetcar lines to trolleybus.
Dates of final conversion:
Dayton Street Railway: 23 April 1933
Oakwood Street Railway: 19 January 1936
People’s Railway Co.: August 1940
Dayton-Xenia Railway Co.: 1 October 1940
City Railway Co.: 27 September 1947
(The Dayton Suburban Ry. line to Southern Hills was not converted to trolleybus, but became a motorbus line in 1941)
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120 years of continuous electric transportation in Dayton, Ohio.
August 8, 2008, will mark 120 continuous years of electrically-propelled Public Transit System operation in Dayton, Ohio.
On 8/8/88 (1888) the first electrically-propelled street cars of the White Line Electric Railway sparked their way up the rails on North Main Street from downtown, and out Germantown Pike as well. Dayton’s other street railways, which started operating in 1870, were operated with horses and mules, soon converted to Electric cars also. By 1895 or so, all of the Dayton street car lines were electrified.
Other cities, such as Cleveland and Lima, had electric street cars before Dayton, but due to their use of unproven technology, had to abandon their operation until the Van De Poele system was installed. Dayton’s White Line used the Van De Poele system from the start, and thus has the distinction of being the city with the longest continuously running electric transit system in the USA.
Charles Van De Poele invented the idea of trolley poles pushing upward against the trolley wire. Previous systems had little carts [“trollers”] riding on top of the wires, which fell off quite often, crashing through the car’s roofs.
Electric rail cars were the primary mode of city transit until their tracks started wearing out. In April of 1933 a new type of transit vehicle, the Electric Trolley Bus (ETB) came to Dayton, and eventually replaced the rail cars. The last street car in Dayton ran across Third Street from East (Drury) to West (Drexel) in September 1947.
The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (GDRTA) continues the Dayton tradition of quiet and non-polluting electric transportation.
