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  • Niles Car & Mfg. Cars built for Chautauqua Traction?

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Moderator: Nicolai3985

 #841562  by lab8
 
I'm researching the Niles Car and Manufacturing Co. of Niles, OH and know from my research that Niles made some cars for the Chautauqua Traction. Can you identify their car numbers? Thanks.

Larry Brough
 #841598  by Aa3rt
 
From Jamestown and Chautauqua Lake Trolleys, published by the Fenton Historical Society in Jamestown, NY in 1974. (Reprinted in 1987.)

A roster in the back of the book shows the following cars built by Niles and used by Chautauqua Traction:

#110, Large baggage car, Niles Car Company, 1906.

#115-#118 15 window interurban, RR roof, smokers, built by Niles, 1906.

#200-#203 15 bench open interurban open cars from Niles, 1906. Two motor cars with the two motors on one truck.

Roster shots of Chautauqua Traction here:

http://jamestowntrolley.org/trolley/ct/ctcars.html

BTW-The book "Jamestown and Chautauqua lake Trolleys" as well as a follow up volume titled "Trolleys of Jamestown and Chautauqua Lake-A New Look" by Helen G. Ebersole (Printed in 1998.) are all out of print. I stopped in at the Fenton Historical Society last (2009) fall and was told that they were long out of print but that the historical society was contemplating reprinting the trolley book, along with two other booklets that had been published by the society, one on Chautauqua Lake steamboats, the other on the many hotels that once ringed the lake and combining them into one publication. A check of the society's website doesn't show that the book(s) have been reprinted yet.

Personal aside-My mother grew up in Jamestown and told me that as a young girl she always wanted to sit on the end of the bench on one of the open interurban cars. Her father (My grandfather) thought she was too young to sit that close. By the time she was old enough, Chautauqua Traction had ceased operations. She finally had an opportunity to sit on the end of the bench of an open trolley during a visit to Lowell, Massachusetts a number of years ago on the Lowell Park trolley.