HomeMy WebLinkAbout"Interurban Long Used by Early Commuters"RAPID TRANSPORTATION IN 1910
4 Gasoline - powered Interurban Later Electrified
nterurban Long Used
Earl -Da C o m m
y y y u tens
For the staff, iwmily tran- especially on days of athletic leave work early to catch the
t sportation was not a problem events when riding crowds were train going through from
3 because there wasn't much of it. obliged to leave the cars when Houston late in the afternoon.
Even when the automobile the steepest grade was ap- In 1915, the launch was e?ec-
became common elsewhere the proached, help push the cars to trified —a vast improvement in
machines were scarce on the peak and then return to ride reliability as well as per -
campus. on the cars. formance. From that tine until
The horse and buggy was still The cars were scheduled the 1920s the interurban was an
the most valued means of hourly between the cities, but important factor in the daily life
transportation, but not everyone emergency repairs frequently on the campus.
owned that noble pair. delayed the engineer, ap- The personal touch was
propriately named — what else continued, as evidenced by the
The Houston and Texas — Casey Jones, from starting his engineer waiting patiently at the
Central Railroad connecting run on time. College Station depot (located
College Station to Bryan, While the schedule was not then where the fountain is now)
Houston and Dallas was all- always reliable, the person -to- to take cadet dates into Bryan
important. person relationship between after a dance.
engineer and passenger and the After getting to Bryan, he
AROUND 1910, however, 10 cent fare, did not hamper would wait for the cadets to
travel between Bryan and the public relations. Customers deposit their dates, blow the
college campus was were delighted to have the whistle in departure warning
revolutionizied by a "rapid vehicles at their service no and after, allowing adequate
transportation" system. Two matter what schedule was time, make the trip back to
gasoline- powered cars on tracks followed. College Station.
were put into operation. On —
special occasions the cars were EMPLOYES AT A &M who THOSE MISSING the last late -
joined by fragile trailers to lived in Bryan, finding that the night trip either walked the five
handle an exceptionally high "launch" wasn't on schedule at miles back or waited until 3 a.m.
number of passengers. quitting time, could hitch a ride to take the train from Dallas to
The "gasoline launches" were by buggy or lumber or delivery Houston that stopped in Bryan
overly satisfactory wagon or, when all else failed,
and College Station.