This chapter will show the routes taken by the city and interurban lines within Urbana and Champaign.  They will be discussed roughly in chronological order.  Modern street and park names, where different, are in parentheses.  The routes have been numbered by the author, simply for convenience; these numbers were not used by the system.

This chapter has two parts:
     Part A.  City Lines
     Part B.  Interurban Routes Within the Twin Cities

Track maps are given at the end of the chapter.

1.  Horsecar Route

At the point at which this route crossed the Boneyard Creek, just northeast of the present intersection of Springfield Ave. and 2nd St., there was a small stone arch bridge, probably built in 1860 or 1863, to carry the horsecars across the creek.  Even after the effective abandonment of this part of the horsecar route, the little bridge remained.  By the [1980s?], it was crumbling, and was rebuilt by volunteer stonemason labor.  The area around it is now a small park in the Champaign Park District system.

2. The Electrified Main Line

3.  Fair Ground Branch

4.  Church or New, and John or Wright

The Church Street route began in Champaign on Church Street about 1/4 mile east of Arthur Road (Mattis Ave.), i.e. about four blocks west of West End Park (Eisner Park), and went straight east on Church to Neil Street.  The New Street route began in Champaign at Prospect and Green, via Green, New, Church, to Neil.  Both routes then continued east via Main, Walnut, 1st South (Chester), University, to 3rd Street.  At this point, the Wright St. branch continued east via University and Wright to Green Street; the John St. branch operated via 3rd Street and John to Wright, then to Green.  Both routes then continued into Urbana via Green, Goodwin, private right-of-way, Main, to the Wabash crossing.

From time to time, the New Street branch was operated instead as a shuttle, from Prospect and Green to New and Church, with passengers transferring to the Church Street cars.

Beginning around 1900, some cars terminated on the east in Urbana at Main and Market (Broadway), rather than at the Wabash crossing on East Main.

In 1907, track was built on Neil Street between University and Church/Main.  Cars operated in one direction via Neil, in the other via Main and Walnut.  Initially, Neil St. was used west and northbound, and Main and Walnut east and southbound.  Eventually, the directions were reversed, probably in 1914.

Beginning July 1, 1909, the Green and Goodwin tracks were removed.  From that date, all cars operated from Wright Street east via the private right-of-way.  Also beginning on that date, the Wright Street branch was combined with the Oregon Street Line (see #7, below).

5.  Lake Shore Line

In 1909, the track on Coler Street was extended north to the Woodlawn Cemetery.  For a few years (at least 1909-1911), Sunday-only summertime through service was operated to the Cemetery from downtown Champaign via the John Street branch to Main and Market (Broadway) in Urbana, then via the Lake Shore Line to Woodlawn.

In 1920, summer service on the Lake Shore Line itself was extended north to Woodlawn.

It must be noted that the company also offered charter funeral service to Woodlawn Cemetery.

6.  Neil Street Line

In 1922, with the establishment of the IC Shops Line (#14), that line took over the segment on Neil north of Church/Main.  The Neil Street Line then terminated on the north at Neil and Main.

7.  Oregon Street Line

The new line was designed to run from downtown Champaign to downtown Urbana.  Early in its life, the company experimented with which of the two possible Champaign routes (via Third and John or via University and Wright) would be linked to the new track in Urbana.  Eventually, the University and Wright branch was combined with the Oregon Street route.

Beginning July 1, 1909, the new Oregon Street Line operated over this route: from Neil and Main in Champaign, via Main, Walnut, 1st South (Chester), University, Wright, across the UI campus into Urbana, Mathews, Oregon, Lincoln, California, Market (Broadway), to Main Street.  Return was via the same route, except in downtown Champaign operating via University and Neil to Main Street.  The track on Mathews, which included a passing siding, was at least partly on the west side of the street.  (Around 1914, the direction of the loop in downtown Champaign was reversed.)

On January 1, 1921, the route combinations were changed.  Beginning that date, the Oregon Street Line operated from Main and Neil in Champaign, via Neil, University, 3rd St., John, Wright, across the UI campus into Urbana, Mathews, Oregon, Lincoln, California, Market (Broadway), to Main Street.  Return was via the same route, except in downtown Champaign operating via University, Chester, Walnut, Main, to Neil.  The Wright Street branch was at this time set up as a separate route; see #13, below.

8.  Owl Route

A more successful attempt at Owl Service was started July 20, 1911.  It used a loop route that covered the main daytime car lines.  From Prospect and Green in Champaign, it operated via Green, New, Church, Main, Walnut, 1st South (Chester), University, 3rd St., John, Wright, across the UI campus into Urbana, Mathews, Oregon, Lincoln, California, Market (Broadway), Main, to the Wabash crossing on East Main.  The return trip was via Main, private right-of-way, Wright, John (into Champaign), 3rd, University, Neil, Church, New, Green, to Prospect.

