Hi folks. [:D]
I ran across something while looking up one of my ancesters. The Kansas City, Clay County and St. Joseph Railway Co. It ran from K.C. to St. Joseph and from K.C. to Excelsior Springs MO. Total life span was about twenty years. 1913 to 1933
My grandfathers papers said he worked for the K.C. Electric railroad So naturally I got curious and had to look it up. I found pictures and stories in the public library in K.C. that appear to be from a local news paper. Is anyone into interurban electrics?
I’m very much into interurban electric railways. For some strange reason, I’ve always seemed seem to have an perverse interest all kinds of information that’s totally useless (I’m also interested in rigid airships, but you probably don’t want to know about that).
The Kansas City Star published a book in 2002 called “A Splendid Ride,” It’s primarily about the KC MO/KS streetcar system, but it also has information and photos on the interurban railroads in the area, including the KCCC&St.J. If the book is still in print, you should be able to get it from the Star. I highly recommend it, particuarly since it goes far beyond the typical picture book (although it’s got plenty of good pictures), and delves into the business and political dealings of the system.
Another book worth having if you’re into interurbans is “The Electric Interurban Railways in America” by George Hilton and Johm Due. This is probably the seminal work on interurban railways, and has a wealth of information on their rise, their heyday (such as it was) and their fall, most of which you won’t find anywhere else. It also has a section with short histories of each interurban railroad, including KCCC&St.J. Be aware. howe