Manuscripts Collection
Twin City Rapid Transit Company (TCRT) operated the streetcar and local bus common carrier system in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area from the 1890s until 1970. For many years the TCRT corporate umbrella included four operating subsidiaries which functioned as a unified transportation system: Minneapolis Street Railway Company, the St. Paul City Railway Company, Minneapolis & St. Paul Suburban Railroad Company, and the Twin City Motor Bus Company. Other TCRT subsidiaries included the Minnetonka and White Bear Navigation Company, Rapid Transit Real Estate Corporation, and the Transit Supply Company. The Minneapolis Street Railway Company (MSR) and the St. Paul City Railway Company (SPCR) began continuous service in the 1870s as horsecar carriers. In 1886 the two properties began to operate under a single group of owners when Minneapolis businessman Thomas Lowry and his associates gained control of both. Electrification of the horsecar lines began in Minneapolis in 1889 and in St. Paul in 1890.
The Twin City Rapid Transit Company (a New Jersey corporation) was incorporated in 1891 as a holding company, with the MSR and the SPCR as wholly-owned operating subsidiaries. The TCRT was succeeded in 1939 by a new Minnesota corporation of the same name. A management change in 1949 brought New York financier Charles Green to the presidency of the Twin City Rapid Transit Company. Green and his associates decided to abandon the streetcar lines and convert to buses as quickly as possible, apparently in order to maximize their short-term profit. The company's entire streetcar fleet was scrapped and replaced by buses in an aggressive conversion plan completed in 1954 under TCRT president Fred A. Ossanna, a former associate of Green's who managed to oust him in 1951. Ossanna and four of his associates were convicted in 1960 of defrauding the TCRT of company assets, including scrap metal and real estate, during the conversion. Twin City Rapid Transit Company changed its name in 1962 to Minnesota Enterprises Incorporated, and in 1970 this firm became MEI Corporation. MEI left the transit business in 1970 with the takeover of its Twin City Lines subsidiary by the Twin Cities Area Metropolitan Transit Commission, an agency created by the Minnesota Legislature and charged with maintaining and improving public mass transit in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
The collection consists of records of the Twin City Rapid Transit Company and its subsidiaries and their predecessors. A small amount of material (mainly annual reports) relates to successor companies Minnesota Enterprises Incorporated and MEI Corporation. Most of the records document the affairs of three operating subsidiaries: Minneapolis Street Railway Company, the St. Paul City Railway Company, and the Minneapolis & St. Paul Suburban Railroad Company.
Most of the material is of a financial nature, including valuation records and comptroller's files. There are also stock certificate books, annual reports, employment records, right-of-way and trackage maps, some real estate records, mechanical and architectural drawings, and assorted subject files. The collection includes minute books for related and subsidiary companies, while the only minute books for the TCRT itself date from 1954 to 1959 and are in the form of shorthand notes in 6 spiral-bound stenographer's notebooks.
Valuation records consist primarily of bound valuation reports (1920s), subsequent valuation record additions (1925-1961) (also bound), and a set of paper files. Comptroller's files include information about bus purchases, PCC streetcars, municipal ordinances and resolutions affecting the operating subsidiaries, the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Company, taxes, and fare increases. Comptroller's files also include annual reports to government agencies, retirement plan-pension trust records, copies of the Minneapolis Horse Railroad Company's articles of incorporation, and documents related to TCRT's planned 1944 trust bond offering.
Employment records include Employee Appointment Cards, which give the employee's name and address, badge number, date employed, last date in service, and other information. An extensive set of mechanical and architectural drawings depict TCRT streetcars, company-owned boats that once plied the waters of Lake Minnetonka, car stations, shops, and other TCRT facilities.
There is information about TCRT operations; payrolls; the construction and maintenance of streetcar lines; bus purchases; and the company's scrapping and burning of its streetcars in the 1950s.
Some records relate to other companies that apparently had some connection to the TCRT or to its officers, including the Duluth-Superior Traction Company and the Minneapolis Anoka and Cuyuna Range Railway Company. Miscellaneous Records include a file of historical information about the TCRT, some Duluth-Superior Traction Company annual reports, and a folder of news clippings relating to the streetcar-to-bus conversion scandal.
Most of the collection came to the Minnesota Historical Society in 1993 from the Minnesota Transportation Museum, one of whose members (Russell L. Olson) once worked for TCRT. Olson apparently had possession of and worked with the materials constituting the large 1993 accession (14,978) while writing a book. Other pieces of the collection as presently constituted include a small, previously-cataloged manuscript collection (formerly P652) and materials brought together from State Archives record series and from other sources.
