The United Railways and Electric Company was a
street railway
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
company in the
Baltimore Metropolitan Area
The Baltimore–Columbia–Towson Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Central Maryland, is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in Maryland as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB). As of the 2010 Census, t ...
of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
from 1899 to 1935.
In 1900, the company built the
Power Plant
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many pow ...
in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
's
Inner Harbor
The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The ...
to provide electrical power to the system. The system suffered extensive damage during the
Great Baltimore Fire
The Great Baltimore Fire raged in Baltimore, Maryland from Sunday, February 7, to Monday, February 8, 1904. More than 1,500 buildings were completely leveled, and some 1,000 severely damaged, bringing property loss from the disaster to an estimate ...
of 1904, but the company rebuilt under the supervision of its president,
John Mifflin Hood
John Mifflin Hood (1843–1906) was an American railroad and electric streetcar system executive.
Hood was President of the Western Maryland Railway from 1874 to 1901. In 1901-1902, he became President of United Railways and Electric Company, ...
.
United Railways declared
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
in 1933. The company was reorganized in 1935 as the
Baltimore Transit Company
The MTA Maryland, Maryland Transit Administration was originally known as the Baltimore Metropolitan Transit Authority, then the Maryland Mass Transit Administration before it changed to its current name in October 2001. The MTA took over the oper ...
.
In 1970 the transit company was absorbed into the
Maryland Transit Administration
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Baltimore-Washingt ...
, a public agency.
List of streetcar lines
The date that the line was replaced with a bus or abandoned (the day after the last full day of streetcar operation) is shown.
;Radiating from downtown in a clockwise order
*
Falls Road Line: April 24, 1949 (ca. 1914 along Falls Road south of 36th Street)
*
Roland Park Line: April 14, 1940
*
Lakeside Line: January 29, 1950
*
St. Paul Street Line: June 22, 1947
*
Boulevard Line
The Boulevard Line ( da, Boulevardbanen) is a long partly underground railway between Copenhagen Central Station and Østerport Station in Copenhagen, Denmark. The quadruple track railway carries today one dual track for the Copenhagen S-train s ...
: June 22, 1947
*
Bedford Square Line: June 22, 1947
*
Guilford Avenue Elevated: January 1950
*
Towson Line (York Road; Govanstown): November 3, 1963
*
Harford Road Line: June 17, 1956 (October 4, 1936, north of Parkville)
*
Belair Road Line (Gay Street): November 3, 1963
*
Monument Street Line: March 21, 1948
*
Orleans Street Line
*
East Fayette Street Line
*
Highlandtown Line: July 29, 1950
*
Back and Middle Rivers Line: February 11, 1942
*
Sparrows Point Line (Dundalk): August 31, 1958
*
Point Breeze Line: July 25, 1948
*
Broadway Line: May 9, 1948
*
Patterson Park Line: May 1948
*
Highlandtown Short Line: March 5, 1950
*
Hudson Street Line: June 8, 1952
*
Canton Line (Highland Avenue): June 8, 1952
*
Fort Avenue Line (Fort McHenry): December 13, 1948
*
Ferry Bar Line: July 5, 1923
*
Curtis Bay Line: March 21, 1948
*
Westport Line: June 22, 1947
*
Washington Boulevard Line (Columbia Avenue): January 1, 1939
*
Halethorpe Line (Wilkens Avenue): November 16, 1935
*
Catonsville Line (Frederick Road; Irvington): November 3, 1963
*
West Baltimore Street Line: May 9, 1948
*
Ellicott City Line (North Bend; Rolling Road): June 19, 1955 (September 18, 1954, east of Catonsville Junction)
*
Edmondson Avenue Line (Windsor Hills): November 3, 1963
*
Garrison Boulevard Line: June 17, 1956
*
Gilmor Street Line (Fulton Avenue): August 1, 1948
*
Carey Street Line: December 13, 1948
*
Pennsylvania Avenue Line: June 8, 1952
*
Liberty Heights Avenue Line: September 4, 1955
*
Park Heights Avenue Line (Pimlico; Pikesville): June 27, 1948
*
Emory Grove Line: July 3, 1932
*
Druid Hill Avenue Line: June 27, 1948
*
Madison Avenue Line: May 9, 1948
*
Linden Avenue Line: September 4, 1955
*
John Street Line: December 2, 1938
;Cross connections and branches
*
Bay Shore Line: September 1947
*
Brunswick Street Line
*
Caroline Street Line (Central): March 6, 1938
*
Centre Street Line: August 1937?
*
Dolphin Street Line: March 6, 1938
*
East Federal Street Line: January 1, 1939
*
Fairfield Line
*
Fish House Road Line: July 30, 1932
*
Fort Howard Line: October 20, 1952
*
Fremont Avenue Line: March 25, 1950
*
Gorsuch Avenue Line (Waverly): June 22, 1947
*
Key Avenue Line: September 14, 1950
*
Lorraine Line: February 28, 1954
*
North Avenue Line: January 10, 1954
*
Presstman Street Line: December 15, 1919
*
Preston Street Line: January 1, 1939
*
Sweetair Line
*
Union Avenue Line: April 24, 1949
*
Washington Street Line (Wolfe Street): March 5, 1950
*
West Arlington Line (Belvedere; Mount Washington): September 4, 1955 (September 14, 1950, east of Belvedere)
*
Woodlawn Line (Gwynn Oak Park; Powhatan): September 4, 1955 (June 10, 1917, west of Woodlawn)
See also
*
*
Baltimore Streetcar Museum
The Baltimore Streetcar Museum (BSM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit museum. It is located at 1911 Falls Road ( MD 25) in Baltimore, Maryland. The museum is dedicated to preserving Baltimore's public transportation history, especially the streetcar er ...
*
History of MTA Maryland
The Maryland Transit Administration was originally known as the Baltimore Metropolitan Transit Authority, then the Maryland Mass Transit Administration before it changed to its current name in October 2001. The MTA took over the operations of the ...
References
External links
1915 United Railways & Electric Company photo survey- Ghosts of Baltimore blog
“Photograph album: Album 3 of the President's Collection of United Railways and Electric Company of Baltimore, 1910-1917.”Digital Maryland. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
{{DEFAULTSORT:United Railways Electric Company
Maryland Transit Administration
Defunct Maryland railroads
History of Baltimore
5 ft 4½ in gauge railways