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Houston Electric The Street Railways of Houston, Texas by Steven M Baron w/DJ
Houston Electric The Street Railways of Houston, Texas by Steven M Baron
Hard Cover with Dust Jacket
223 pages
Copyright 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface and Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
1. Mud and Mules (1868-1887) 3
2. Streetcar Battles (1888-1890) 13
3. Electric Cars at Last (1890-1891) 19
4. The Troubled Nineties (1892-1901) 27
5. Stone & Webster Steps In (1901-1904) 37
6. Prosperity and Growth (1905-1914) 47
7. New Challenges (1914-1922) 59
8. Houston Tries the Bus (1922-1929) 71
9. End of the Line (1928-1940) 89
10. After the Streetcars 105
11. Houston Heights 109
12. Highland Park 117
13. Streetcar Lines of Houston 121
14. Milby Carbarn 145
15. Power Facilities 151
16. Streetcars of Houston (Rosters) 155
17. Neighboring Rail Lines 183
Appendix (Operating Statistics) 205
Notes 214
Bibliography 216
Index218
DUST JACKET INTRODUCTION:
Houston today is so identified with the culture of the automobile that it is easy to forget that it wasn't always so. But in fact it was public transportation - mainly in the form of the streetcar -that provided mobility for most Houstonians during the city's first century of existence.
This is the history of the Houston Electric Co. and its predecessors, which created and operated the transit system which enabled Houston to grow and thrive. The story begins in 1868 with a few primitive mule-drawn cars, progresses to the introduction of electric streetcars in 1891, and concludes with the abandonment of streetcar service in 1940. Among the important topics covered are:
*How streetcars made possible the concept of suburban real estate development on a large scale, making home ownership possible for many, and affecting the course of development of the entire city. Houston Heights, a true "streetcar suburb," is described in detail.
* Challenges posed by the formation of rival transportation companies during the 1800s, and the introduction of private jitney services in 1914.
*Battles with city government over street paving, fares, and the thorny issue of racial segregation.
*The introduction of motor bus services, Houston's pioneering use of express buses, and how bus service was integrated with and later supplanted the streetcar lines.
*How the streetcar fleet evolved to meet changing technology and traffic conditions, including a complete roster of electric cars, with each type described and illustrated.
*The two interesting interurban electric railways which operated out of Houston, and the neighboring streetcar systems of Galveston and Texas City.
The history of Houston is not complete without including the story of its local transportation system. It is told here not only in text but also in rare photographs and documents, most of them never before published, with detailed route maps showing the development of the system. More than a corporate history, this book provides a glimpse into a lost era when life was perhaps slower but no less exciting than it is today, when urban growth was welcomed with excitement, and the arrival of new streetcars was cause for celebration and civic pride.
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