McKinney Avenue Transit Authority
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (MATA), a non-profit organization, operates the M-line Trolley in
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
(
USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
). The offices and car barn are located at 3153 Oak Grove, Dallas, TX 75204. In operation since 1989, it is an example of a
heritage streetcar Conservation and restoration of rail vehicles aims to preserve historic rail vehicles. Trains It may concern trains that have been removed from service and later restored to their past condition, or have never been removed from service, like UP ...
running historic cars. The main stretch of the line runs down McKinney Avenue in Uptown. While the "M-Line" name was officially adopted for the service in 2002, the line continues to be commonly known as "the McKinney Avenue trolley" (or streetcar). Since 2002, the M-line Trolley is free to the public, thanks to a joint operating subsidy received from
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a transit agency serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex of Texas. It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and twelve of its suburbs. In , the system had ...
(DART) and the Uptown Improvement District. DART designates the streetcar as route 825 at transit stops. The M-line Trolley connects with the DART light rail system at Cityplace/Uptown on the northern end and
St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
on the southern end.


History

Metropolitan Dallas had numerous streetcar lines from the late 19th century through 1930s. Previous to McKinney Avenue Transit Authority (MATA), the last streetcar ran in Dallas during the mid-1950s. Numerous maps of the old trolley routes are available online. During the 1980s, there was a movement to restore streetcar service in Dallas's Uptown neighborhood after some of the original rails were uncovered on McKinney Avenue. At 2:08 a.m. on January 14, 1986, 30 years exactly after the last scheduled service of Dallas streetcars, MATA signed a lease for the Bowen Avenue car barn. New rails were first laid in September 1988 near Hall Street. The initial infrastructure would be in place in the summer of 1989. On July 22, 1989, Dallas saw a return of the streetcar as car 122 broke a celebratory banner. In 1995, the agency had to fix subsidence in Cole Avenue causing a dip in the tracks between Hall and Bowen Streets. About 200 feet of track was replaced. By the late 1990s, it became apparent that the 110-year-old brick pavement on McKinney Avenue could no longer support modern-day car, truck and bus traffic. Repairs began in July 1999 and were completed in December 2000. The street was repaved with concrete brick and most of the old brick was saved for sidewalks and other amenities. Work was done on one lane of the street at a time. Many times the streetcars were rerouted, sometimes with a
shoofly Shoofly and similar may refer to: * Shoofly pie * "Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me", a traditional children's song. * "Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy", a song first performed by June Christy. * Shoofly Comer aka Niviatsinaq, Aivilingmiut (Canadian Inu ...
. For several months the north loop was inaccessible due to utility work at Allen and McKinney.


First expansion

The first expansion of the system opened in 2002. Both
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a transit agency serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex of Texas. It operates buses, light rail, commuter rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Dallas and twelve of its suburbs. In , the system had ...
(DART) and MATA desired the streetcar to meet up with DART's Cityplace subway station a few blocks from the route. The first new track for the Cityplace extension was laid on Cole Avenue south of Blackburn in June 2001. In the summer of 2002 while the tracks were being laid, construction crews unearthed history as old center-of-the-street rail from Dallas Railway and Terminal tracks were discovered. On May 6, 2002, the extension was opened for the public (after a ceremonial opening on April 13, 2002, without service starting). It is now possible to ride the
DART Light Rail DART Light Rail is the light rail system serving the metropolitan area of Dallas, Texas and is owned and operated by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). The DART Light Rail system opened June 14, 1996 and serves 65 stations and four lines, cove ...
system and get off at Cityplace station and board the streetcar to Uptown. Effective May 6, 2002, all service on the line became free.''
Tramways & Urban Transit ''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...
'' magazine, August 2002, p. 307. UK:
Ian Allan Publishing Ian Allan Publishing was an English publisher, established in 1942, which specialised in transport books. It was founded by Ian Allan. In 1942 Ian Allan, then working in the public relations department for the Southern Railway at Waterloo st ...
/ Light Rail Transit Association.
The extension increased the line's length to . The line was given the name "the M-Line" in the local transit system at this time.


