HOUSTON STREETCAR HISTORY PAGES

For a large urban streetcar system, the Houston Electric has left surprisingly few traces.  No major structures remain, no rails embedded in streets, and most sadly of all, nothing remains of the streetcar fleet (with one possible exception, noted below).   There are several reasons for this, the main one being simply that the trolleys have been gone for a very long time -- more than six decades.  The fact that abandonment came on the eve of World War 2 also means that wartime steel scrap drives consumed much of what remained.

STRUCTURES

Virtually nothing remains.  The carbarn, power house, and substations have all departed the scene.  (The interurban substation in South Houston still stands, but technically this is not a Houston Electric structure.)  The Milby carbarn managed to hang on until 1990, when it was finally torn down to make way for a housing project (which was never built, due to ground contamination).

Milby didn't change much over the decades.  This photo dates from the late 1970s.  Below is a photo of a streetcar line pole being used to support a bus washer.   All is gone now.

RAIL IN STREETS

All gone.  However, as of the early 1990s there were still a few locations where the former location of tracks could still be clearly seen.  Generally, these were streets with brick paving, where tracks had been removed and replaced with concrete patches.  Among these were:

Eagle Avenue between Fannin and South Main (South End line)

Andrews Street (San Felipe line).  Picture below shows where tracks curved from Andrews onto Wilson Street.

Franklin Avenue adjacent to Main Post Office.

   Mid-1970s view of downtown Houston clearly shows where tracks used to lead from Franklin Avenue to Washington Avenue.   This S-curve was taken out of service in 1933 when new track was laid as part of the construction of Grand Central Station.  Like the skyline behind it, this view has changed considerably and the track location is no longer visible.

STREETCARS

In many cities, surplus streetcar bodies ended up as diners, cabins and other uses.   In Dallas literally dozens of streetcars ended up this way, and several have been rescued for preservation in recent years.  Not so in Houston, where there are no known streetcars in existence.  However, two ex-Houston double-truck Birney cars that were sold to El Paso in 1940 (where they served for another decade) were discovered a few years ago, having been used as cabins for ranchers or hunters.

Above are two photos of El Paso 54 in derelict condition in the desert.  This car is clearly in poor condition, with little remaining except the steel framing and sides.   To be realistic, restoration would be difficult and the end result would be closer to a replica than an historical artifact.  Another ex-Houston car, El Paso 52, was discovered in similar condition and has recently been scrapped.  Thanks to Ron Dawson of El Paso for the above photos.

Below is the body of Houston North Shore interurban 524.  Although it is not a city streetcar and falls somewhat outside the scope of this page, we have included it because of its historical significance as the only known intact survivor of the electric traction era in Houston.  This is the actual car that made the final run on the Houston to Goose Creek (Baytown) electric interurban.  In more recent years it has served as a cabin and a scrap yard office.  Although missing its original trucks, equipment and interior, it could be at least cosmetically restored.  In December 2004, this car was moved and steps were being made to begin the process of restoring it for display in nearby Highlands.  For more information on the Houston North Shore interurban, check the links page for information on an excellent book now available.  Thanks to Paul DeVerter II for the photo.

Last updated 08/16/06.