The Edwardsville Belt Railway

The Edwardsville Belt Railway. Monarch Valley Trail. Take a moment and look at the trail. Imagine a massive green steam engine with yellow stripes barreling toward you, blaring its whistle as it approaches. Or picture a much smaller electric "interurban" streetcar, maybe blue, or perhaps yellow, attached to an overhead cable, making a clickety-clacking sound, carrying a train full of passengers to their destination., Like most of the MCT Trails, the MCT Monarch Valley Trail has been constructed on a former railroad corridor. From 1911 to 1956, this trail served as the path of the Illinois Traction System's (I.T.S.) "Edwardsville Belt Railway.", Organized in the early 1900s, the I.T.S. ran electric trains (both passenger and freight) from St. Louis to Springfield with branch routes to Danville and Peoria. The I.T.S. entered Madison County from the north through Worden and Hamel and then made its way into Edwardsville, Granite City, Madison, and Venice before crossing the river into St. Louis. , In early 20th century Edwardsville, I.T.S. electric streetcar lines ran down the middle of Downtown streets, including Hillsboro, Main, Benton, and present-day Grandview Drive and then traveled southwest to Granite City, on what is now the MCT Nature Trail. , When the City of Edwardsville and other municipalities passed ordinances that limited railroads from carrying freight traffic on the streetcar lines, the I.T.S. decided to bypass the city and build a new "belt line" around Edwardsville. In 1909, the "Edwardsville Belt Railway" was incorporated, and construction was begun on 2.9-miles of trackage, east of the city limits to present-day MCT Edwardsville Junction (west of Plum Street) where it re-connected with the original line., On August 25, 1911, the "belt line" opened for service. From 1911 to 1937, this path carried only freight. But when the Great Depression took its toll on freight traffic, the company re-organized as the Illinois Terminal Railroad, and focused on passenger service. As a result, a handsome brick station was constructed on Troy Road near First Avenue. The new Illinois Terminal Station opened on December 19, 1937. The station and this alignment stayed busy with passengers for nearly two decades, bringing residents to and from Granite City, St. Louis, and communities to the north., The last passenger train on the Edwardsville Belt Railway operated on March 3, 1956.