Second expansion

The City of Dallas and MATA worked together to further expand the streetcar system past the southern terminus further into downtown. The plan was for a line to split off from the current line at McKinney and Olive Streets and travel down Olive to the light rail transit mall downtown near Pearl Station. Part of the money needed for the expansion was put to voters in the form of a bond. On November 7, 2006, the voters of Dallas approved Proposition One, which asked voters if they would like to approve "The Issuance of $390,420,000 general obligation bonds for street and transportation improvements." The bond was approved 87.4% to 12.6%. Engineering for the project was to follow, with construction planned for 2010. On Thursday, July 8, 2010, it was announced that the federal government would grant an additional $5 million for the M-Line trolley project, specifically to help complete the downtown loop for the McKinney Avenue trolley line, and the line will be able to run faster, more modern cars and penetrate deeper into downtown. On May 4, 2015 MATA started running trolleys on the new downtown extension. The line extended past Ross Ave., making a loop along Federal St. and Olive St. and then reconnecting to the line on McKinney Ave. The new line formally opened on June 5, 2015 followed by a public celebration event held on June 6, 2015. The event encouraged citizens to ride the free trolley and send pictures via social media for a chance to win one of several prize packages from local businesses. Two dozen other local uptown and downtown businesses participated in the event by offering free samples and discounts.


Future

The rails are planned to be connected to the (newer) Dallas Streetcar line.


