The Modesto and Empire Traction Company (reporting markMET) is a Class III short-line railroad operating in California's San Joaquin Valley. It is owned by the Beard Land & Investment Company; the Beard family has always owned the railroad. The Beards also created the Beard Industrial Park where the MET's customers are located. The railroad was unique in that it had operated for nearly 50 years exclusively with GE 70-ton switchers built between 1947 and 1955; however, a former Southern PacificEMD SW1500switcher was added to the roster as of late.[when?] The MET operates on 5 miles (8 km) of mainline track, as well as an additional 48.7 miles (78.4 km) of yard and industry track, providing switching services in the Beard Industrial Park. The MET interchanges with the Union Pacific (ex-Southern Pacific) at Modesto and with the BNSF RailwayStockton Subdivision (ex-Santa Fe) at Empire.
Traffic
The MET handles 24,000 cars per year (1996 estimate).[1]
The MET was incorporated on October 7, 1911,[3][1] by T. K. Beard. On November 1, 1911, it leased the electrified Modesto Interurban Railway (MIR); passenger services started that day.[4][5] Traction was initially provided by gasoline-powered locomotives.[4] Passenger services were the primary revenues for the railroad, though only lasted lasted until 1917,[1] whereupon the company transitioned to freight only. The MET eliminated their electrification system and converted to diesel locomotives in March 1952.[3] (Hilton and Due claim that the railway was never electrified.[6])
Modesto Interurban Railway
The Modesto Interurban Railway was incorporated on March 23, 1909, with plans to build 9.5 miles (15.3 km) of track from Modesto along McHenry Avenue and then directly to Riverbank. The railway was envisioned because only the Southern Pacific served Modesto; the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway bypassed Modesto by 5 miles (8 km) to the east at Empire. The Modesto Interurban Railway linked the Santa Fe with Modesto. On April 12, 1909, the grading commenced. Just days before the Modesto & Empire Traction began taking over the railroad, the Modesto Interurban Railway completed construction and operated its first train. By November 1, 1911, the Modesto & Empire Traction was leasing the railway.[citation needed] The MIR ceased to exist as a legal entity in 1993 and its assets were merged into the MET.[1]
Stindt, Fred A. (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide (5th ed.). Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN0-89024-290-9.
Further reading
Fickewirth, Alvin A. (1992). California railroads: an encyclopedia of cable car, common carrier, horsecar, industrial, interurban, logging, monorail, motor road, shortlines, streetcar, switching and terminal railroads in California (1851-1992). San Marino, California: Golden West Books. ISBN0-87095-106-8.
Walker, Mike (1997). Steam Powered Video's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America: California and Nevada (Post-Merger ed.). Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom: Steam Powered Publishing. ISBN1-874745-08-0.
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