Rockford and Interurban Railway Company

Date

• ca. 1900-ca. 1920

Summary

• Early 1900s photos of Interurban Railway Car with engineer and conductor, and other streetcar employees. The Interurban served Rockford, Illinois; Beloit, Wisconsin; and Janesville. Its ticket office was on North Main Street. The company began as a horsecar line in Rockford in 1881. In 1890, it electrified its streetcars. Following a series of mergers with other local railway lines, it became the Rockford and Interurban Railway Company in 1902, the same year in which service was extended to Janesville. The railway entered the city on South Jackson Street and crossed the Rock River into downtown: Hourly service was provided between 6:00 am and 11:00 pm. The service was terminated around 1929, the rails pulled up, and the depots razed in 1931-1932.