North Texas Historic Transportation

Winter 2007 http://www.NorthTexasTransport.org

Membership Fees are Due Jan 31! Features Pages 1 through 5 Lee Lavell’s fourth installment of “The History of Cars 25 and 411” Leon Sapp’s “Fort Worth Southern Traction Company” Robert Griffith on continued NTHT involvement in restoring Express Motor 330 ~ News Pages 4 & 5 Challenge Grant Successfully Met Happy Birthday, Dick Blair! Passing of a Friend ~ Upcoming Events Page 5 Quarterly Meeting January 13, 2007		“The History of Cars 25 and 411” Part IV by Lee Lavell Mitzi McWilliams faced a dilemma when she purchased a lot at Eagle Mountain Lake and sought to build a house on the land which three old Crimson Limited interurbans resided. When traction enthusiast John Myers informed her about the history of the three cars on her land, McWilliams decided to donate two to anyone who could move them and utilize a third one, No. 407, for a guest house. Myers began his search for suitable candidates for such an undertaking. Myers notified the Texas State Railroad’s (TSRR) shop superintendent Blair Lavell about the availability of the two Crimson Limited interurbans. The surprising and sudden nature of their availability made attempting to save them difficult. About this time Harold C. Wareham, a Fort Worth transportation enthusiast brought attention to the future of Texas & Pacific locomotive 610, which had been in Fort Worth on static display for many years prior to a restoration for use in the American Freedom Train in 1976. The locomotive ultimately ended up at the TSRR. Wareham planned to discuss bringing the locomotive back to Fort Worth, but Lavell, a longtime previous resident of Fort Worth and also a transportation buff had a different idea. Lavell commented that T & P 610 had a good home, and the critical issue of that day was finding a safe home for the two Crimson Limited cars.
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Above: Interior of Car 25 in May of 1995 when Bartosiewicz, Wareham, and Lavell visited. Above: Car 407 just prior to being lifted for movement to a new location on the lake lot. Above: Airborne Car 407 headed for placement to a new location at Eagle Mountain Lake		History of Cars 25 and 411 (continued) Above: Car 25 after being loaded onto a flatbed truck and heading out to Ft. Worth's T & P terminal. Wareham agreed, and he met with John Bartosiewicz, General Manager of The T, to discuss taking ownership of the cars. Bartosiewicz, Wareham, and Lavell traveled to the lake lot on May 5, 1995 to look the cars over. As they rushed back to Fort Worth, Bartosiewicz stated he was interested in saving the cars, and he planned to bring up the matter with the T’s Executive Committee if Wareham would agree to recruit volunteers. They made it back to town just in time to avoid being caught in Fort Worth’s infamous “Cinco de Mayo hailstorm”. Subsequently, The T’s Executive Committee approved accepting the donation of the two historic vehicles and allocated funds to move the cars offsite. Bartosiewicz worked out a deal with the U. S. Postal Service to store the cars behind the T & P station where the volunteers would begin the restoration effort. Rod Ford, Building Maintenance Supervisor for The T was instrumental in preparing the cars for the move. The Texas State Railroad offered advice and assistance. The two cars were relocated behind the T & P Terminal on June 23, 1995. The restoration era will be featured in the next installment. Above: Resting in place at its new location, Car 411 awaits restoration.
