HOUSTON, TX, INTERURBANS

[cabforward]

**looking for someone who recalls or has information re: the houston north shore ry.
this interurban operated for 40 years, from the '20s to the '60s..

it was the last interurban system to begin operations in the u.s., of that era. the line extended eastward from houston, to highlands, baytown, the humble refinery, and goose creek.

[edblysard]

Hi,
Try "Houston North Shore" by Charles C. Robinson and Paul L. DeVerter II. Published uner the ausipces of CERA, ( the central electric railfans association) Has an excellent amount of photos, maps and history.
Includes a roster of cars and motive power, lots of maps, Photos of Union Station, before it became a ballpark.
Written by two guys who lived there and rode it in its last years.
Write them at:
CERA, P.O. Box 503
Chicago, Il, 60690-0503, ask about bulletin 133.
By the way, the North Shore still exsist as the UPs north shore, still active with diesiel.

[cabforward]

**thanks for the info.. i have a book, written in the late '80s, that says the hns tracks have been pulled up from baytown to highlands. it doesn't say what part of the route is still in use. the terminus in baytown (goose creek) is now a feed store. other property at the terminus has been sold, but is still unused. i rode it from '56-'60, during visits to baytown. the "motor buses" were nothing to brag about, but i loved every minute of every ride.
grandparents lived four blocks from the goose creek station. i would ride most every day. when i didn't ride, i would meet the conductor at the station, and ride with him to put the bus away for the night. i would also visit the yard to watch the freight engines arrive and depart, when i thought i had their schedule down.

[edblysard]

You will like the book, lots of photos of places you know. The line still runs from the HBT east line at market street to baytown and connects with the old SP, now UP dayton branch. Market street yard is still there and used. The yard and tracks around it at goose creek were removed, but the main is still there and used.
Again, for me at least, the book was worth the cost in info alone, not the mention the history it contains.
Take Care,
Ed

[Anonymous]

Ed, I have two questions for you.
1. I read an article that Houston was looking into installing a trolley system for commuter's along with a monorail system. Is this true?
2. It was mentioned that Houston North Shore was the last interurban installed in the U.S.,Is Texas part of the U.S.?

[cabforward]

i made the comment that the hns was the last interurban started in the u.s. ..i further said "of that era", meaning the peak patronage of the interurban systems ended by the beginning of the great depression.. those trains were already declining due to the expanding popularity of the auto.. of course, transit is, once again, "in", and this is a good thing.. if the locals accept it and if the govt. subsidies continue, locals will have a better way to commute and the tourists can ride and send postcards home with an interurban's picture on the front..

[edblysard]

Howdey from the Lone Star State,
And no to both questions.
No trolly or monorail, but a light commuter rail, street level tracks running from the 610 loop, a freeway around Houston, to the medical center, a collection of hospitals near downtown, on the southwest side. It will run down the south West portion of Main street, with a lane just for the train. Part of it is already built, it will be run under the auspices of METRO, the city bus and public transportation department.
And no, Texas isn't part of the U.S. . The U.S. is a part of the Great State of Texas, we just haven't let them all move here.
Dont know if the Houston North Shore was the last interurban, but it was the last eletricfied freight/ passenger system built.
Ed

[edblysard]

Hey Train,
Did some checking, the HNS was the last electric interurban built, it ran under wires, no third rail. It was designed and built for a dual purpose, passenger and freight. Its main job early on was to transport workers to and from Houston to the Humble refinery in Baytown, as there were no major roads connecting the two, and to move the tanks cars full of the refineries product to an interchange point with the HB&T at H.B&T's east yard. By the end of it"s life, the HNS had done away with passenger trains, due in part to IH 10 being built, which connected Houston and Baytown, and had replaced thoses trains with railbuses. It finally did away with passenger service altogether, and survived on the refinery traffic for a few short years. Its "parent company was MoPac, and the tracks are still used by UP today. Its still called the north shore.
Ed

[Anonymous]

Were any of those trains saved or were they all scrapped? I am from the Chicago area, fortunatly for us years ago peaple had the foresight to save several of the trains that ran our interurban's.Several different models now are at the Ill. railroad museum.

[cabforward]

**train has more info about the houston interurban..

after a few years of operation, the hns interurban was sold by the initial owner to the beaumont, sour lake & western interurban co. this was a subsidiary of mopac. mopac wanted a foot in the door for the potential revenue of the refinery and other industrial sites between baytown and houston. mopac delegated the bsl&w to purchase the hns. there was no physical interchange between the hns and the bsl&w, it was just the easiest way for mopac (who already served houston) to get a handle on the new market, as bsl&w was already
familiar with the business. tickets used the bsl&w name and the money ended up in the same pants, but different pockets. of course, many changes took place between the beginning and the end, but two meant most to me.. 1) after the war, ridership plummeted: cars became available and people had the itch to move and on their personal schedule.. by '48 the electric cars were worn and exhausted.. because ridership did not justify new electric cars, the line went to diesel city-bus designs with modifications for rail applications.. six "motor buses" went in service.. for several years there were early a.m., noontime and mid p.m. runs..
by the late '50s, the single run left was a 3p.m. jog to mopac's market street yard.. it turned on a wye and rested a few minutes at the yard office while securing clearance for the return.. in a few minutes, clearance was granted and the bus headed back to baytown (goose creek) and ended the run at 5.15.. the conductor turned in his "take " for the day and stored his conductor supplies.. the bus was then taken to a turntable so that it would face the right away on the next run.. the bus then rolled into the barn for the night.. while in effect, this run served every day: xmas, july 4, labor day, etc.. in oct. '61, mopac was given final permission to terminate the service of the bsl&w, hns division.. mopac owned the track, r-o-w and freight rolling stock.. bsl&w owned the cars and the car barn.. the conductor and mechanic worked for the bsl; office personnel worked for mopac and merely performed services for bsl as well.. when the interurban stopped, the hns went with it.. mopac continued on until it merged with up.. tradition and personal connections may dictate how the line is remembered in later years.. it may be tagged as the baytown interurban, or the hns line, but the hns actually went when the interurban service went..

aside from my experiences with the hns interurban, my one source is a work, "the houston north shore railway", by lawrence c. sandburg, jr., published 1990. he is an attorney who practiced in various states and federal courts, with no known ties to railroading, except possibly as a result of legal proceedings. he is retired and lives in san antonio..