These documents are organized into the following sections:
Additional information about the Twin City Rapid Transit Company can be found in
other Minnesota Historical Society collections. A nearly complete set of annual
reports is found in the MHS serials collection. Some collective labor agreements,
rule books, time tables, promotional literature, and other printed items are also
located in the book collection, as is a 1951 article from
Some original TCRT documents are found in the Russell L. Olson Papers in the MHS manuscript collections, and in several series of Metropolitan Transit Commission records in the Minnesota State Archives.
There are no photographs in this collection. Several hundred photographic negatives were received from the Minnesota Transportation Museum and were subsequently transferred to the MHS sound and visual collections. A 1953 audio recording of what is said to be the Twin Cities' last TCRT-operated trolley streetcar is also in the MHS sound and visual collections.
Due to the presence of Social Security data, access to the employee appointment cards is restricted. Please consult the reference staff for more information.
Cards containing Social Security numbers are open for access upon proof of death.
Accession number: 10,883; 14,784; 14,978; 14,979; 14,980; 15,932; 16,471; 985-31; 985-193
Processed by: David B. Peterson, December 1994; additions by David B. Peterson, January 2003
Catalog ID number: 09-00040240
Companies represented in the volume include Twin City Rapid Transit Company; Minneapolis Street Railway Company; St. Paul Street Railway Company; Minneapolis & St. Paul Suburban Railroad Company; Minneapolis & St. Paul Suburban Railway Company; Minneapolis, Lyndale & Minnetonka Railway Company; Transit Supply Company; Minnetonka & White Bear Navigation Company; and Rapid Transit Real Estate Corporation.
Note: Reports are for TCRT through 1961; Minnesota Enterprises, 1962-1968; MEI Corporation, 1969.
Includes: Minneapolis Street Railway Company (p. 1-91), St. Paul City Railway Company (p. 217-277), and Minneapolis and St. Paul Suburban Railway Company (p. 327-365).
Note to researchers: Volume was severely water damaged; covers and blank pages were removed and discarded.
Gives amount of compensation to TCRT officers and directors from various accounts: TCRT, Minneapolis Street Railway Co., St. Paul City Railway Co., Minneapolis & St. Paul Suburban Railroad Co., and Twin City Motor Bus Co.
Begins as Lyndale Railway Company.
"Original Minute Book."
Mostly blank; contains capital stock shares 501-1000.
Early minutes are from the St. Paul Street Railway Company, predecessor of the St. Paul City Railway Company.
M claim numbers; include St. Paul City Ry. Co. claims [E claim numbers], Jan. 10, 1957-Dec. 22, 1960, beginning on page 30.
Mainly comptroller but probably not exclusive to that office. Some documents say "executive office."
Includes bus roster and license record as of Feb. 1, 1957; also includes cars and trucks; Minneapolis and St. Paul companies.
Includes correspondence, purchase orders, invoices, contracts, and agreements.
President's Conference Committee streetcars--streamlined, single-end cars, which grew out of experiments in the 1930s sponsored by a group of street railway company presidents; arrived on TCRT system in 1946-1947.
Sargent & Lundy.
General Electric.
Forms R-2 and R-3.
Babcock & Wilcox.
General Electric.
Vol. 1: Documents 7-54. Relates to TCRT's planned offering of $7,000,000 in 4% collateral trust bonds due Oct. 1, 1964; contains historical and background information about TCRT and its subsidiaries.
Copies of pleadings, including briefs, hearing transcripts, and other legal papers. Includes documents marked 9-8 (3) E, 9-9 (3) B, 508-9 [a valuation file number], and "executive office."
Copies of valuation findings, fare orders, and other legal papers. Includes documents marked 298 [a comptroller's file number?], 9.8, 9.9, and "executive office."
Includes documents marked 127 [comptroller's file] and 925 [president's file].
Documents marked 127 [comptroller's file].
Includes financial statements, reports, and correspondence.
Contains historical and background information about TCRT and its subsidiaries.
Report to Minneapolis City Council on analysis and review of value of the properties of the Minneapolis Street Railway Company by consulting engineer Charles L. Pillsbury.
Includes examination reports, summaries and reviews, spreadsheets, and other financial reports and information.
Documents purchases of tools, expenditures for labor and materials in connection with track construction and reconstruction, repairs to and refurbishment/reconstruction of streetcars, and transactions involving power plants, buildings and fixtures, real estate, etc.