Historic stock


Currently in service

;122 - ''Crescent Rose'' or ''Rosie'' Car 122 was built to a standard American design by the
J. G. Brill Company The J.G. Brill Company manufactured streetcars,Young, Andrew D. (1997). ''Veteran & Vintage Transit'', p. 101. St. Louis: Archway Publishing. interurban coaches, motor buses, trolleybuses and railroad cars in the United States for almos ...
of Philadelphia in 1909 for export to
Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. Rosie is similar to early streetcars that once operated in Dallas. 122 was retired from service on the Porto streetcar system in 1978, and was brought to the U.S. in the early 1980s by Gales Creek Enterprises (GCE), of Oregon, purchased by Portland businessmen Bill and Sam Naito for possible use on a then-proposed heritage streetcar line in Portland. GCE refurbished it at the
Oregon Electric Railway Museum The Oregon Electric Railway Museum is the largest streetcar/trolley museum in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It is owned and operated by the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society and is located in Brooks, Oregon, on the groun ...
for use, on loan, in the first
San Francisco Historic Trolley Festival The San Francisco Historic Trolley Festival was a heritage streetcar service along Market Street in San Francisco, California, United States. It used a variety of vintage streetcars and operated five to seven days a week, primarily in summer mo ...
, in summer 1983, and car 122 operated intermittently in service on San Francisco's Market Street in that year; it was painted yellow-and-cream, the colors of its sponsor in the Trolley Festival, Eastman Kodak. In fall 1984, No. 122 was sold to MATA, and it arrived in Dallas around the beginning of 1985. Having previously been refurbished for use in San Francisco, 122 only needed minor work to bring it into service on MATA's opening day. However, in the late 1990s car 122 received a more extensive restoration. Shortly afterward, 122 developed motor problems which kept it in the barn. These problems have been solved and 122 is currently the oldest streetcar in daily service in North America. ;186 - ''Green Dragon'' 186 was built by the St. Louis Car Co. for Dallas Consolidated Electric Street Railway in 1913. The car served for 43 years in Dallas before being retired in 1956, when the streetcar system was abandoned. 186 was stripped of its running gear and electrical wiring and sold to a private individual who used it for a hay barn in far North Dallas. Ed Landrum, one of MATA's founders, acquired the car in 1979 and cosmetically restored it. The Green Dragon was originally displayed in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in
Grand Prairie, Texas Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties of Texas, in the United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It had a population of 175,396 according to the 2010 census, making it ...
. When the museum closed, Landrum removed 186 and donated it to MATA, which restored the Green Dragon to running order in 1989. ;369 - ''Matilda'' 369 was built in 1925 by James Moore, Ltd. for the
Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board The Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB) was a government-owned authority that was responsible for the tram network in Melbourne, Australia between 1919 and 1983, when it was merged into the Metropolitan Transit Authority. It had bee ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia. The W2-class car was in continuous service in Melbourne for six decades before being purchased by MATA in 1986. Matilda arrived in Portland, Oregon, by ship and was then trucked to Dallas. Acquired in running order, Matilda only required cosmetic modifications to give her a more North American appearance. In 2008, the car was equipped with air-conditioning (eight roof-mounted units, powered by an
inverter A power inverter, inverter or invertor is a power electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). The resulting AC frequency obtained depends on the particular device employed. Inverters do the opp ...
hidden under a seat). ;636 - ''Petunia'' Car 636 was part of an order for 25 streetcars for the Dallas Railway Co. from the J. G. Brill Company. Petunia, a "Birney Safety Car," (or
Birney A Birney or Birney Safety Car is a type of streetcar that was manufactured in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s. The design was small and light and was intended to be an economical means of providing frequent service at a lower infrastruc ...
, for short) is named after its designer, Charles O. Birney of the Stone & Webster Co. The design incorporated numerous operational and safety improvements over earlier streetcars that permitted one man operation and thereby allowed street railway companies to reduce their expenses. Birneys were known for their bouncy riding qualities and were never very popular with the Dallas riding public. Nevertheless, 636 ran in Dallas until 1947 when it was replaced by more modern equipment. MATA's Ed and John Landrum, Frank Schultz and Dean Smith designed and built 636's current 8-foot-long truck using parts from the extra Melbourne trucks purchased along with Car 369. MATA later added shock absorbers to smooth out the Birney's characteristic bouncy ride. 636 is the first of the original cars to be equipped with air-conditioning. A single unit was installed in 2007 as a test, with three more units later installed on the roof to provide full cooling. After a collision with a cement truck in mid-2013, 636 was out of service for several months while one end of the car was completely reconstructed. At the same time it received a general overhaul that included new wheels, new roof, and a rewiring of the motor control system. ;754 - ''Betty'' 754, a , , 56-seat streetcar was built in 1926 by
American Car Company The American Car Company was a streetcar manufacturing company based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It was one of the country's leading streetcar builders during the heyday of streetcar operation. Middleton, William D. (1967). ''The Time ...
for Dallas Railway and Terminal Co. It was originally a Peter Witt center entrance car. The DR&T later removed 754's center doors when the company rebuilt each of its Peter Witts for one-man operation. The 754 was on the active DR&T roster until the end of operations in January 1956. Shortly after system abandonment, Ben Carpenter (son of the president of Dallas Railway and Terminal Company from 1927 to 1935) moved 754 to his family's Hackberry Creek Ranch in Irving, Texas, and placed it on concrete blocks. 754 spent its retirement years there serving as a playhouse for the Carpenter children and grandchildren. The family built a miniature town around the car body. When all of his children and grandchildren had grown up, Mr. Carpenter decided it was time to donate the trolley to MATA. 754 was partially restored at EIKON International. On June 21, 2009, 754 was brought by truck to the MATA barn where it was fitted with trucks, AC traction motors, and other various operation components. This car is the first at MATA equipped with AC traction motors and computerized controls. After a lengthy debugging process of 754's electronic control system, the car began regular service in March 2014. ;4614 - ''Margaret''
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
was once the largest operator of PCCs in the world with 745 cars. Eventually only nineteen Toronto PCCs remained and these were used on only one route — the
509 Harbourfront 509 Harbourfront is a Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission and connecting Union Station with Exhibition Loop. History 1990–2012 The 509 Harbourfront began service in 1990 as the "604 Harbour ...
. The Toronto PCC era ended on December 8, 1995, when the last such cars ran on that line. These PCCs were built in 1951 by CC&F (A8 Class) and extensively rebuilt by the TTC in the early 1990s (as A15 Class), making them the equivalent of almost brand-new streetcars. Not wanting to see these last PCCs scrapped, John Landrum helped Tom Twigge, a Toronto Transit Commission employee, form a coalition of trolley museums to save the remaining cars from being scrapped and find new homes for them. MATA bought two cars, 4613 and 4614. 4614 was refit with a left side door and put in service in 2019. No. 4613 still awaits modification and restoration. ;7169 - ''Emma'' 7169 is a Brussels-built single-end Westinghouse All-Electric PCC that was bought by MATA in 2013. Trams from the () were built between 1951 and 1971. The last subtype (7156–7171) were built in 1970 using salvaged components from
Johnstown Traction Company Johnstown Traction Company (JTC) was a public transit system in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, United States. For most of its existence it was primarily a street-railway system, but in later years also operated rubber-tired vehicles. JTC operated t ...
PCC trams. MATA modified the car for their operations, including new left-side doors. The car entered regular service in mid 2015. ;''Miss Daisy'' (no number) Built by the Fairmont Company of
Fairmont, Minnesota Fairmont is a city in and the county seat of Martin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 10,487 at the 2020 census. History Fairmont was platted in 1857. The city was so named on account of its elevated town site. A post office ...
, around the turn of the 20th century. Cars of this type were widely used by railways all over the world for track inspection. Volunteer Richard Fowler donated Miss Daisy to MATA in complete, but not operable condition. Used with a welder trailer and a rail grinder trailer, Miss Daisy enables MATA personnel to perform minor rail repairs.


