Lake Shore Electric 810

Built in:1924 by G.C. Kuhlman Car Company (ord#899)
Out-of-service/Retired:1938
Type of car:freight trailer (interurban trailer)
Current Owner:Illinois Railway Museum(Union, Illinois)

Car History by Frank Hicks

Lake Shore Electric 810 The vast Indiana-Ohio interurban network was built to carry passengers, and most of the lines in the Midwest lived and died on the strength of their passenger service. However, by the 1920's, it was obvious to some of the stronger lines that financial salvation lay in carrying freight. Most interurbans owned specially-built interurban freight cars designed to take the sharp curves of street running, and hundreds of interurban freight trailers plied the interurban lines that survived into the 1920's and 1930's. LSE 810 was built as a typical interurban freight trailer and, though its construction predated the Central Electric Railway Association's standardized design, it closely resembled a CERA standard center-door freight trailer. When Michigan Electric went bankrupt in 1929 the LSE, which was then expanding its freight business, bought several ME freight trailers. Car 810, which was in the ME 1600-series, was one of them, and it ran on the LSE until that system was abandoned in 1938. Its body then became a hog shed until rescued by IRM in 1984. One of very few interurban freight trailers preserved, it is undergoing restoration to operational condition.

Ownership History:Michigan Electric #1630 1924-1929 / Lake Shore Electric #810 1929-1938 / Illinois Railway Museum(Union, Illinois) 1984-present

Facts and Figures

Status:undergoing restoration		Gauge:4'8.5"
Construction:wood	Roof type:AR	Ended:DE
Length:50'4"	Width:8'10"	Weight:39000#
#Seats:n/a	#Wheels/Conf.:8 (2-2)	Total HP:0
Trucks:Arch Bar	Brakes:HC	Compressor:
Motors:	Voltage (if not 600DC):

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