H8S 4 LIFE

The Kroger at West 20th in The Heights was originally a Weingarten's (the whole strip including the Walgreen's portion) then contracted to just the footprint as it is now. After Weingarten's got out of the grocery biz in '84 it was changed to a Safeway. That lasted until AppleTree and then as it is now as Kroger's. Kroger on West 43rd started off the same way, as a Weingarten's, then Safeway, then AppleTree, then Kroger, now a parking lot with the big Kroger next door to the original store. The furniture store at West Lil' York and the Northwest Fwy was indeed a Safeway originally. It became an AppleTree, then a Kroger, then closed and became a couple of different furniture outlets over the years. There was an AppleTree/Safeway at West Mt. Houston (Hwy 249) and Bingle that is still vacant to this day, I believe. I haven't been by there in quite awhile but it had not been occupied since AppleTree last I drove by. Also, there was a Safeway/AppleTree at West Gulf Bank and Bingle. It too, never became another grocer after AppleTree and sat vacant for several years until some company bought it and made it into a warehouse as it is now. IIRC, the grocery store in the same strip as Furr's Cafeteria at North Freeway between West Dyna and Aldine Bender was a Safeway as well. I don't remember it ever making a transistion to AppleTree, so that may be a mistake. It was either Safeway or Randall's. The Rice Epicurean on lower Westheimer was indeed a Safeway/AppleTree. Not sure about Dunlavy and W. Alabama.

Yes there was. In the same strip as Hungry Farmer. I don't recall Shakey's though. That Alfie's location lasted up until the early 90's.

As most of you know, Greenspoint Mall has had plans for a few years now to re-work the mall and try to reattract people to the area. Sears announced it was closing its Greenspoint location in March, and is on its last legs as I write this. I passed Greenspoint Mall today heading to work and was surprised to see the former JC Penney's store is now demolished. I spoke with our police officer/security this morning, who is stationed at the GP substation and he indicated that the Sears store and auto center are the next one's to be demo'ed, followed by the Montgomery Ward's old store (which is currently being used to train departing KBR contractors heading to Afghanistan and Iraq). Macy's is getting a complete overhaul, which is desperately needed now that they have destroyed what once was a beautiful Foley's store. JC Penney's former site is to house a 20 screen movie theater in which construction is set to begin this summer. From what I gathered yesterday, MW's store will be an open air concert venue, Sears is a big question mark. Considering it is the only one story department store in the mall, something tells me that Burlington Coat Factory across I-45 on Greens Rd. may be moving into the mall itself. If you want to take one last look at the old girl, you better hurry. Now that the demolition has begun, it sounds like they are going to move quickly on the long awaited plan for resurrection of the mall.

I work in the Greenspoint area as some of you know, and have been watching the demise of GP for quite a few years now. I too remember when Greenspoint mall was the measuring stick compared to all others. Someone made the reference to Greenspoint being more like NW Mall than Sharpstown. This was true when GP first opened in 76. The first two anchors in GP were Sears and Foley's, much like NW Mall was JC Penney's and Foley's. That didn't last very long at all as it was just a couple of years later that Joske's was added to GP then Montgomery Wards, Penney's, and Lord & Taylor's. GP far surpassed NW Mall in a very short amount of time. In my recollection, Greenspoint Mall died the day the City of Houston put the 56 Metro line to Greenspoint. The person that posted the pics of the center court has a pretty good idea of what it looked like internally, of course what mall didn't have that decor in the 70's? There was a huge balcony above the food court that allowed you to gaze down on shoppers while they made their way down the corridor. I made a trip over to Sears last week to see what all the hub-bub was about. It is flat being wiped out. Without Sears, GP Mall is driving in the final nail in the coffin. Dillard's has some very strange hours. Some days it opens at 10am, others at noon, and some days it just doesn't open at all. Macy's has taken a once beautiful Foley's store and "Sand Dollared" it. I had the opportunity to go into the JC Penney's box (GP Event Center). Nothing has been done to the interior of the old store whatsoever. It is unused by anyone at this point, other than for storage purposes. It was only used for events on a couple of occasions. KBR is still using the old Montgomery Ward's store for processing contract workers heading to Afghanistan and Iraq. But for how much longer? We are already hearing word of that concluding sometime before year's end. A movie theater? Really? While there are NO theaters in GP anymore, I am in agreement that this will probably not be the best ROI. Greens Crossing couldn't even make it as a $1 theater, and the GP 5 closed in the mid 90's due to violence.

Best of luck to you in finding additional information on the Katy line. It holds a special place in my heart, and I'm sure others that grew up watching that train chugging along through the Heights. It's getting harder and harder to see where the MKT's ROW was with every year that passes.

