Title
I Remember Old Tuscaloosa, July 8, 1971
Subject
History--Tuscaloosa (AL)
Maxwell, Fred (Frederick Richard Jr.), 1889-1988
Trolley buses
Description
Fred Maxwell wrote "I Remember Old Tuscaloosa" for a weekly newspaper in Tuscaloosa called The Graphic from December, 1970 through December 1971. The Graphic was founded, owned and published by Maxwell's daughter Camille Elebash and her husband Karl Elebash beginning in 1957. It was sold to The Tuscaloosa News in 1976 and ceased publication sometime later.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
To see the complete article enlarged click on the image.
Creator
Fred Maxwell
Source
Camille Elebash
Publisher
The Graphic
Date
July 8, 1971
Contributor
Brenda Harris (Description)
Tuscaloosa Public Library
Type
Document
Identifier
1817
Coverage
Tuscaloosa (AL)
Text
TUSCALOOSA’S first rail street car system consisted of a horse-car tram (drawn by a mule) and a track that extended from the corner of 5th St., and 25th Ave. out University Ave. to the University, Bryce Hospital and Lake Loraine. Roughly, every other trip to the University continued to Bryce Hospital. Trips to Lake Loraine were confined to special excursions for Sunday and holidays.
Robert Jemison, a native of Tuscaloosa and a pioneer of Birmingham, built this street car system. Its most famous and illustrious conductor and mule driver was William (Bill) W. Brandon, who later became governor of Alabama and then probate judge of Tuscaloosa County. To turn the car around at the end of a trip you only had to hitch the mule to the opposite end of the car.
In about 1892 a Mr. J. W. Wolfork of Connecticut acquired the street car and converted it to a steam locomotive drawn system. It was named Tuscaloosa Belt Railway Co. but was better known to the local citizens as the “Dummy Line.”
At sawmills (and other industrial plants) a small locomotive for logging or switching purposes was called a “donkey engine” or “dummy.” When the New York elevated railroad was electrified its steam locomotives were offered for sale and several were sold to an Atlanta industrial firm which in turn sold two to Tuscaloosa. (Later, circa 1908, Sage Monnish went to Atlanta to acquire a third locomotive and rode it to Tuscaloosa on the A.G.S. Railroad.) To facilitate repairs many of the ornamental items were permanently removed so as far as looks were concerned theses engines were stripped of their pristine glory. But Oh! what work horses they proved to be – used for both passenger and freight service.
John T. Cochrane of Tuscaloosa left the University in 1893 (end of sophomore year) to become superintendent of the Dummy Line and he served until 1900. He left to organize, build and become president of the A. T. & N. Railroad which ran from Mobile to Amory, Miss. John Cochrane was married to Alice Dearing Searcy of Tuscaloosa. Aliceville in Pickens County was named for her.
F. W. Monnish succeeded John T. Cochrane in 1900 as superintendent of the Dummy Line. He extended the system to Riverview (where he built a sawmill) and on to Holt as well as completing the belt from the University via the West Alabama Fair Grounds (12th St.) to the A.G.S. depot where it connected (via 25th Ave.) with the existing track from the depot to town.
The Dummy Line headquarters and repair shop were located on the southwest corner of 5th St. and 25th Ave. (now occupied by the State ABC Store).
In addition to maintaining a passengers schedule between the city, University, Bryce Hospital, Holt and both railroad depots (A.G.S. and M. and O.) the Dummy Line also served several businesses with freight car switching from the depots to their place of business. Special passenger service was given from town to the University for baseball and football games and dances. The dance special usually started at 10th St. and 24th Ave. and remained in front of the dance hall until the end of the dance. Most of these dance trips were on a charter basis.
The University Glee Club had a short song about the Dummy Line that it used as an encore. It included such lines as “on the Dummy Line I’m going to ride and shine” and “I’m going to pay my fine” and such gems of wisdom. In spite of its noise, smoke, bell and whistle the Dummy Line was held in affection by both visitors and local citizens.
Marvin Copeland succeeded F. W. Monnish as superintendent in about 1910 and the line continued to prosper.
In about 1906 agitation was begun to electrify the Dummy Line and several franchises were granted but did not electrify.
In about 1913 the City of Tuscaloosa asked for bids from three companies for providing an electric street car service. The successful bidder was the F. S. Morris Co. of Philadelphia which had acquired the old Tuscaloosa Ice and Light Co. and was operating as the Tuscaloosa Railway and Utility Co.
The electric street cars started operation in February 1915. The new “car barn” was located diametrically across the street (now parking lot for Tucker Motor Co.) from the Dummy Line repair shop. Later it was moved to the central power house area on 4th St. and 22nd Ave. now occupied by the Temerson Brothers.
In the early 1920s the Alabama Power Co. acquired the Tuscaloosa Railway and Utilities Co. with all its operations –electric light and power, electric street railway, ice, and byproduct gas. This company substituted a gasoline operated bus system to replace the electric street cars in order to cover a much larger area of the city than the existing street car tracks. Subsequently the ice and gas systems were disposed of, leaving them just the electric light and power services.
The F. S. Morris Co. had positive plans to establish an interurban street car service between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham to be called the Tide Water Line. This company built and operated a street car system in North Birmingham called the Tide Water Line; owned and operated the Tuscaloosa street car system; and completed a survey and had purchased options for the right-of-way to connect the two cities.
