Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (Mss. Gr. 234)

Series 1. Union Railroad
The Union Railroad was the first horsecar company in Rhode Island. Amasa and William Sprague merged several already operating horsecar systems into the Union Railroad in 1865. Eventually, technology replaced the horses, and the electric trolley was introduced in 1893. This series contains ordinances, petitions, photographs, and other original documents from the Union Railroad.

Series 2. Rhode Island Company
The Union Railroad became the Rhode Island Company in 1902. By this time, all horsecars had been replaced with electric trolleys and the system was operating across many parts of Rhode Island. This series contains documents such as annual reports, repair s and updates correspondence, and photographs.

Series 3. United Electric Railways Company
The United Electric Railways Company lasted from 1921-1951. By this time, trolleys were operated by a single person who drove and collected fare, and passenger rates had declined. Buses began replacing trolleys by 1922 and by 1948 trolleys had disappeared from the streets of Rhode Island. This series contains news clippings, photographs, engineering and repairs correspondence, equipment documents, and a variety of reports.

Series 4. United Transit Company
The United Transit Company replaced the United Electric Railways Company in 1951. By this time, all trolleys had been replaced by buses. While these buses were considered "trackless trolleys" these too were soon replaced by electric buses. This series contains photographs, news clippings, and employee passes, many of which were collected by former employee Richard Wonson.

Series 5. Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority was created in 1964 and began service in 1966. For the first time in the state's long history of transportation, the transportation system became publically owned. RIPTA still operates the public transportation system in Rhode Island. This series contains photographs, news clippings, and an assortment of other documents.

Series 6. Oversize and Ephemera
This series contains all oversize photos, newspapers, and posters from the RIPTA manuscript collection. It also contains some of the oversize images and news clippings from the Division 618 collection and Arthur Riani/Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen collection.