Today in Wheeling History: November 18—John G. Inglis, PCC streetcar pioneer and 1930s electrical engineer for Wheeling’s Co-operative Transit Company, died (1990).
John Gordon Inglis was born in Atwood, Ontario, Canada, on September 8, 1899, and earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto in 1923. He entered the United States via Detroit that year and spent a decade at Westinghouse Electric in East Pittsburgh, where he contributed to the early development of the PCC streetcar—work that positioned him at the forefront of modern urban transit technology. In the early 1930s, Inglis moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, serving as the Electrical Engineer for the city’s Co-operative Transit Company, applying PCC innovations to local streetcar operations and power systems at a pivotal moment in Wheeling’s transit evolution. In 1936 he returned to Canada, joining the Toronto Transportation Commission’s Rolling Stock Department, rising through leadership until he became General Manager – Operations in 1959. Inglis guided the TTC’s acquisition and operation of the world’s largest PCC fleet, shaping reliability, standardization, and rider experience across Toronto’s extensive streetcar network, and oversaw the adoption of aluminium-bodied, 23-meter subway cars in the early 1960s, reflecting his commitment to efficient, durable rolling stock. He retired in 1968 and died on November 18, 1990; in 1991 the TTC named the Hillcrest Complex Administration Building the J.G. Inglis Building in his honor. His Wheeling tenure bridges local transit modernization with a continental legacy in urban rail systems.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/3sph3fk5), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/2syykazb), Wikitree (https://tinyurl.com/3njnhurk), Facebook (https://tinyurl.com/246cbpmw), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/3kbkubn4)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV; Seashore Trolley Museum, Wikimedia Commons, Trolleys Streetcars & Interurbans of America (Facebook page), Find a Grave
John Gordon Inglis was born in Atwood, Ontario, Canada, on September 8, 1899, and earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto in 1923. He entered the United States via Detroit that year and spent a decade at Westinghouse Electric in East Pittsburgh, where he contributed to the early development of the PCC streetcar—work that positioned him at the forefront of modern urban transit technology. In the early 1930s, Inglis moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, serving as the Electrical Engineer for the city’s Co-operative Transit Company, applying PCC innovations to local streetcar operations and power systems at a pivotal moment in Wheeling’s transit evolution. In 1936 he returned to Canada, joining the Toronto Transportation Commission’s Rolling Stock Department, rising through leadership until he became General Manager – Operations in 1959. Inglis guided the TTC’s acquisition and operation of the world’s largest PCC fleet, shaping reliability, standardization, and rider experience across Toronto’s extensive streetcar network, and oversaw the adoption of aluminium-bodied, 23-meter subway cars in the early 1960s, reflecting his commitment to efficient, durable rolling stock. He retired in 1968 and died on November 18, 1990; in 1991 the TTC named the Hillcrest Complex Administration Building the J.G. Inglis Building in his honor. His Wheeling tenure bridges local transit modernization with a continental legacy in urban rail systems.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/3sph3fk5), Wikipedia (https://tinyurl.com/2syykazb), Wikitree (https://tinyurl.com/3njnhurk), Facebook (https://tinyurl.com/246cbpmw), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/3kbkubn4)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library, Wheeling WV; Seashore Trolley Museum, Wikimedia Commons, Trolleys Streetcars & Interurbans of America (Facebook page), Find a Grave
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