Much of the survey and right-of-way work was carried on in a semi-secret manner to prevent competition from offering opposition.
I remember one day (circa 1919) I saw Mr. Walker (the civil engineer who made the survey and obtained the necessary options) at the office sitting on top of a box about 4x4x10 feet looking quite dejected.
“Why so sad, Walker?” I asked. He replied, “Well, Fred, I’m sitting on about four years of my work that cost about $85,000 that will not be worth five cents after noon today – the date of expiration of the options.”
I took a seat beside him on the box and discussed the vicissitudes of the project. When the clock indicated the noon hour we both jumped to our feet and in unison exclaimed, “Let’s go eat.”
Robert Jemison, a native of Tuscaloosa and a pioneer of Birmingham, built this street car system. Its most famous and illustrious conductor and mule driver was William (Bill) W. Brandon, who later became governor of Alabama and then probate judge of Tuscaloosa County. To turn the car around at the end of a trip you only had to hitch the mule to the opposite end of the car.
In about 1892 a Mr. J. W. Wolfork of Connecticut acquired the street car and converted it to a steam locomotive drawn system. It was named Tuscaloosa Belt Railway Co. but was better known to the local citizens as the “Dummy Line.”
At sawmills (and other industrial plants) a small locomotive for logging or switching purposes was called a “donkey engine” or “dummy.” When the New York elevated railroad was electrified its steam locomotives were offered for sale and several were sold to an Atlanta industrial firm which in turn sold two to Tuscaloosa. (Later, circa 1908, Sage Monnish went to Atlanta to acquire a third locomotive and rode it to Tuscaloosa on the A.G.S. Railroad.) To facilitate repairs many of the ornamental items were permanently removed so as far as looks were concerned theses engines were stripped of their pristine glory. But Oh! what work horses they proved to be – used for both passenger and freight service.
John T. Cochrane of Tuscaloosa left the University in 1893 (end of sophomore year) to become superintendent of the Dummy Line and he served until 1900. He left to organize, build and become president of the A. T. & N. Railroad which ran from Mobile to Amory, Miss. John Cochrane was married to Alice Dearing Searcy of Tuscaloosa. Aliceville in Pickens County was named for her.
F. W. Monnish succeeded John T. Cochrane in 1900 as superintendent of the Dummy Line. He extended the system to Riverview (where he built a sawmill) and on to Holt as well as completing the belt from the University via the West Alabama Fair Grounds (12th St.) to the A.G.S. depot where it connected (via 25th Ave.) with the existing track from the depot to town.
The Dummy Line headquarters and repair shop were located on the southwest corner of 5th St. and 25th Ave. (now occupied by the State ABC Store).
In addition to maintaining a passengers schedule between the city, University, Bryce Hospital, Holt and both railroad depots (A.G.S. and M. and O.) the Dummy Line also served several businesses with freight car switching from the depots to their place of business. Special passenger service was given from town to the University for baseball and football games and dances. The dance special usually started at 10th St. and 24th Ave. and remained in front of the dance hall until the end of the dance. Most of these dance trips were on a charter basis.
The University Glee Club had a short song about the Dummy Line that it used as an encore. It included such lines as “on the Dummy Line I’m going to ride and shine” and “I’m going to pay my fine” and such gems of wisdom. In spite of its noise, smoke, bell and whistle the Dummy Line was held in affection by both visitors and local citizens.
Marvin Copeland succeeded F. W. Monnish as superintendent in about 1910 and the line continued to prosper.
In about 1906 agitation was begun to electrify the Dummy Line and several franchises were granted but did not electrify.
In about 1913 the City of Tuscaloosa asked for bids from three companies for providing an electric street car service. The successful bidder was the F. S. Morris Co. of Philadelphia which had acquired the old Tuscaloosa Ice and Light Co. and was operating as the Tuscaloosa Railway and Utility Co.
The electric street cars started operation in February 1915. The new “car barn” was located diametrically across the street (now parking lot for Tucker Motor Co.) from the Dummy Line repair shop. Later it was moved to the central power house area on 4th St. and 22nd Ave. now occupied by the Temerson Brothers.
In the early 1920s the Alabama Power Co. acquired the Tuscaloosa Railway and Utilities Co. with all its operations –electric light and power, electric street railway, ice, and byproduct gas. This company substituted a gasoline operated bus system to replace the electric street cars in order to cover a much larger area of the city than the existing street car tracks. Subsequently the ice and gas systems were disposed of, leaving them just the electric light and power services.
The F. S. Morris Co. had positive plans to establish an interurban street car service between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham to be called the Tide Water Line. This company built and operated a street car system in North Birmingham called the Tide Water Line; owned and operated the Tuscaloosa street car system; and completed a survey and had purchased options for the right-of-way to connect the two cities.
Much of the survey and right-of-way work was carried on in a semi-secret manner to prevent competition from offering opposition.
I remember one day (circa 1919) I saw Mr. Walker (the civil engineer who made the survey and obtained the necessary options) at the office sitting on top of a box about 4x4x10 feet looking quite dejected.
“Why so sad, Walker?” I asked. He replied, “Well, Fred, I’m sitting on about four years of my work that cost about $85,000 that will not be worth five cents after noon today – the date of expiration of the options.”
I took a seat beside him on the box and discussed the vicissitudes of the project. When the clock indicated the noon hour we both jumped to our feet and in unison exclaimed, “Let’s go eat.”
Original Format
Newspaper