Cars awaiting restoration

;143 - ''Winnie'' Built as a single-ended PCC (Presidents' Conference Committee) streetcar by
St. Louis Car Company The St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, interurbans, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887 to 1974, based in St. Louis, Missouri. History The St. Louis Car Company ...
in 1945 for (Washington)
DC Transit Streetcars in Washington, D.C. transported people across the city and region from 1862 until 1962. The first streetcars in Washington, D.C., were drawn by horses and carried people short distances on flat terrain; but the introduction of clean ...
. Operated by DC Transit as car 1506 until abandonment of that system in February 1962. Bought by Fort Worth's Marvin and Obediah Leonard for their rail shuttle line from their vast parking lot to their downtown department store's basement station via a 1,400-foot subway. It was rebuilt as a double-ended car and given a more "modernized" appearance in Fort Worth — stainless steel siding and blue roof trim. This modification did not completely conceal its standard PCC design heritage. Old 1506 was renumbered as M&O #2. No. 2 served as a
Tandy Center Subway The Tandy Center Subway operated in Fort Worth, Texas, from February 15, 1963 to August 30, 2002. It ran a distance of and was, during the period of its operation, the only privately owned subway in the United States. History The subway was o ...
car until the line was abandoned on August 30, 2002. Despite modifications to soften the car's lines, it retained a distinctive shape reminiscent of a Winnebago — hence the nickname. In the 2005-2006 timeframe, attempts were made to put Winnie in service, but it had a series of recurring air-conditioning, mechanical and electrical problems. The car was moved off-site after it was decided repairing Winnie was unfeasible given the need for expanding service. ;183 and 189 183 and 189 were built for Dallas Railways in 1913 by St. Louis Car Company. They are typical Stone & Webster designed streetcars, sisters to the operating 186. In 1991, John Landrum discovered the two cars built into a home in Lewisville, a few miles north of Dallas. Since the building was about to be demolished, on January 10, 1994, MATA volunteers went to Lewisville and tore the warehouse down to expose and recover the cars. ;323 323 is a 13-window Stone & Webster "turtleback" type street car built in 1915 as part of an order for 26 such cars for the Northern Texas Traction Company of Ft. Worth. 323 is the only known surviving example of the Stone and Webster "stretch" streetcar. ;4613 (ex-Toronto PCC) See No. 4614 above. 4614 has been refit and put in service, while 4613 still remains in storage.


Former cars

;332 - ''The Morning Star'' 332 is one of four box motors built in the
Northern Texas Traction Company The Northern Texas Traction Company was a subsidiary of Stone & Webster that operated the streetcar system and interurban lines in Fort Worth, Texas. The Northern Texas Traction Company began with the purchase of the City Railway of Fort Worth b ...
interurban railway shops in 1912. When NTT ceased operations in 1934, a farmer near
Granbury, Texas Granbury is a city in and the county seat of Hood County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 10,958, and it is the principal city of the Granbury micropolitan statistical area. Granbury is named after Confede ...
(southwest of Fort Worth) bought 332 and used it for grain storage. John Landrum, MATA's Chief Operating Officer, purchased the car in 1986 and for many years volunteers worked on its restoration in the MATA car barn. However, restoration of the Morning Star was stopped and it was moved off-site in order to make space for the 2015 expansion of service. ;3334 (ex-MBTA 3334, Dallas 612) MATA acquired this double-ended PCC in late 2009. It first operated in Dallas as #612, and was then sold to the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
(MBTA), in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. Most recently, it was in the Lake Shore Electric Railway (museum) collection. After a thorough assessment of the car's condition and structure, the car itself was deemed to unfit for restoration in late May 2017. Years of service on the streets of Boston had left the car structurally unsound and MATA therefore made the hard decision of scrapping the body of the car. Most of the electrical components have been saved, as well as the trucks for use in future restorations of other PCC cars. ; ''G.J. Brill car 166'' After MATA bought car 122 a second Brill car of the same type and age was purchased to provide the 2 car service that the company and the city of Dallas agreed to. The car was almost ready to be put into service but was at the time stored behind a local uptown restaurant as the car barn was still having the roof raised by 7 feet to accommodate the overhead power wires. In the winter of 1985 two children broke into the trolley car and set it on fire, luckily the mechanics of the car remained intact but the electronics and wooden body frame were damaged beyond repair. The parts were salvaged and used as spares on 122, on January 23, 1987 the replacement for 166 arrived that being MATA car 369 Matilda. Mckinney Avenue transit authority shop employee Stevens


Real-time location finder

In late 2014, GPS-based AVL system was installed in the cars, allowing for real-time location information.


See also

* Dallas Streetcar * Transportation in Dallas, Texas * Streetcars in North America


References


External links


McKinney Avenue Transit Authority

M-Line Trolley schedule page
on the DART website {{DEFAULTSORT:Mckinney Avenue Transit Authority Dallas Area Rapid Transit Heritage streetcar systems Streetcars in Texas Railway lines opened in 1989 Heritage railroads in Texas Transportation in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Tourist attractions in Dallas 1989 establishments in Texas