From Steam to Electric Rail

From Steam to Electric Rail. . , In 1912, J.F. Strickland extended his passenger rail interurban service from Dallas to Corsicana. This established the Southern Traction Company, a sister company of the Texas Traction company. The company was already providing service from Denison to Dallas four years prior to the Corsicana and Waco lines. The Corsicana Line opened October 20, 1913, with a fleet of new, larger, and superiorly equipped cars. The fleet consisted of 22 passenger cars (Nos. 300-321), six freight motors (Nos. 500-505), one work car (No. 941), and a combination work and line car (No. 901). In 1917. the Southern and Texas Traction Companies merged, forming the Texas Electric Railway. Unlike the steam railroads, an interurban would stop to let off and pick up passengers as cars were flagged down during the regularly scheduled routes. The Interurban offered affordable and more frequent service than the steam rails. Restrictive economics made it necessary to do away with a conductor in 1932. The cars were redesigned to a pay-as-you-enter configuration with a forward louver door and no baggage compartment. Travelers enjoyed smoking and non-smoking sections, one toilet, and a water fountain. There were several color scheme variations from the beginning. In 1932, the cars of the Corsicana Line were repainted blue and cream and were called Bluebonnet Specials. In its heyday the Texas Electric Railway was the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi. The Corsicana Line ended service in 1941 and the Denison and Waco Lines followed in 1948. The Interurban spanned the transition from the horse and buggy to the age of the affordable private automobile and paved highways, which brought this mode of travel to an end., Displayed before you is one of the original cars of the Corsicana Line, No. 305 in its original paint scheme and configuration. Through the years the No. 305 was used as a storage shed and eventually a private residence before its discovery by the City of Corsicana in Acton, Texas., Captions , Early Texas Electric Interurban Car at the Waco Station (circa 1917)., Texas Electric passenger car interior, 1930s.