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“The Fort Worth Southern Traction Company” Leon H. Sapp In the early part of the 20th Century the Northern Texas Traction Company decided to build south from Ft. Worth to the Johnson County seat at Cleburne by way of Burleson. A new company, The Fort Worth Southern Traction Company, was formed to sell stock and provide for construction. Surveying was begun by their parent company, Stone and Webster Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts in March 1911. Texas Building Company was the successful bidder for grading and constructing bridges on the line. More than three hundred men started to work on September 22 of that same year finishing the essential work by August of 1912. Records indicate that most of the land for the right of way was donated. The coming of this safe and dependable transportation was seen by local merchants and property owners as a boon, and their small loss of land was more than offset by the increased value of adjacent property once the electric cars started operation. Construction began from a junction near the present intersections of East Lancaster Street and Riverside Drive in Ft. Worth and the thirty-mile line opened on September 1, 1912. Inheriting some of the older cars from its parent company, the line began offering hourly service with two additional freight only express runs daily. Following present day Vaughan and Wichita Streets, the line departed Fort Worth and passed through Forest Hill and Everman paralleling present‑day Interstate Highway 35 about a mile east, turning southwest near present‑day County Road 1187. Passing through the present‑day Spinks Airport property and one of the several power stations on the line, it entered Burleson just south of the present intersection of Highway 174 and I‑35, crossing the M‑K‑T Railroad and continuing down Wilson Street to the small brick Depot on West Ellison.		Map from Brill Magazine, July 1915 Courtesy Robert Griffith Collection
The line was reorganized in 1914 at which time its name changed to the Tarrant County Traction Company but remained under the operating control of the Northern Texas Traction Company, which still provided all the equipment and operating personnel. Following the success of the special “Crimson Limited” between Ft. Worth and Dallas, the Cleburne Division remodeled five cars in 1926, calling the upgraded service "Pioneer Locals." The cars were painted an attractive maroon and cream enhanced with gold lettering and striping and finished off with a small parlor section in the rear of each car. Each car was equipped for one man operation with the Motorman also serving as Conductor. The cars were named after famous Texans, including Sam Houston, and the new upgraded service continued to offer hourly trips between Cleburne and Ft. Worth covering the thirty miles in one hour and twenty-eight minutes, with scheduled intermediate stops at Everman, Burleson, and Joshua. Sadly, as with all Interurban lines across the nation, the advent of better roads and affordable motor cars brought the early “Boom Years” to a close and with declining revenues the inevitable line closures began. In 1931, it was decided to abandon the line, and the world became a poorer place. The last passenger car to run through Burleson was a VIP special on April 30, 1931 under the control of Motorman J. J. Miles. One of the passengers on this last run was Mr. W. A. Wood, the Agent for the Interurban in Joshua. Now gone but never forgotten, the Interurban had helped to build Burleson and the other communities it served. The Fort Worth-Dallas Interurban Line continued on until December 1934, when it too passed the torch of public transportation to motor coaches.
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Above: Leon Sapp atop Car 330 in December 2006 Above: Willie Kirby and Leon Sapp inspect the nearly-completed roof from inside Car 330			Express Motor 330 Update Robert Griffith The hammers have been swinging down in Burleson at Car 330 with the installation of a new roof. The lumber is 1”x4” pine ripped down to 1”x2” and further cut to the dimensions of the roof. Replacement roof beams were manufactured by Leon Sapp and installed over the summer. During the course of four work days, Leon Sapp, Gabby Garbarino, Willie Kirby, Lee Lavell, Neal Jones, Robert Griffith, and others diligently laid in the letterboard and roof. A watertight membrane, attached before the canvas, will insure a dry interior for the wet months ahead. Soon, exterior and interior wall sections will meet with replacement lumber. The original interior support columns and beams of 330 are in excellent condition; however, weather, insects, and time have eroded the strength in the exterior and interior wall boards to make saving them impractical. Of interest in removing portions of the walls has been the discovery of a 1920s advertisement for Gold Dust Detergent, perhaps one of many products Car 330 delivered in its long service to North Texas, as well as additional evidence of the car’s original two baggage door configuration. In the shop, iron from the windows, doors, ladder, and other portions of the car have been cleaned, primed, and painted. Trolley bases and catchers and a headlight, purchased for the Burleson Heritage Foundation for Car 330, have also met with the same treatment. Many thanks to NTHT for their continued support, advice, and friendship. Photos courtesy Robert Griffith
North Texas Historic Transportation News & Upcoming Events
Good News for Birney Car 560! On October 9, 2006, we successfully raised $5,000 to match the challenge grant from the 20^th Century Electric Railway Foundation. The grant will fund fabrication of a historically-correct truck for Birney Car 560, and we have already submitted payment to a foundry in Colorado for that very purpose. We hope by next spring to be the proud owners of four new journal boxes, which are considered the most difficult component of the truck to make. Two other historic railway organizations have joined us in the casting of these boxes as of publication, and NTHT will receive a modest fee for the usage of the pattern equipment by outside organizations. The direct mail campaign that made all this possible was a resounding success. We mailed out 126 letters and received 46 donations in response. That’s a whopping 37% success rate! As of this newsletter we have received $5,535, of which, $5,285 was received through the direct mail effort. NTHT thanks Harold Wareham, Willie Kirby, Gabby Garbarino, Ole Osrunn, Andy Nold, and Lee Lavell for their efforts in fundraising and putting together the engineering drawings for the castings.
