Kansas City, Clay County & St. Joseph Ry. 24

The Kansas City, Clay County & St. Joseph linked its namesake cities. It was built relatively late (1913) and endured only 20 years. The Clay County built a 51-mile line on a direct route over the hills between Kansas City and St. Joseph, MO – a route impossible for the steam railroads which had to follow a longer route in the Missouri River valley between these cities. A ride on the interurban took two hours, compared with three on the steam railroads. The interuban’s cars often reached 70 mph. The KCCC&StJ also operated a 28-mile line east from Kansas City to Excelsior Springs, MO. The KCCC&StJ Ry. was a subsidiary of the Kansas City, Clay County & St. Joseph Corporation set up in Maine as a holding company for the interurban and the St. Joseph Electric Ry. Because of the distances involved, the KCCC&StJ used 1500 volts to reduce the need for substations. The Depression and bus competition led to the line’s abandonment in 1933. No. 24 is one of 16 steel cars built by the Cincinnati Car Co. for the interurban’s opening. The KCCC&StJ’s cars had center entrance doors and no other doors. This was rare in interurban practice. The door arrangement eliminated the possibility of converting to one man operation, which may have contributed to the line’s demise in 1933. Running through wide open territory, cork insulation was used on this car to insulate the body from sound, heat and cold. Cars were painted maroon with green trim. [See also: When Missouri Took the Trolley, by Andrew Young, for sale in the museum store] When the line’s assets were auctioned in 1934, a local farmer purchased the body of No. 24. It served as a farm shed at Smithville, MO until David Short of Kansas City rescued the car about 1990. Short donated the car to Seashore in 1992. No restoration plan is in place.