Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Corp. 861

The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co. (known as the Transport Company, or abbreviated as TM) operated more than 800 cars on over 400 miles of track, making it one of the larger systems in the Midwest. TM’s system included local lines in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha as well as interurban lines radiating from Milwaukee. In 1938, the TM formed a subsidiary, the Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transport, for its streetcar operations. The system rapidly converted to bus in the late 1940s and early 1950s. In 1952, the remaining streetcar lines were sold to the Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Corp. Trolley service ended in 1958. Milwaukee is building a modern streetcar line scheduled to begin service in 2018. 1920, TM acquired 100 streetcars numbered in the 800 series. St. Louis car built the car bodies while Milwaukee Electric built the trucks in its own shops. These cars were designed for either one-man or two-man operation and used lightweight materials. This reduced operating costs, enabling shorter headways. However, snow would hinder operation of the 800s while heavier cars could keep running. The car body was part steel, part wood. The trucks saved weight by using chrome vanadium steel. The 800s showed the company’s distinctive car design, marked by a narrow center end window, flanked by two wider ones. In 1926, TM converted No. 861 to straight one-man operation, removing the extra doors needed for two-man operation and repainting the car from yellow to orange with green trim. The Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Company saved No. 861 for Seashore at the time of final streetcar abandonment in 1958. No. 861 came to Seashore in fairly good condition, but many years of operation over rough track had weakened the roof structure, causing the body to bulge at the letterboards. In the 1980s, Seashore did substantial restoration work on the car. This restoration included installing a new canvas roof, replacing most of the air piping and re-upholstering many of the seats. Despite this effort, the car has seen limited service due to electrical failures. Extensive work failed to correct this problem. No. 861 has an unusual cartridge fuse system – one for each of the four motors. The car’s relatively high seating capacity (55) would make it desirable for Seashore’s operating fleet.