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Houston North Shore Bulletin 133 of the Central Electric Railfans’ Assoc w/ DJ
Houston North Shore Bulletin 133 of the Central Electric Railfans Association by Charles C Robinson and Paul L DeVerter II
Hard Cover with Dust Jacket
164 pages
Copyright 2000
TABLE OF CONTENTS
HNS Interurban Color DisplayInside Front Cover
Preface6
Acknowledgements8
Chapter 1
Historical Background10
Introduction11
Brief History of the Area12
Early Career of Harry K. Johnson15
Chapter 2
The Missouri Pacific Railroad Gets Involved16
Mr. Johnson Finds Opportunity17
Missouri Pacific Backs the Interurban17
Why the Nation's Last Interurban Railway Was Built 23
Chapter 3
Construction24
Conflict with Ed Kennedy25
Construction Continues26
Chapter 4
Operation Begins32
Start of Freight Service33
The 1927 Humble Day Celebration33
The Interurban Is Opened to Passenger Traffic 35
Chapter 5
Additions to The Original Line36
Extensions to Goose Creek and Pelly37
Proposed Additions to the Houston-Goose Creek Route38
Chapter 6
Description of The Houston North Shore44
Description of The Route45
Power System48
The Electric Passenger Cars50
The Electric Freight Locomotives53
Chapter 7
Direct Rail Service to Downtown Houston54
The Early Busy Years 55
Slow Run Down Lyons Avenue57
Consideration of Alternate Routes into Downtown Houston60
Hard Times and the Run Downtown Is Ended63
Chapter 8
The Slow Thirties 68
Reductions in Service 69
A Move to Eliminate the Electrification77
Chapter 9
Heavy Traffic During The Second World War82
Freight Traffic Grows83
Steam Engines Take Over Freight Trains85
Coping with the Passenger Car Shortage87
Chapter 10
Electric Cars Are Discontinued90
Post War Reductions in Service91
Railbuses Arrive96
The Last Car and The Scrap Heap 101
Chapter 11
Railbuses Only104
The Railbuses Operate Thirteen More Years 105
Conclusions 111
Chapter 12
Accidents and Storms 112
Chapter 13
Memories of The Houston North Shore Railway116
Charles Robinson117
V. O. Niles, former HNS conductor, 1942-1957 125
Chapter 14
Houston North Shore Rolling Stock126
Autorailers 100 and 105 127
Electric Locomotive 511 130
Electric Locomotive 512132
Wooden Coaches 521 and 522 133
Lightweight Cars 523-526136
Lightweight Car 520 140
Work Car 528141
Coach 529142
Coach 530143
Railbus 701 (originally 531) 144
Railbuses 702-706145
Flat Cars 101-103 146
Portable Substations146
Missouri Pacific Steam Engines Assigned to the HNS146
Roster 147
Houston North Shore Map149
Track Maps150
Appendix155
A Historical Background of Texas Railroads That Are A Part of The HNS Story by George C. Werner155
BGlossary of Abbreviations and Names156
C ICC Evaluation HNS - 1928 157
DContract with Standard Electrical Construction Co. 158
EList of Town Name Changes158
FMissouri Pacific Code Words158
Bibliography 160
Index163
HNS Autorailer/Railbus Color DisplayInside Back Cover
DUST JACKET INTRODUCTION:
A Word About CERA: The Central Electric Railfans' Association (CERA) was formed in 1938 to encourage study of the history, equipment and operation of urban, suburban, interurban and main line electric railways. CERA is incorporated in Illinois as a not-for-profit technical and educational society.
Publication of "Bulletins" on electric railway topics is an important facet of CERA. This book is the 133rd in that numbered series. CERA also holds meetings in Chicago about ten times annually, each devoted to some aspect of electric railroading.
Occasional inspection trips provide an opportunity to view the inner workings of electric railways. All CERA activities are open to the general public as well as members.
ON THE BACK COVER:
The Houston North Shore Railway, opened in June 1927, occupies the position of being the last new interurban railway built in the United States. Promoted and built by Harry K Johnson, who had previously built six other electric lines, the Houston North Shore was taken over by the Missouri Pacific Railroad just before it was opened to traffic. Its route of 33 miles linked Goose Creek, Texas, now a part of Baytown, to the important Houston rail center. Built with the idea of servicing the passenger and agricultural needs of the area and most importantly the industrial needs of the large Humble Oil refinery in Baytown, it quickly became a highly profitable source of freight revenues for that major railroad system.
Missouri Pacific continued to operate the interurban passenger service first with electric railway cars, later with a partial replacement with autorailers and finally with unique railbuses, for a total of 34 years. The railroad offered this passenger service mostly at a loss in the interest of keeping its largest freight customer, Humble Oil, happy. The Houston North Shore, now expanded and absorbed by the Union Pacific Railroad, continues today as a busy part of the national rail network. Of the thousands of miles of electric interurban route constructed and later abandoned in this country, the Houston North Shore survives today as an example of an ultimately successful interurban project.
The Houston North Shore story was written from the personal observations of the authors, Charles Robinson and Paul DeVerter, who grew up in Baytown as well as their interviews with long time employees of the line. It includes the authors' many photographs as well as those from others. And secondly and perhaps more importantly, the facts were gathered from a most astounding discovery of both a substantial portion of the Missouri Pacific Railroad's records of the Houston North Shore and Harry K. Johnson's personal scrapbook of the events in building the line.
This book about the interurban days is 164 pages long with 217 photographs that cover the array of rolling stock appearing on the line plus other scenes, 16 maps including track layouts, 6 drawings of the rolling stock, and a roster of equipment. This is a rare view of the internal workings of a railroad company dealing with the problems of conducting an interurban service.
All pictures are of the actual item. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
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