Bridgeport Traction Company

Bridgeport Traction Company
Overview
Headquarters	Bridgeport, Connecticut
Locale	Bridgeport, Connecticut
Dates of operation	1893–1972
Predecessor	Bridgeport Horse Railway Company; Bridgeport Railway Company; East End Railway Company
Successor	Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	600v DC

The Bridgeport Traction Company was a streetcar transit company in the area around Bridgeport, Connecticut. The company was incorporated in 1893 through the consolidation of the Bridgeport Horse Railroad Company, Bridgeport Railway Company, and the East End Railway Company. The East End Railway Company was established in 1895 as the Bridgeport and West Stratford Horse Railroad Company. The Bridgeport Horse Railroad Company was incorporated in 1864. The Bridgeport Railway Company was formed in 1893.^[1] At the time, streetcars were a more affordable form of transportation for those commuting between Bridgeport and Norwalk. Using streetcars to get to their destination was half the price of using the train.^[2] In 1899 president Andrew Radel formed a company that was intended to control the world's oyster trade.^[3]

In 1901, Bridgeport Traction Company was sold to the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company. From 1906 to 1936, its routes were controlled by the Connecticut Company, a subsidiary of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad which controlled many of the streetcar operators across the state. The leases on the former Connecticut Railway and Lighting Co. routes were voided in 1936 for nonpayment while the New Haven was in receivership.^[4] CR&L resumed operation under its own name, and streetcar lines in Bridgeport, Derby, and Waterbury were replaced with buses in 1937.^[5] Bus transit operations continued until 1972. The transit franchises were succeeded by the Greater Bridgeport Transportation Authority soon after.

References[edit]

^ Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners, the Tax Commissioner and the Bank Commissioner, Sitting as a Commission, Relative to the Assets and Liabilities of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, Feb. 15, 1911. Wright & Potter Printing Co. 1911. p. 339.
^ Western Connecticut Trolleys - Connecticut Motor Coach Museum. 2007-02-28. ISBN 9780738549699. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
^ "OYSTER TRUST IS FORMED. - Capital Over $5,000,000 - All the Grounds Supplying the Market Here Will Probably Change Hands. - Article - NYTimes.com". Select.nytimes.com. 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
^ Hartford Courant, Conn. Co. Will Quit Leased Lines Monday, November 14, 1936, p. 1
^ The New York Times, Buses for Bridgeport, February 10, 1937, p. 5