At least by June 6, 1920, this had been cut back to run only from downtown Champaign to downtown Urbana.  The route was from Main and Neil in Champaign, via Neil, University, 3rd St., John, Wright, across the UI campus into Urbana, Mathews, Oregon, Lincoln, California, Market (Broadway), to Main, returning via Main, private right-of-way, Wright, John (into Champaign), 3rd, University, Chester, Walnut, Main, to Neil.

9.  Limited Service; later Short Line

This service lasted only a month or so in 1915, but was revived on September 6, 1919.  It was renamed the Short Line on December 1, 1919.

This was destined to be the last streetcar line in the community, ending service on November 10, 1936.

10.  Church Street Line

The Church Street Line operated along Church Street from Neil west to the end of the track.

In the late 1920s [1927?], the tracks on Church Street were completely rebuilt.  The company did a very good job, and the street was repaved with concrete at the same time.  Some passing sidings were relocated for maximum efficiency.  Unfortunately, the concrete proved to be a sounding board, and the new track, while admirable in all other ways, was so noisy that the people living on the street complained vociferously.  As a result, the Church Street Line was converted to bus in [1928? 1929?].  Ironically, the track lasted until the late 1960s before the city finally covered it with asphalt.  Most of the rails remain under the asphalt to this day.

11.  Urbana & Champaign via John Street

The route operated from Main and Neil in Champaign via Neil, University, 3rd St., John, Wright, private right-of-way into Urbana, Main, to Market (Broadway).  Return was via the same route, except in downtown Champaign, via University, Chester, Walnut, Main, to Neil.

This route was discontinued in about one month.

12.  John Street to the University of Illinois

The route operated from Main and Neil in Champaign via Neil, University, 3rd St., John, to Wright.  Return was via John, 3rd St., University, Chester, Walnut, Main, to Neil.

After discontinuance of the Urbana & Champaign via John Street Line (#11) on July 1, 1920, this was the only service along John Street until the Oregon Street route took over John Street on January 1, 1921.  The John Street to the University of Illinois Line was then discontinued.

13.  Wright Street Line

14.  Illinois Central Shops Line

This service was subsidized by the Illinois Central (see Chapter 7).  The subsidy was withdrawn June 1, 1931.  As a result, buses were substituted May 18, 1932, and discontinued June 15, 1932.

This was the last city car line to be built, and the next-to-last to be closed.

Note

1.  ITS Champaign to Danville Line

Picture 11B-1.
	About 1909, one of the 300-308 series ITS cars loads passengers on the siding in front of the court house on Main Street in Urbana.  The car had been chartered for a Sunday school class trip to Homer Park.  Looks like the lad in the foreground isn't going along. — Urbana Free Library Archives

Beginning September 6, 1903, the route was extended to downtown Champaign.  It used the same route as the Wright Street branch of the main city car line (see Part A, line #4 above) to downtown Urbana.  Almost immediately, a terminal was built in Champaign on Walnut Street north of Main, with a wye at the intersection and a stub track north of Main Street.  This opened September 19.  An old city car was spotted at the end of the stub as a temporary shelter until terminal space could be prepared in the McKinley brokerage offices on Walnut Street.

Picture 11B-2.
	This view, postmarked 1911, is west along Main Street in Champaign.  The cross street in the foreground is Walnut.  The track to the north (right) leads to the depot.  There is a full wye in the intersection.  The interurban car approaching us on Main Street will probably turn south (to our left) and back across the intersection into the stub terminal.  The street railway and interurban offices and the interurban depot shared space in the business office of J. B. & W. B. McKinley since the DU&C began interurban service between Champaign and Danville in 1903. — C. U. Williams Photoette
Picture 11B-3.
	This view, dated December 24, 1909, is east on Main Street in Champaign looking toward Walnut, where an ITS interurban car is crossing Main through the Christmas Eve snow.  The car is either heading into, or backing out of, the depot siding.

Up to this time, the private right-of-way west of Goodwin Avenue in Urbana had been all but abandoned.  In 1903, it was rebuilt for use of the interurbans between Wright and Goodwin, use beginning December 10, 1903.

When the line to Decatur was built in 1907, track was laid on Neil Street south from Church/Main.  Beginning February 21, 1907, the westbound interurbans from Danville were operated over University to Neil, Main, to Walnut.

In 1909, the private right-of-way between 3rd Street and Wright was also rebuilt for interurban use.  Beginning about July 1, interurbans operated via University to 3rd St. to the private right-of-way, then east to downtown Urbana.

