Dallas Streetcar History

[DFWCRE8TIVE]

Here's an interesting map:

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/txu-oclc-6445490-electric_railway-dallas-1913.jpg

[Lakewooder]

Great find!

I wonder what happened to the car barn in E. Dallas. There's a large DART facility along Peak, I wonder if it is a successor...

[Haretip]

The last of that carbarn was demolished a few years back. That was the primary carbarn and shops complex for the streetcar. There is still a DART bus barn and shops at the location. There is still ladder tracks in the pavement, too. The site was also where the power house was located for the cable car line. The carbarn near Fair Park was for the Dallas Rapid Transit streetcar line. I don't believe it is there anymore, but the railroad next to it is the new DART green line now. There is also a carbarn in Oak Cliff adjacent to I-35 that has been converted to bus facility.

This map was a little confusing to me at first until I realized the north arrow is not straight up on the page.

[DFWCRE8TIVE]

http://transportationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/09/streetcars-were-us.html

...

A Google search taps into a beehive of streetcar/trolley hobbyists out there who have researched this stuff pretty thoroughly. One, on the Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum, brings up a discussion group specifically on streetcars. One participant posted a map of historic streetcar routes he built based on his own research. I'm impressed, and if anyone knows the identify of FoUTAsportscaster, have him contribute to this post.

[cowboyeagle05]

http://transportationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/09/streetcars-were-us.html

...

A Google search taps into a beehive of streetcar/trolley hobbyists out there who have researched this stuff pretty thoroughly. One, on the Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum, brings up a discussion group specifically on streetcars. One participant posted a map of historic streetcar routes he built based on his own research. I'm impressed, and if anyone knows the identify of FoUTAsportscaster, have him contribute to this post.

I'll tell him if I see I'm riding around Downtown although I'm sure other forumers might catch his ear first. Its funny when the Press magically discovers the world outside of their editorially published pages.

[saxman66]

I'll tell him if I see I'm riding around Downtown although I'm sure other forumers might catch his ear first. Its funny when the Press magically discovers the world outside of their editorially published pages.

I just read the article too. Now where is FoTAUsportscaster?

[DFWCRE8TIVE]

G2onfAFBg0w

http://transportationblog.dallasnews.com/DMNHP%20427.JPG

[Haretip]

FWIW, No. 612 (twin to No. 609 in the above picutre) is up for auction in Cleveland at the end of the month. If anyone is interested, I can forward the purchase info. I bet you could get it for less than scrap value.

[DFWCRE8TIVE]

http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te055.jpg

[Haretip]

A few descriptions if I may:


Texas Traction Company Timetable. Predecessor to the Texas Electric. Shops and power plant in McKinney, Texas.
http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te035.jpg


Passenger concourse on south side of the interurban building. Now a multi-story parking garage.
http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/dit01.jpg

Interurban interior. Notice fixed seats and "Jim Crow" sign second window from rear.
http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te062.jpg

The wreck that killed the interurban. April 10, 1948. 36 injuries - no fatalities. The dispatcher said "Meet at Kirkland". The operator wrote down, "Meet at Perkins". I think Kirkland was south of Royal Lane adjacent to Manderville Road where the DART light rail runs today. Accident Report (http://ntl1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?file&fn=6&name=*S%3A%5CDOT_56GB%5CRailroad%5CWEBSEARCH%5C3177.PDF)
http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te070.jpg

Interurban rail gives way to interurban bus. December 31, 1948.
http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te071.jpg

Oak Cliff Junction - Intersection of Zang and Jefferson.
http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te046.jpg

McKinney, Texas. On the square.
http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te042.jpg

Allen station. Was used as a tire store for a long time. Now demolished.
http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te043.jpg

http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te045.jpg

Passenger shelter somewhere along the line. I would guess near Waco. The interurban system south of Monroe Shops was 1200volt and the Waco streetcars were 1200 volt to share the tracks. The car number is inconsistent with DR&T numbering, so probably a Waco car. The Dallas streetcars were 600 volts. A number of the TERy cars were capable of operating on either 600 or 1200.
http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te051.jpg

Rail post office car No. 360. This car is on display today at the Plano Interurban Station. There were two RPO cars and one can be seen being loaded in the picture of the passenger concourse above. You could post a letter in the morning to your Uncle in Sherman inviting him to dinner that night in Dallas and receive a reply letter in the afternoon in time to pick him up at the station. Great service.
http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/jpg/te054.jpg

[DFWCRE8TIVE]

^ Great! Thanks for the captions. I deleted my previous message to avoid the double post. All the images came from http://www.davesrailpix.com/odds/tx/tx.htm

[NThomas]

Cool stuff!

I love that terminal pic at the Interurban Building.

[GreenzaLine]

Since a legible version of the article posted a while back never turned up, I tracked it down myself.

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/3719/195511200.png
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/5053/195511201.png

This article is from Sunday, November 20th, 1955, less than two months before the last streetcar line shut down.

The "Sunset-Hampton-Second-Junius Line." The name alone conjures up mental images of one last route hacked together out of a dying network.

[RobertB]

The streetcar heydey [sic] of the early 20's was highlighted when a bunch of Southern Methodist University boys captured a motorman and commandeered his trolley for a joy ride.
lol @ those crazy SMU kids.