Cincinnati Car Company
Encyclopedia
Cincinnati Car Company or Cincinnati Car Corporation was a subsidiary of Ohio Traction Company. It designed and constructed interurban
cars, streetcars and (in smaller scale) buses. It was founded in 1902 in Cincinnati, Ohio
. In 1928 it bought the Versare Car Company
.
The company was among the first to make lightweight cars. Its chief engineer Thomas Elliot designed the curved-side car, a lightweight model that used curved steel plates (not conventional flat steel plates) in body construction. Instead of the floor, the side plates and side sills bore the bulk of the weight load. Longitudinal floor supports were no longer needed, which made the cars lighter than conventional cars. The first cars of this type were sold in 1922. For instance, the Red Devil
weighted only 22 tons. Curved-side cars were also called "Balanced Lightweight Cars".
In 1929, the company introduced the high-speed interurban Red Devil railcar. Twenty were sold to Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad
. The Red Devil, whose commercial speed was up to 90 mph (144.8 km/h), was a forerunner of the high-speed trains
. Both the carbodies and trucks
were well adapted for high-speed running on rough tracks.
Cincinnati Car Company ceased operations in 1938, but several of its original streetcars are preserved, for instance at the Saskatchewan Railway Museum
and the Seashore Trolley Museum
.
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
cars, streetcars and (in smaller scale) buses. It was founded in 1902 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. In 1928 it bought the Versare Car Company
Versare Company
Versare Car Company was a bus and trolley bus maker founded in 1925 and originally based in Watervliet, New York. Among their early work were experimental buses that utilized diesel and electric engines that could be run alone or together, a technique that could be seen as a very early ancestor to...
.
The company was among the first to make lightweight cars. Its chief engineer Thomas Elliot designed the curved-side car, a lightweight model that used curved steel plates (not conventional flat steel plates) in body construction. Instead of the floor, the side plates and side sills bore the bulk of the weight load. Longitudinal floor supports were no longer needed, which made the cars lighter than conventional cars. The first cars of this type were sold in 1922. For instance, the Red Devil
Red Devil (interurban)
The Red Devil was a high-speed interurban trolley . It was developed by the Cincinnati Car Company for the Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad , which bought 20 of them in 1929 for service between cities and towns in Ohio. At and long, they were among the first lightweight trolleys, with side...
weighted only 22 tons. Curved-side cars were also called "Balanced Lightweight Cars".
In 1929, the company introduced the high-speed interurban Red Devil railcar. Twenty were sold to Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad
Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad
The Cincinnati and Lake Erie Railroad was a short-lived electric interurban railway that operated in 1930-1939 Depression-era Ohio between Cincinnati, Springfield, Columbus, and Toledo...
. The Red Devil, whose commercial speed was up to 90 mph (144.8 km/h), was a forerunner of the high-speed trains
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
. Both the carbodies and trucks
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
were well adapted for high-speed running on rough tracks.
Cincinnati Car Company ceased operations in 1938, but several of its original streetcars are preserved, for instance at the Saskatchewan Railway Museum
Saskatchewan Railway Museum
The Saskatchewan Railway Museum is a railway museum located west of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan at the intersection of the Pike Lake Highway and the Canadian National Railway tracks...
and the Seashore Trolley Museum
Seashore Trolley Museum
The Seashore Trolley Museum, located in Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, is the world's oldest and largest museum of mass transit vehicles....
.