Dick Blair Turns 90! NTHT member Dick Blair marked his ninetieth year this past November. The Columbus, Ohio native liked working in the woodshop in Junior and High School. Not able to afford woodworking equipment as a young man, he made his own table saw, lathe, band saw, and drill press. He later graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked several jobs in the aircraft and automotive industries, continuing to make things and solve problems. Dick came to assist The T with its’ restoration -4- (Dick Blair, continued from Page 4) efforts in the summer of 1998. Since that time, he has logged over 1,700 volunteer hours making new parts and restoring older woodwork. One of his major accomplishments was the production of new inlaid window column panels for Car 25. Dick continues to enjoy good health, and we wish him well and thank him for his hard work.
Wynema is the wife of NTHT member Cy Martin and a friend of the organization.	Wynema Martin Wynema June Martin, of Euless, Texas went to be with our Father in Heaven on Monday morning, December 18, 2006. She was born in Littlefield, Texas to Carmen and William Griffin Lewis on June 6, 1932. She grew up and attended school in Winters, Texas. Wynema was bookkeeper and switchboard operator in the small telephone company she and her husband owned. Later, she was the co-publisher of their country newspapers. She later became general passenger agent for the Texas Export Railroad Company. She is survived by her loving husband Jay Cy Martin of Euless, Texas; her sister Theresa Marie Briley of Winters, Texas; sister Ouida Faye D’petrillo and her husband Al; daughter Tawnya Ray McLaurin and husband Don of Arlington, Texas; daughter Laury Kay Tanner and husband Gary of San Angelo, Texas; daughter Gregory Danell Delang of Nashville, Tennessee; and son David Cy Martin and wife Kimberly of Longview, Texas; nieces Darci Stotts, Dana Jolly, Cindy McKenna, Jackie Covey, and Carla Jo Cooper; and nephews Bobby Briley, Douglas Stotts, Jimmy McNeill, and Cody McNeill. She is also survived by grandchildren, Emmy Martin, Jeremy Hudson, Jamie Woods, Brandon Hale, Travis Hudson, Lindsey Woods, Jessica Martin, Shawna Hale, John Martin, Ty Price, and Dakota DeLang; great-grandchildren Cecelia Martin, Isabella Martin, Olivia Martin, and DeeLynn Woods. She was preceded in death by her son Jerry Y. Waggoner and daughter Dee Lynn McLaurin.
Acquisition of Research Materials NTHT member Robert Griffith, a student at the University of Texas at Arlington, has been researching and collecting materials on the Northern Texas Traction Company and Texas Electric Railway. One of the best resources he has found is The Dallas Morning News Historical Archives, located at http://www.dallasnews.com. UTA students have free access, but the general public can view all news articles from 1885 to 1977 with the purchase of a pass. For more information, visit http://www.dallasnews.com. Materials about the interurban in North Texas are more frequent than one might think, and a search of eBay occasionally yields a gem. Be on the lookout for traction items online, at the antique mall, or even in your cobweb-infested attic!

Next Quarterly Meeting Saturday, January 13, 2007 The next quarterly meeting of North Texas Historic Transportation, Inc. is scheduled for 1:00 PM Saturday, January 13, 2007 on the 2^nd floor of the Knights of Pythias Building at 3^rd and Main in Downtown Fort Worth. For information and directions, contact Willie Kirby at 817-478-0773 or via e-mail at: wkirby@northtexastransport.org

NTHT OFFICERS President Willie Kirby Vice President Robert Garbarino Secretary Sharon Suarez Treasurer Lee Lavell V.P. Public Relations and Special Projects Andy Nold NTHT BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman Andy Nold Member J Terrell Member John Bartosiewicz Member Lee Lavell