Cincinnati St. Ry. 2105

Cincinnati Street Railway was the public transit operator in Cincinnati, OH from 1859 to 1952. In 1901, CSR leased its property and operations to Cincinnati Traction Company. This lease ended in 1925, and CSR resumed operating the system. A dispute with the local telephone company regarding return electric currents in the track caused CSR to use an unusual dual overhead trolley wire system. Another unusual feature of the Cincinnati system was its 5 ft. 2 ½ in. track gauge. At its maximum, CSR operated 222 miles of track. CSR also owned a large car building operation which became a separate firm – Cincinnati Car Company. CSR purchased most of its cars from Cincinnati Car until the builder closed in the 1930s. Streetcar operation ended in 1951. In 2016, Cincinnati opened a modern streetcar line named the Cincinnati Bell Connector. CSR acquired almost 600 large wooden cars between 1905 and 1919, including 100 cars of the 2100 series in 1917. No. 2105 is typical of this fleet. The car spent most of its operating life on the Vine & Clifton Route 55. CSR converted some of its fleet to one-man operation, but No. 2105 remained a two-man car. In the late 1920s, modifications to No. 2105 included installing partitions to create a rear section, probably for smoking. CSR retired No. 2105 in 1948. CSR scrapped the trucks and motors, and sold the body to a homeowner in Madisonville, OH. The body of No. 2105 became a gazebo in the home’s yard. In 1993, the homeowner, Mrs. Amy Chambers, donated the car to Seashore. Seashore obtained a set of Brill 62E-1 Maximum Traction trucks from Kobe, Japan to use on No. 2105. These are similar to those used in Cincinnati. No. 2105 is believed to be one of three surviving Cincinnati wood streetcars.