Cable Cars of the Minneapolis and St. Paul Street Railway Companies

Before Minneapolis and St. Paul upgraded their street railway systems from plodding horse cars to modern electric trolleys, both cities flirted with the use of cable cars. Costly to build, only two lines operated in St. Paul before both cities converted to electric streetcar systems.

Electrification of the street railways in St Paul and Minneapolis came hard upon the heels of the horse car system. The steam-powered cable car was developed in San Francisco in 1873 and was adopted by several larger cities around the country by the mid-1880s. Cable cars could carry more passengers, and could travel up to ten miles per hour—four miles per hour faster than the old horse cars.

The cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis were looking for ways to improve the efficiency of their public transportation systems. Like San Francisco, the hills of St. Paul posed a serious obstacle to the expansion of the horse car system and service. Both city councils showed interest in the use of cable cars, although the Minneapolis council was skeptical about the efficiency of both cable and electric systems.

Thomas Lowry, who had taken control of the Minneapolis and St. Paul street railway systems in 1886, was not yet convinced that either cable or electric systems would be an improvement. In 1887, ten representatives from both city councils made a tour of streetcar lines in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Richmond. Their mission was to judge whether cable or electric cars would be the best system for the Twin Cities.

St. Paul was the first to have cable line construction mandated by its city council. The initial line ran from St. Albans to Broadway via Selby Avenue, Third Street, and Fourth Street. A car barn and steam powerhouse were located at Selby Avenue and Dale Street. The line opened for passenger service on January 16, 1888 with a total of twelve cars.

A tragic mishap occurred during the first days of operation, when a grip failed while a car was coming down a hill. The car jumped the tracks, killing one person and injuring several others. Undeterred, a second cable line opened along East Seventh Street, running from Wabasha Street to Duluth Avenue, in January 1889. The cost of both lines came to more than $1.5 million (approximately $39 million in 2014), and was paid for by bonds issued in 1887. The bond debt was not retired until 1947, long after the cable cars were gone.

The Minneapolis City Council was still debating between cable and electric streetcars as the best option. In the summer of 1889, the council ordered the Minneapolis Street Railway Company to install six cable car lines. The company purchased materials at great expense, including the necessary steam engines. But the lines were never built. Shortly after approving the order for cable lines, the council passed a resolution to convert Fourth Avenue's horsecar line into an experimental electric line. The line, built by the Thomson-Houston Electric Company, debuted on December 24, 1889. Its success convinced the city council that electric cars would be a better choice. Plans for the cable lines were scrapped. The Minneapolis Street Railway, under Lowry's direction, turned its attention to building an electric railway. By 1892, all Minneapolis lines had been converted.

St. Paul's cable car lines were not in service long before they too were converted to electricity. The East Seventh Street line was electrified in 1893, and the Selby Avenue line in 1898.

The conversion to the new system for both cities meant a complete overhaul, including new tracks and new cars. The total cost came to $6 million.