More Than an Ocean Apart

Abstract

U.S. cities were quick to accept and construct street railway (SR) networks in the late 19th century. In examining SR electrification, historians observed that while U.S. SRs were eager to embrace the new technology, their European counterparts were reluctant to electrify, causing a technological 'lag' in the development of the European systems during the latter half of the 19th century. This is attributed to Europe's stricter government oversight of railway leases and operations as compared with the U.S. However, despite this initial disadvantage, most European systems gradually caught up with U.S. systems by the early 20th century. By World War I, European SRs were offering service equal to or better than that of U.S. SRs. By examining the cities of Birmingham, England, and Cleveland, Ohio, from the 1880s to 1911, this paper argues that, rather than racing to catch up with U.S. developments, Birmingham's SRs actually benefited from more conservative, long-term policies emphasizing permanence, while Cleveland's SRs suffered from policies emphasizing the immediate future and ignoring considerations of the long term.