Book

Author:	Al Rose
Title:	Modesto And Empire Traction
Subtitle:	45 Years Of Service
Publisher:	Western Railroader
Country:	USA
Date:	1997
Format:	Paperback
Genre:	Transport, History, Photography
First Published:	1956
Rating:	Rate
Collection:	I Own It I Want It
Community:	1 Owns
Price Guide:	Valuation Page
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Uploaded By: WPLives
Edited By: scrough
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WPLives 24th Sep 2021		Actually, a booklet, not a magazine. However, "Western Railroader" had the habit of publishing their issues with a volume number and issue number that would look like a magazine. Pretty much all of the Western Railroaders are booklets rather than magazines.



Charlie Chalk 13th Aug 2021		Is this a magazine?



WPLives 23rd Jul 2021		The History of Beard The Beard family story in the railroad town of Modesto began long before the “Comedy Car” first pulled from Modesto and Empire Traction Company depot at the 11th and “F” Street station on its first run – more than one hundred years ago! This epoch starts within ten years of the great California gold rush. Elihu Beard, a farmer in the dry hills near Waterford, CA, fought a generation-long battle for irrigation as the 19th century ended. At the beginning of the 20th century Elihu’s son, Thomas Kennan Beard (T.K.), constructed dams and canals feeding new valley farms. Irrigated fields led to an abundance of produce and the need for transportation for both farm goods and the flood of new families moving to the area – before the age of highways and automobiles. M&ET History In 1909, the city of Modesto was served only by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Santa Fe Railway paralleled the Southern Pacific through the San Joaquin Valley, but the closest it came to Modesto was at Empire, 5 miles to the east. The residents of Modesto desired competitive rail service; therefore, on March 23, 1909, Modesto Interurban Railway was organized to construct the same 5 miles of main line that connects Modesto and Empire today. For a brief period in 1911, the Tidewater Southern Railway operated a motor passenger car over the Modesto Interurban Railway, but regular service by the Tidewater Southern was never established. It was on October 7, 1911, that Modesto and Empire Traction Company was incorporated to become the operating company for the Modesto Interurban Railway. On November 1, 1911, scheduled passenger service between Modesto and Empire began. Initially, passenger service was the backbone of M&ET's business; however, freight business became increasingly important, and in 1917 passenger service was discontinued. By 1922, rail interchanges had been connected with the Southern Pacific and the Tidewater Southern, in addition to the interchange with Santa Fe. An industrial zone was formed, and M&ET's freight business grew with the development of the food processing and agricultural industry in Modesto.



WPLives 10th Jun 2021		Modesto and Empire Traction Company is a short-line railroad situated in a 2,000-acre industrial park known as the Beard Industrial District in Modesto, California. While our main line may be only 5 miles long, we operate and maintain an additional 48.7 miles of track within the Beard Industrial District. Modesto and Empire Traction Company serves numerous customers in the District and can provide rail shipping to all of the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico through daily interchanges with both BNSF Railway (BNSF) and Union Pacific (UP). We remain family owned and have been since Modesto and Empire Traction Company began operating in 1911. While initially intending to operate as a passenger service, for over 80 years now, Modesto and Empire Traction Company has succeeded in satisfying local industry's rail freight and transload needs. It is our intent to continue doing so .... as Modern and Efficient Transportation .... thanks to our terrific customer base.

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Francis Guido - Oakland, Antioch And Eastern Ry. - Western Railroader - Paperback - USA (1971)

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