Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Corporation

Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Corporation

Transport Company trolleybus at IRM in 1968
Overview
Headquarters	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Reporting mark	M&TS
Locale	Wisconsin
Dates of operation	January 1, 1953–June 1, 1975
Predecessor	The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transport Co.
Successor	Milwaukee County Transit System
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	600 V DC

The Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Corporation, commonly known as the Transport Company, was a public transport company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

History

Milwaukee had been served by horse drawn trolleys since 1859, and had many small companies serving different parts of the city. On April 3, 1890, the first electric street car was put into operation ushering in a new paradigm in Milwaukee's public transportation. The North American Company, a holding company controlled by Henry Villard, bought and consolidated all of the small tram companies into The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co. on February 1, 1896. Under this new management an extensive streetcar and interurban system was created serving most of south eastern Wisconsin. Along with providing public transportation it was providing public utilities. TMER&L began to slowly convert its streetcar operations to trackless trolleys in the 1930s after labor strikes, federal pressure to break up the company, and the Great Depression made management feel there was no future in streetcar operations. In 1938, TMER&L was split into two companies The Wisconsin Electric Power Co. and The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Transport Co. because of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, which made out of state holding companies operating public utilities illegal. During World War II the "Transport Company" began selling its interurban lines and assets to small companies that would convert the service to bus and sell of the rail equipment for scrap at a profit. In 1947 WEP co. began to sell the transportation subsidiary but the deal had been unable to go through.

In October 1952 investors bought TMER&T for $10,000,000 ($97,281,886 in 2020) and began operating as the Milwaukee & Suburban Transport Corp. on January 1, 1953. The new management began replacing streetcars with gas and diesel buses at an even faster pace than previous efforts. The "Transport Company" also did not continue the expansion of electric buses after 1955. On March 2, 1958 the last streetcar took its passengers from downtown Milwaukee to the suburbs of Wauwatosa and West Allis, ending 99 years of trolleys in the city. In 1964, with the completion of the new interstate freeway system the M&TS introduced the "Freeway Flyer" from Mayfair Shopping Center to downtown, a service that proved to be very popular and continues today. Finally on June 20, 1965 the last trackless trolley ran in Milwaukee ending the last remnant of a once large electric empire. The "Transit Company" was one of the last private mass transit systems in the county that was not subsidized by a government entity when it was bought by the County of Milwaukee on July 1, 1975.

Equipment

Bus roster

Fleet Number(s)	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model	Engine	Transmission	Notes
1195-1199		1945	GMC	TD-4007			Ex-Indianapolis Transit System 440, 439, 437-438 & 436: bought in 1959.
1320-1340		6-7/1953	GMC	TDH-5105
1341-1378		9-10/1954	GMC	TDH-5105
1379-1403		12/1955	GMC	TDH-5105
1404-1433		10/1956	GMC	TDH-5105
1434-1463		12/1957	GMC	TDH-5105
1464-1483		4/1959	GMC	TDH-5105			1483 has been preserved by David Buzek.
1484-1503		9/1960	GMC	TDH-5301
1504-1586		11-12/1962	GMC	TDH-5301			1578 has been preserved by David Buzek.
1601-1675		7/1963	GMC	TDH-5303
1701-1730		7-8/1964	GMC	TDH-5303
1751-1760		1960	GMC	TDH-5301			Ex-Triboro Coach Corporation 751–760; bought in 1965.
1761-1770		1960	GMC	TDH-5302			Ex-Triboro Coach Corporation 761–770; bought in 1965. 1761 and 1762 were sightseeing buses and featured scenic windows.
1801-1863		7-8/1965	GMC	TDH-5303
1901-1912		2/1966	GMC	TDH-5303			Refurbished by the Milwaukee County Transit System in 1982; retired in 2001.
1913-1960		8/1966	GMC	TDH-5303			Refurbished by the Milwaukee County Transit System in 1982; retired in 2001.
2001-2030		2-3/1967	GMC	TDH-5303			Refurbished by the Milwaukee County Transit System in 1982; retired in 2001. 2001 was converted into a exclusive bus for disability and elderly services

Trolley bus roster

Operation began (with The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company) on November 8, 1936 and ended on June 20, 1965. It is unknown what units were transferred from The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Transport Company.

Fleet Number(s)	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model	Motors	Notes
324-349		1947	Marmon-Herrington	TC44		12 units to Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos in 1967.
424-449		1948	Marmon-Herrington	TC44		15 units to Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos in 1967.
500-539		1946-47	Marmon-Herrington	TC44		Ex-Indianapolis Transit System 663–702; bought in 1957. 500-514 used for parts only. 515–539 to Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos in 1967.
540-549		1948	Marmon-Herrington	TC48		Ex-Indianapolis Transit System 703–712; bought in 1957. To Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos in 1964.
550-564		1948	Marmon-Herrington	TC48		Ex-Indianapolis Transit System 766–780; bought in 1957. Exx-Cincinnati Transit Company 1365–1379. To Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos in 1964.
565-589		1952	Marmon-Herrington	TC48		Ex-Indianapolis Transit System 741–765; bought in 1957. To Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos in 1964.

Preserved equipment

Streetcars

No.	Class	Built	Builder	Notes
846	800 series	1920	St. Louis Car Company	Preserved at the East Troy Electric Railway In Operating condition
861	800 Series	1920	St. Louis Car Company	Preserved at the Seashore Trolley Museum Inoperable condition
966	900 Series	1927	St. Louis Car Company	Stored at the Illinois Railway Museum Inoperable condition
972	900 Series	1927	St. Louis Car Company	Preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum Inoperable condition
978	900 series	1929	St. Louis Car Company	Stored at the East Troy Electric Railway Inoperable condition

Trackless trolleys

No.	Model	Built	Builder	Notes
269	1711	1941	St. Louis Car Company	Stored at the Illinois Railway Museum Inoperable condition
350	102-45CX	1948	Pullman	Stored at the Illinois Railway Museum Inoperable condition
441	TC44	1948	Marmon-Herrington	Preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum In operation

External links

• The Transport Company Web Station