In 1913, a new station was built in Champaign on University Avenue east of Walnut Street, and the wye and stub track on Walnut north of Main were removed.  Sidings were built onto the station property between the station building and the Inman Hotel, the neighbor building on the west.  From January 12, 1914, local cars bound for Danville originated on one of these sidings; limited through cars from the west stopped in the street in front of the station.  Westbound local cars from Danville would wye in front of the station and back into a siding.  Beginning March 4, 1914, westbound local cars looped through downtown Champaign via University, 1st South (Chester), Walnut, Main, Neil, University, to the station.

Pictures 11B-4 and 11B-5.
	These two postcards show the ITS depot and its next-door neighbor, the Inman Hotel, on University Ave. in Champaign between Walnut and Market Streets.  Both pictures show the alley between the buildings, which had sidings for the interurban cars.  In the upper picture, we see a self-propelled freight car.  The lower shows a local car waiting for passengers to board.  The depot was constructed in 1913 on the site of an old mill.  For the preceding several years, ITS had used the site as a freight depot. — C. T. Photochrom (upper)
Pictures 11B-6 and 11B-7.
	These two views were taken in June 1921.  There were two tracks in University Ave. at this point: a through track in the center of the street, and a depot siding to the south of that track, on which the cars in these pictures are standing.  In addition, there were the sidings in the alley between the depot and the Inman Hotel.  Note the electric light “flag” on the roof of the depot. — Illinois Power Co. Archives

When the city car lines were abandoned on November 11, 1936, the City of Champaign was eager to remove the tracks, but they were still needed by the interurban cars.  In 1937, the Wabash Railroad tracks were electrified from the Wabash depot between Neil and Randolph Streets, east to the crossing of East Main Street in Urbana.  This became the Danville route until the end of service in 1953.  The station on University Ave. was abandoned (although it remained as offices for Illinois Power and Light Co.), as was all street trackage in Champaign.  The tracks east of Wright Street on the private right-of-way were retained for coal delivery to the University of Illinois and for passenger specials to campus (e.g., football games), with trains backing in from Urbana.

2.  ITS Champaign to Decatur Line

Beginning January 12, 1914, the new Champaign station was put into service.  (See discussion under Danville line, #1 above.)  Westbound local cars originated on a siding next to the station, and limited through cars in the street in front.  They then operated over University to Neil and turned south, using the same route as before.  Eastbound cars from Decatur operated north on Neil to University, then turned east to the station, with local cars wyeing and backing into a siding.

From September 3 through November 7, 1914, while repairs were being made on S. Neil St., a detour was required.  Cars on the Decatur interurban line were routed through downtown Champaign and west out Church Street, down New to Green, and over a temporary track on New from Green to John, where connection was made to the permanent track on John Street.  This is the only instance known of interurban cars operating on the Church and New Street lines in Champaign.

In [1927? 1930?], the Illinois Central tracks were electrified from a connection to the interurban west of Duncan Road, east to the Wabash tracks at about State Street in Champaign.  The Decatur line was then changed to use these tracks eastbound to Neil Street, then via Neil to University to the station.  Westbound cars operated from the station via University, Walnut, Main, Neil, to the Wabash tracks.  On August 1, 1937, when the Danville line was moved from city streets to the Wabash tracks, the University Avenue station was abandoned as a station in favor of the Wabash station, and cars operated through on the Illinois Central and Wabash tracks, bypassing downtown Champaign.  This was the route to the end of service in 1955.

Pictures 11B-8 and 11B-9.
	IT no. 271, one of the longest cars on the roster, turns from Main Street in Champaign into Neil on its way to the electrified Wabash and Illinois Central tracks which will start it west on its way to Decatur.  The date is 1936, toward the end of all street running in Champaign.  Note the partially completed new city building in the background, and in the lower picture, the early model traffic light governing the intersection. — University of Illinois Library Archives, News-Gazette collection

3.  K&UT Urbana to Rantoul and Paxton Line

After abandonment of K&UT passenger service, the ITS operated freight service over the former K&UT tracks for grain elevators along the line.  This service was abandoned June 17, 1927, and the track was removed.

Map 11-1.
	The late George Fehl drew a series of remarkable maps of the Illinois Traction System / Illinois Terminal Railroad.  Here is a composite of the three-page map he drew of Champaign-Urbana.  All tracks are shown as of a late period in the life of the system: approximately 1930 for the city lines, about 1938 for the electrified Illinois Central and Wabash tracks. CAUTION: This map is almost 2 megabytes, and may take a while to download. — George Fehl, from the Paul Stringham collection
Map 11-2.
	This Fehl map shows the East Main Street trackage in Urbana.  In effect, it is an eastward extension of the previous map.  Fehl recorded every possible detail, including for example the location of each line pole. — George Fehl

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