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Southeastern Rhode Island Interurbans
Maps and Details on the Interurbans Systems in New England
In June, 1898, the Newport Street Railway, an electric trolley line. started operating between Fall River and Newport. Soon after it began operating, an amusement park was built at Island Park near the Stone Bridge. The park—which in its heyday had glider swings, a merry-go-round, and the second largest roller coaster in New England—attracted thousands of funseekers in the l920s. Sadly, the amusement park was wiped out in the 1938 hurricane and never rebuilt.
In 1904, an electric railroad of the Newport and Providence Railway Company was completed between Newport and Bristol Ferry and carried passengers along the west side of the island. A steamer made connections with the Bristol and Providence Railroad in Bristol.
In 1925, the Fall River to Newport trolley line was replaced by bus service; the Bristol Ferry-Newport electric railway ran until 1929, when the Mount Hope Bridge was built.
Southeastern Rhode Island Area Map
Pan and zoom in and out on the map below for a detailed understanding of the various trolley companies in service in 1924.
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Interurban Timelines - Predecessors/Mergers/End of Life
All Interurban timeline info sourced from the highly informative chicagorailfan.com site:
Interurban Railways in Rhode Island
Newport
- 1888-1900 - Newport Street Railway
1900-1920 - Newport & Fall River Street Railway
1920-1929 - Newport Electric Corp.
1929 - streetcars discontinued
Further Details
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- Newport Electric Corporation Records
- Portsmouth - Rhode Island Historical Preservation
Scroll down to: STREETCARS AND ISLAND PARK
Source/Credits
The Electric Interurban Railways in America |
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection - 1924 Rhode Island