On August 16, 1886, the Appleton Electric Street Railway Company began operation of the world’s first commercially successful electric street railway. Its cars were driven by Van Depoele direct current motors that received power from a hydroelectric generator through two trolley wires. In 1930, the expanded electric street railway system serving Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, and Kaukauna was retired when bus service began to better serve the transportation needs of these communities.