Begin Transit Supply Company.
Documents work done along certain streets and intersections, track construction and reconstruction, expenses at TCRT buildings and shops, purchase of tools and equipment, repairs to and maintenance of streetcars, ferryboat and steamer expenses, purchases of and modifications and repairs to buses (1927), real estate expenses, etc.
Includes ferry/steamboats and Duluth-Superior Traction Company.
Transit Supply Company.
Includes Minneapolis Street Railway Company, 1880-1923; St. Paul City Railway Company, 1882-1924; Minneapolis & St. Paul Suburban Railway Company, 1881-1924.
Includes Minneapolis & St. Paul Suburban Railway Company, 1906-1927; Minnetonka and White Bear Navigation Company, 1910-1913; Twin City Motor Bus Company, 1921-1927; Rapid Transit Real Estate Corporation, 1912-1923.
The volumes apparently pertain only to motormen, conductors, and bus drivers. They include individual's name, appointment number, date, [home] station, position, and badge number.
Apparently pertain only to motormen, conductors, and bus drivers. They seem to be a record of discharges, resignations, retirements, transfers, leaves of absence granted, layoffs, vacation granted, sick leaves, etc.; organized numerically by badge number[?].
Pertains to women operators and conductors, and gives individual's name, appointment date, appointment number, badge number, and final disposition.
Arranged by employee surname, this series contains 4x6 inch index cards that provide basic information on streetcar motormen and conductors. Their format and information varies across time but most give employee's name and address, badge number, appointment number, date employed, date training was completed (D.F.), last date in service, reason for leaving, and station foreman's comments. Some also give employee's date of birth, whether married or single, etc.
It was an all-male work force until 1943, when almost 500 women were hired to run streetcars. Most worked only a year or two, but a few remained for many years, the last retiring in 1980.
Employees were assigned new badge numbers when they switched from motorman to conductor, or when they moved from one station to another. For this reason, multiple badge numbers may appear on an employee’s appointment card, or there may be multiple cards for the same employee. Often these cards are filed together. It was not uncommon for employees to be hired, then leave service, only to be rehired multiple times. When this happened, each hiring generated a new card.
The employee's badge number contains useful information. Motormen were assigned odd numbers, conductors were assigned even numbers. Streetcar company employees worked at one of several streetcar stations and particular series of badge numbers were assigned to each station.
As of 1940, the following series were assigned:
1-599 (men): East Side Station, 1st Avenue NE and University Avenue, Minneapolis
600-1099 (men): Nicollet Station, 31st Street and Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis
1200-1699 (men): North Side Station, 24th Avenue N. and Washington Avenue, Minneapolis
1700-2499 (men): Lake Street, East Lake Street and 23rd Avenue S., Minneapolis
2500-3199 (men): Snelling Station, Snelling Avenue and University Avenue, St. Paul
3200-3699 (men): Duluth Avenue Station, Duluth Avenue and E. 7th Street, St. Paul
3700-3899 (women): East Side Station, 1st Avenue NE and University Avenue, Minneapolis
3900-4099 (women): Nicollet Station, 31st Street and Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis
14100-4299 (women): North Side Station, 24th Avenue N. and Washington Avenue, Minneapolis
4300-4399 (women): Lake Street, East Lake Street and 23rd Avenue S., Minneapolis
4400-4599 (women): Snelling Station, Snelling Avenue and University Avenue, St. Paul
4600-4799 (women): Duluth Avenue Station, Duluth Avenue and E. 7th Street, St. Paul
Following the war, the North Side Station began using the 1100 series in 1946. In 1947, motormen at Nicollet Station used the 5200 series and motormen at North Side Station used the 5300 series.
In 1948, conductors were assigned even numbers in these series:
East Side: 3200-3299
Nicollet: 3300-3399
North Side: 3400-3499
Lake Street: 3500-
Snelling: Uncertain
All use of streetcar conductors ended on June 18, 1954, with the final abandonment of the streetcars. All motormen and conductors remaining on the payroll were retrained as bus drivers and the conversion from streetcars to buses reduced the six streetcar stations to three bus garages. In 1952 the Duluth Avenue Station closed. In 1952-1954 the Snelling Station converted to bus. In 1953 the Lake Street Station closed and the North Side and Nicollet stations were converted to bus. In 1954 the East Side Station closed.
