Allen Image

by Tom Keener

The Interurban was a crucial part of Allen’s history. In June 1908, the Texas Traction Company initiated its debut trip between Dallas and Denison. The tracks paralleled and were immediately west of the Houston Texas and Central Railway line. When the tracks approached Allen, they veered slightly to the west and followed a route that is now Butler Dr. Allen’s Interurban Station was located at 105 S. Butler. That building still stands today and features a Texas Historical marker. All of the company’s bridge abutments were constructed of board-formed concrete. Those abutments are still visible along Rowlett and Cottonwood Creek. In 1917, Texas Traction consolidated with Southern Traction to form the Texas Electric Railway.

Interurban cars were powered by an overhead electric cable line. The motorman pushed a lever up to increase the current, which increased speed. The lever was lowered to bring the car to a stop. Northbound trolleys ran ever hour and the southbound ran every half hour. This helped farmers in the field to keep track of the time. Certain whistles meant Mama had lunch or dinner ready.

The Interurban allowed rural people with no access to cars to shop and visit friends in other cities. It also allowed citizens such as Bud Ereckson to work in Dallas while maintaining a home in Allen. Senior citizens recall how important the Interurban was to their lives. Mrs. Ora Lee Binkley lived in McKinney and taught at the one room Wetsel School, which was located at the southwest corner of Stacy and Greenville Ave. She rode the Interurban from McKinney every morning, disembarked at Stacy Road, and walked to her destination. Mrs. Van Neally rode the Interurban from Sherman to Allen, disembarked, and walked to the Allen Colored School which was located in the St. Mary’s area. Since these young women did not own cars, the Interurban enabled them to provide an education to Allen’s rural and minority communities.

Other seniors recall courting on the Interurban. Since few teenagers had a car, the Interurban allowed young couples to board the train in Allen and view a movie in McKinney or Dallas.

A special feature of the Interurban was mail and freight delivery. Some of the cars were equipped with a post office. Mail was sorted en route and could be delivered within hours. A letter sent from Sherman in the morning could arrive in Allen by lunch. This was quite an accomplishment in an era that preceded jets and the internet. It was also was a convenient manner to ship groceries and packages. In the spring, crates of baby chickens were delivered on the Interurban from hatcheries so farmers could raise them for eggs or fryers. A renovated passenger/mail car is featured at the Interurban Museum in Plano.

Other seniors recall pranks that involved the Interurban tracks. Kid would place pennies on the track to flatten them or put axel grease on the rail so the cars would skid past their destination.

Despite the enormous popularity of the Interurban in this area, The Interurban faced many challenges. First, the depression took its toll and the increasing availability of the automobile provided competition. The final blow to the Interurban occurred in 1948 when two trains suffered a head-on collision on its line at the Kirkland Spur (near Walnut Hill Lane and the Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. The Interstate Commerce Commission recommended that the entire line be equipped with a modern signal system. The threat of this enormous investment forced the Texas Electric Railway to abandon the Interurban. On December 31, 1948, the Interurban faded into history but remains precious memories for many seniors. The rails were immediately sold for scrap metal and the right-of-way was sold to the adjacent property owners. Questions such as "Why did they ever take the Interurban out?" could be heard for many years.