Niles Car & Manufacturing Company Electric Railway Interurban Combine No. 21
Also known as: Ohio Public Service Combine No. 21
Why it's listed
Combine No. 21 is a wooden electric interurban car built in 1905 by the Niles Car & Manufacturing Company for the Toledo, Port Clinton and Lakeside Railway. It measures about 50 feet 6 inches long and carries a baggage compartment, a smoking section and a non-smoking section, finished inside in quarter-sawn oak. Features include arched windows with leaded glass, a full-length clerestory roof and curved car ends. The line later passed to the Northwestern Ohio Railway and Power Company and then to the Ohio Public Service Company, which ran service until 1945. The car was saved from scrapping that year and became one of the first electric railway cars preserved for museum use, in 1946. Railway historians Hilton and Due called it the best surviving example of wooden interurban car design in the United States. It now operates occasionally on a short stretch of former interurban right-of-way at a museum in Worthington.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the car represents the heyday of Ohio's electric interurban era and is a prime example of Niles wooden car design, cited by railway authorities as the best surviving example of wooden interurban car design in the United States. It is also noted as one of the first electric railway cars preserved and restored for museum use, in 1946.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87000762, listed June 19, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 990 Proprietor's Rd., Worthington |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | June 19, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000762 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1900-1999 (form checks 1900-; specific date 1905) |
| Architect / builder | Niles Car & Manufacturing Company |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Mechanically operational and structurally sound but in need of exterior body work and painting; kept in the museum's car barn and run occasionally on a half-mile of track. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.09018, -83.00196 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87000762.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.