In 1970, the Metropolitan Transit Commission purchased Twin City Rapid Transit. The three surviving bus garages were supplemented in 1975 by the new Shingle Creek Garage on Shingle Creek Parkway in Brooklyn Center. In 1984, North Side Garage was replaced by Fred T. Heywood Garage, located at 6th Avenue N. and 7th Street.
Under government ownership, employee numbers were no longer changed whenever the employee switched work location. Eventually, the tradition of using distinct number series for each work location ended.
Appointment card for Margaret Taylor, Badge Number 4041
Appointment card for Jacob Tessler, Badge Number 494
Deephaven Jct. to Deephaven. Volume says: "Leased from C.M. & St. P. Ry. Co."
"Excelsior Park, etc."
These are two connected maps.
Sheet no. 668.
"Comprising Parts of S15-T28N-R24W"; North side of Minnehaha Creek from Lyndale Avenue to Third Ave. So.; modern photocopy.
105-6019. Station 487+52.9 to 569+53.9.
Plat map.
Plat map showing path to Wildwood Station; American Cities Company, St. Paul.
Vicinity of Concord Street/Grand and Marie avenues/Stockyards Exchange Building.
"University of Minnesota Location and Right of Way Map of University Trolley Line from University Farm to Belt Line Railway & Como Harriet Electric Line.
Mechanical Department map/drawing #17D6474.
Includes a mass-produced artist's rendition of the Snelling Avenue Garage (1907-2001) and its replacement, the East Metro Transit Facility (bus garage). This poster was made available to the public at the time of the inauguration of the new facility in 2001.
Item list prepared by Russell L. Olson of the Minnesota Transportation Museum. Detailed list giving series numbers, drawing numbers, sizes, dates, and physical type (drafting vellum, white print, blue print, drafting paper) of drawings listed below. Olson's list (rearranged somewhat by the cataloger) is in a ring binder and is intended to be used in conjunction with this series list.
See Box 38 for "E" size drawings.
SEE: box 39 for "E" size drawings.
SEE: box 40 for "E" size drawings.
SEE: box 41 for "E" size drawings.
Hopkins viaducts and Selby tunnel. One is marked "Doc. File 279-J," a Comptroller's office file number[?].
The reports give daily totals of cars, motormen, and conductors/buses and drivers by stations and lines.
"Trainmen's & Bus Drivers' Guide."
An index to location of all property included by A. L. Drum in his set-up of the original cost and commission's valuation for the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Suburban properties. Apparently indexes Valuation Record additions for 1925-1949.
Bion J. Arnold, consulting engineer, Chicago.
Continued by "Valuation Record Additions: TCRTCo. and Subsidiary Companies," 1955-1961. SEE: box 52.
Includes Minnetonka and White Bear Navigation Co., Twin City Motor Bus Co., and Rapid Transit Real Estate Corp. [1954 only]. See Box 52 for continuation.
Pertains to Drum & Co. 1922 valuation.
A. L. Drum & Company.
Gives history of establishment and growth of the system.
SEE: Box 52 for continuation.
List of numerically-coded files, some of which follow.
"Land Value - Summaries and Plats of Mpls. St. Ry. Co. and St. Paul City Ry. Co. and Description of Lands as of 5/1/15."
A more complete set is in the MHS serials collection.
Book of 8-1/2"x14" blueprint drawings documenting installation, replacement, and removal of switches, frogs, crossings, streetcar rails, and similar projects, especially in city streets and intersections. Cross-referenced to "C" and "E" files, which MHS did not have as of December 1994.
Includes information about TCRT-owned steamboat "Minnehaha." SEE ALSO: TCRT Financing Documents in box 13, Trust Bond Prospectus in Box 14, and certain Valuation Department files for additional historical and background information.
Sketches and specifications for passenger cars and other equipment used by the TCRT. 4"x8" and 4-1/2"x8-1/2" drawings.
J. M. Tambornino, Electric Shop.
Formerly cataloged separately as P652.
H. P. Jacobson.
File #1894.
Twin City Lines, Inc., organization tables with narrative about various departments' functions.
Prepared for president Charles Green by private management firm of Booz, Allen & Hamilton. It concerns the preliminary cost reductions survey and recommendations on administrative organization structure and personnel.
Photocopies of items from MHS Reference Department Vertical File.
Much of this has to do with TCRT's burning of its streetcars as they were phased out and replaced by buses.
Cars 2002-2003.
Includes a 3" x 4 1/2" card [1886] advertising the St. Louis Short Lines
which ran between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Also Includes a visitor's
brochure (1917) entitled