The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company

The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company (reporting mark TMERL), also referred to as the Milwaukee Interurban Lines or TMER&L, is a defunct railroad that operated in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the largest electric railway and electric utility system in Wisconsin, and combined several of the earlier horsecar, steam dummy, and streetcar lines into one system. Its Milwaukee streetcar lines soon ran on most major streets and served most areas of the city. The interurban lines reached throughout southeastern Wisconsin. TMER&L also operated the streetcar lines in Appleton, Kenosha, and Racine, as well as its own switching operations at the Port Washington and Lakeside power plants.

The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company
Preserved 1920 vintage Milwaukee streetcar 846 at the East Troy Electric Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Reporting markTMERL
LocaleWisconsin
Dates of operation18961938
PredecessorThe Milwaukee Electric Railway
SuccessorThe Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transport Co.
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification600 V DC
Length191 miles (307 km)
Route map

Watertown
Sheboygan
Pipersville
Weedens
Ixonia
Oostburg
Oconomowoc
Cedar Grove
Silver Lake
Belgium
Nashotah
Druecker’s
Summit Center
Port Washington
Delafield
Lutzen’s
Buena Vista
Saukville
Waukesha Beach
Grafton
Waukesha
Cedarburg
Gravel pit
Quarry
Springdale
Thiensville
Rocky Knoll
Mequon
Calhoun
Brown Deer
Sunny Slope
Brown Deer Park
County Line
Mill Rd. – Hillside
Silver Spring Rd.
West Junction
Northside
84th Street
Milwaukee
Public Service Building
streetcar
National & 100th
Greenwood Junction
Powerton
Hales Corners
Lakeside Power Plant
St. Martins Junction
Cudahy
South Milwaukee
Muskego
South Junction
Big Bend
Durham Hill
Vernon Center Rd.
Muskego Dam Rd.
Riverside
Wind Lake Rd.
Mukwonago
Waubeesee
Phantom Lake
Waterford
Beulah Lake
Rochester
Army Lake
Bellwood Rd.
East Troy
Burlington
Caledonia Junction
Ives
Racine streetcar
Mount Pleasant
Berryville Road
Fairview
Kenosha streetcar
streetcar
local streetcar service

The first electric streetcar in Milwaukee operated on Wells Street on April 3, 1890. The Waukesha Beach Railway was formally opened on June 25, 1895. The first interurban ran between Milwaukee and Kenosha on June 1, 1897. Other lines soon reached Watertown, Burlington, and East Troy. In 1922, TMER&L acquired the Milwaukee Northern Railway and added their Milwaukee to Sheboygan interurban line to the system.

During the Great Depression, services on streetcar and interurban lines were reduced, replaced with buses, abandoned, or sold. Abandonments ceased during World War II when gas and tires were rationed and defense workers needed transportation. After the war, riders returned to their automobiles and abandonments resumed. The last streetcar to run in Milwaukee and the entire state operated on Wells Street on March 2, 1958.[1] Electric locomotives continued operating at the power plants until the early 1970s.[2]

The last two remaining sections of interurban lines were to Hales Corners and Waukesha. They continued in operation until June 30, 1951 as part of the Milwaukee Rapid Transit and Speedrail Company's rapid transit service, as it had essentially lost the remainder of its postwar ridership following a collision in Greenfield, Wisconsin that killed 8 people and injured around 40, just the year before.[3] The outer end of the East Troy branch (beyond Mukwonago) continues to operate as the East Troy Electric Railroad, a 7-mile (11 km) long heritage railroad.[4] There were plans to extend the Watertown line to Madison, the East Troy line to Delavan, and the Burlington line to Lake Geneva. However, none of these plans came to fruition.

References

  1. "The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company (TMER&L)". Encyclopedia of Milwaukee.
  2. "TMER&L". TrainWeb.
  3. "History of The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company". The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transit Historical Society. 10 June 2020.
  4. "History of The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Company -- and the East Troy Electric Railroad" (PDF). East Troy Railroad Museum.
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