As the Nineteenth century came to a close, the electric trolley and interurban had become an important transportation component of local travel, to work, shop and to play -- and an occasional weekend a trip to the amusement park. These thrill-ride, carnival-attraction family-fun sites were in their heyday, and they dotted the American landscape in urban areas and rural country-sides. It is not surprising that many amusement park owners were only too happy to see a local interurban / trolley company lay tracks adjacent to their recreation venue. In a few instances, the transportation entity was also one of the amusement park's financial-backers. These entrepreneurs recognized that an amusement park was an excellent means of building ridership. However, that formula did not always translate into success nor longevity.

Let's look at western New York as an example. The most notable interurban railway / entrepreneur of the region was the Jamestown & Eastern which built Midway Park in 1898. Renamed the Jamestown Westfield & Northwestern, the 32-mile electric railway served communities adjacent to Lake Erie, southwest of Buffalo. Further east, there was another independent interurban railway that also provided clean, fast and frequent service. It was the Rochester, Lockport & Buffalo serving its namesake and communities along Lake Ontario and south; the RL&B also had a line that went to the Sea Breeze amusement park which opened in 1906. Another prominent railway property serving the region and notable family-oriented attractions (including Niagara Falls) was the International Railway. Additionally, any discussion of electrified railways in the region would be incomplete without references to the New York State Railways, as well as Buffalo & Erie, which was the lynch-pin between western New York and the interurban networks of Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Maintaining a solid revenue base of passenger and/or freight traffic was far from a simple task. The automobile and its growning sales was significantly impacting nearly every aspect of society and economy. The four western New York electric traction companies also faced other threats: (1) Stiff competition from New York Central (at some locations their tracks ran adjacent) (2) A growing network of newly paved roads, and (3) Multiple bankruptcies. The Depression, which began in late 1929, led to the demise of many interurban properties across the country. The RL&B, which paralleled the Erie Canal for several miles, was the first to succumb. The B&E followed two years later in 1933, with the International Railway lasting until the mid-1930s. In contrast, the JW&NW limped along until 1950.

As for the Sea Breeze and Midway State amusement parks, they continue to draw large crowds evem today.