List of formerly preserved Interurban/Rapid Transit rail cars

Once upon a time, the United States was covered with a large number of railroads known as "Interurban Railroads", railroads which would run in between large cities, relying primarily on running electric trains. Some of these would be off-shoots of pre-existing streetcar systems, while some tried to compete with and provide a cheaper alternative to the bigger "steam roads".

Sadly, most interurban railroads will end up being wiped out during the 1930s. The biggest killers for interurban railroads were "The Great Depression", the increasing reliance on automobiles and paved roads, and redundant mileage as, in most cases, the interurban railroads really only went to places where other railroads already connected, and really only served as a more localized form of transportation. Most interurban railroads did not last long enough to see World War 2, and those few that did were quickly wiped out after the war ended. The Illinois Terminal, Springfield Terminal, Central California Transportation, the Sacramento Northern, and the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City all converted to diesels, and some of them ended up lasting well into the latter half of the 20 century and onwards into the 21st century.

After the interurban railroads shut down, most ended up being cut up for scrap or (in the case of the wooden cars) burned to the ground where they sat. Some were sold at auction and later found other uses, such as storage barns on farms, diners or restaurants, or being converted into houses. Some of the Cincinnati & Lake Erie's box motors were even converted into diesel locomotives when they were sold to an aggregates company in Texas.

Given their fascinating and short lived nature, they were a prime subject for preservation in the middle part of the 20th century and many railroad preservation groups quickly jumped at the opportunity to preserve interurban and rapid transit equipment (subways, elevated railways, streetcars, etc.). Sadly, while some cars were preserved with good intentions, as time has passed on, some cars were neglected, left to rot, and once they reached a certain point, ended up being scrapped or burned anyways. The following lists are a compilation of interurban cars, subway cars, elevated rapid transit cars, and street cars that were initially preserved, but were later scrapped for various reasons. MOW equipment that was powered and freight equipment that aren't locomotives (i.e. GE Westinghouse 64-Ton Steeple Cab) will be included in the list. What is not included is electric equipment owned by major railroads, like the Pennsylvania Railroad or Illinois Central, or electric locomotives owned by private industrial operations or utility companies, like Commonwealth Edison. Also included is a list of cars that, while they weren't preserved by museums or enthusiasts, they did survive beyond World War 2 in some fashion, but ended up being scrapped, burned, or destroyed in the end.

Interurban cars that were preserved but later scrapped[]

Unit	Type	Build date	Manufacturer	Operator(s)	Cause of scrapping	Date it was Scrapped	Notes
Centerville, Albia, & Southern #100	Wooden box motor			Centerville, Albia, & Southern	Poor condition	Early 1990s
Chicago, Aurora, & Elgin #318	Wooden Coach			Chicago, Aurora, & Elgin	Severely damaged in a wreck on Penn Central while being moved to the museum	1977
Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee #3	Double truck snow sweeper			Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee	Poor condition, no trucks, just a body sitting on the ground	1964
Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee #202	Wooden Combine			Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee	Poor condition	1974	It was the last surviving wooden car from the CNS&M
Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee #250	Steel combine			Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee	Poor condition; the Illinois Railway Museum owned two other combines from the same series that were in better condition	1995
Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee #236	Center door freight motor			Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee	Poor condition	1974
Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee #237	Center door freight motor			Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee	Poor condition	1996
Lake Shore Electric #171	Coach	1918	Jewett	Lake Shore Electric #171	Poor condition, had been converted into a diner and was gutted of anything it had from when it had been an interurban car	2024
Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern #36	Wooden combine			Terre Haute, Indianapolis, & Eastern Indiana Railroad	Gutted and badly rotted; nothing left to save	1996	Never moved to IRM; had been converted to a lakeside cabin at Lake Shafer
Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern #53	Wooden combine			Terre Haute, Indianapolis, & Eastern Indiana Railroad	Badly deteriorated and rotted	2015	had been converted to a lakeside cabin at Lake Shafer
Waterloo, Cedar Falls, & Northern No. 100	Steel Combine-Open Platform Observation			Waterloo, Cedar Falls, & Northern Railroad	Burned in a fire		Had been donated to the Iowa State Museum in Des Moines

Streetcars/Elevated Cars/Subway cars that were preserved but later scrapped[]

Unit	Model	Operator(s)	Cause of scrapping	Scrapped	Notes
Chicago Transit Authority #53	Lightweight Articulated car	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; impulse purchase	2013
Chicago Transit Authority #1279	wood "L" trailer	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1991
Chicago Transit Authority #1770	wood "L" car	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1973
Chicago Transit Authority #1775	wood "L" car	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1973
Chicago Transit Authority #1784	wood "L" car	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1973
Chicago Transit Authority #4083	center door 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1980
Chicago Transit Authority #4215	center door 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1974
Chicago Transit Authority #4216	center door 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1974
Chicago Transit Authority #4253	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1985
Chicago Transit Authority #4279	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1979
Chicago Transit Authority #4289	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1979
Chicago Transit Authority #4350	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1980
Chicago Transit Authority #4353	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1980	Vestibule at one end was missing. The Missing end was salvaged to aid in the restoration of CTA "Baldy" #4146
Chicago Transit Authority #4355	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	Poor condition; parts salvaged off of it to keep other members of the class running	1980
Chicago Transit Authority #????	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	Facility closed	Late 2010s	Scrapped due to the Indiana Transportation Museum closing
Chicago Transit Authority #6057	Half of 600 series "married pair	Chicago Transit Authority		1985
Chicago Transit Authority S-350	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	It had been thoroughly gutted and restoration back to original condition would've been too expensive; scrapped so parts could be salvaged to keep better units running	1979	Work train unit, scrapped so parts could be salvaged to keep better units running
Chicago Transit Authority S-351	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	It had been thoroughly gutted and restoration back to original condition would've been too expensive; scrapped so parts could be salvaged to keep better units running	1979	Work train unit, scrapped so parts could be salvaged to keep better units running
Chicago Transit Authority S-366	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	It had been thoroughly gutted and restoration back to original condition would've been too expensive; scrapped so parts could be salvaged to keep better units running	1979	Work train unit, scrapped so parts could be salvaged to keep better units running
Chicago Transit Authority S-368	Standard 4000	Chicago Transit Authority	It had been thoroughly gutted and restoration back to original condition would've been too expensive; scrapped so parts could be salvaged to keep better units running	1985	Work train unit, scrapped so parts could be salvaged to keep better units running, vestibule at one end had been removed
Kansas City Public Service Company. 767		Kansas City Public Service Company. San Francisco Municipal Railway	Poor condition, museum acquired a better example of of a PCC later	1987

Interurban and Rapid Transit cars that were not preserved but survived and were later scrapped:[]

Unit	Model	Build date	Manufacturer	Operator(s)	Cause of scrapping	Scrapped	What it was converted into/became part of
Chicago Transit Authority S-370	Standard 4000			Chicago Transit Authority	Remodel	2007	Was part of a McDonald's in Crystal Lake, IL
Manhatten Elevated Railway #36		1885	Pullman	Manhatten Elevated Railway	Diner closed	1980	Converted into a diner
Manhatten Elevated Railway #572		1878	Pullman	Manhatten Elevated Railway	Diner closed	1970s	Converted into a diner