The electric lines didn't have 99 year leases [[actually franchises, not leases) and in many cases, when the term was up, one on-line town would try to hold a gun to the interurbans head [[despite the interurban's financial problems) and precipitate bankruptcy and abandonment.
The highest total rate of return on investment for ALL of the interurban lines in the US never went over 3%. By the mid-twenties, it was about 1.5%. In 1930, it went negative.
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