The Hempstead Hwy spur past Dacoma was abandoned in the 80's. Late 80's as I recall. The track remained connected to the main line until the mid 90's, but sat unused. I'm not sure exactly when the disconnected it from the main line, but it was around 1997. This is also about the time that the 11th street Katy spur was disconnected from the mainline of the Katy. Let me tell you, those wig-wags were really cool to me as a boy, especially at night. Even now in my older years, I wish I had one of them for my very own. Another relic that is slowly fading away. You are right about the closeness of the road, at least now. Keep in mind, Old Katy Rd. was widened quite a bit after the tracks were removed and the subsequent expansion of I-10 itself. It also was shortened way down to that little section of Old Katy from Hempstead Hwy. to Post Oak. You may be too young to remember it, Tiger, but Old Katy Rd used to keep going...well to Katy. Later on it dead-ended, I think, at Kirkwood. Where that two lane road used to be is approximately the far right lane of the westbound feeder and the grass median next to it. The tracks were definitely where the feeder runs now. Abandonment of the MKT line used by the Union Pacific was in 1997. The year after they acquired Southern Pacific and the double line running parallel with Washington Avenue. Like you stated, this was done due to the tracks redundancy with the SP line. They also removed the switch yard at Harvard on the SP line that same year. Not sure what specific date the Katy line was taken out of use, but it was abandoned in the spring. I remember it being rather hot weather as they began to remove the rails. The line from Katy-Hockley to 610 was removed first. They left the rail up to I-610 for about 2 months as they cleared the switch yard behind Cottage Grove. Once this was done, and the tracks of the yard were reconfigured this small section was also removed and the line was curved and connected to the UP main at tower 13. The rails were then removed from the Heights to Downtown within the next 2 months. The last part of the old Katy line was not removed until Enron Field was built. They sat there abandoned for a couple of more years, and there is still one small section of Katy ROW just east of downtown. It is paved over at Dowling, but the tracks are still there, as well as some of the older warning signals. At least those that haven't been heisted. If you have the time, take a trip to the East End and go S. on Dowling. You will cross the Katy line just before McKinney. Turn left on McKinney and the track will run directly to your left until it CROSSES McKinney just before Sampson St. Now, the track has been removed just before McKinney. It will be obvious where the track once ran, as there is an incline still left in McKinney. As you'll see, the ROW runs clear under I-45 and beyond. Not sure where all the track used to go after it crossed under 45 south.

Better yet, here are several pics of the wig-wag at National St. at Washington Avenue. This is the exact type of wig-wag used all along the SP route, and the various Katy crossings. http://www.trainweb.org/dansrailpix/houston9.jpg http://www.trainweb.org/dansrailpix/houston7.jpg http://www.trainweb.org/dansrailpix/houston4.jpg http://www.trainweb.org/dansrailpix/houston3.jpg

Iron Tiger: the following link illustrates the type of wig-wags that were used. Pics 1&2 are the same type, pic 5 down on the BNSF (the one in Vista, Ca.) is an exact model of the one I am thinking of that was on Witte. This type of wig-wag was also on several crossings along the SP line just south parralleling Washington. I believe the last wig-wag in Houston was located on National St. behind the metal recylcers. It was replaced sometime in the late 90's. http://www.trainweb.org/dansrailpix/WIG_WAG_photos1.htm

Yep, that's the one. It had two warning lights at one time, but a few years after SP abandoned the spur someone ran into it and knocked it over. It sat on the ground in pieces for another year before someone finally came along and discarded it. The spur was dedicated to the line of warehouses just east of Hempstead Hwy, and you may be right about the brewery. I can not attest to that. Nice pic of the wig-wags. Those kind were never in Houston to the best of my knowledge. The wig wags we had here were standard cross hatches with a simple round one bulb lit wig wag swinging from beneath. No type of "piping" around it like illustrated in your pic. Where are those wig-wags located in your pic? I've seen quite a few variations of these warning signals, but your picture is a new type to me. They must not have had any of these down here in Houston. 7th street never had any type of warning device. It was always a simple cross hatch attached to a metal pole. One of both sides of the track. Certainly had to pay attention crossing 7th, Harvard, or Cortlandt since you couldn't see around the curve, and the engineers didn't just lay on the horns as they went through the Heights. It was always a quick "toot, toooot" and done. The engines at that time didn't have the amount of lights on it that they do now either. A single bright white light at the top of the cab was about it. Wish I knew where there were any of the old MKT engines still in operation. I haven't seen one in years. Back to the signals of the Katy, only the main thoroughfares such as Heights, Yale, etc. were lit. Do you see how close the tracks were to the surface street of 7th? It was always a little nerve racking when the Katy chugged by you within arms reach.

At least they had gates. A lot of the crossings on the Katy had nothing but the cross hatches. Others had warning lights, but no gate. Coming from Downtown, Houston Ave. was warning lights only, Taylor was lights only, every street between the two had hatches. White Oak was originally lights only, but switched to gates sometime in the early 90's after UP took over. Heights was gated, but Cortlandt, Harvard, Arlington, Columbia, and Oxford were all hatches. Yale was gated, Shepherd was gated, Kansas was lights only. 610 feeder was gated, Post Oak was too. I think all the main streets crossing 10 had gates, but it seems like Witte was the one with the wig-wag. I can't remember. There was one intersection right there that had the wig-wag, but I'm not certain it was Witte. Whatever that street is right before Academy on the opposite side of the freeway may have been the one I'm thinking of. The thing I didn't like about MKT's crossing signals is that as soon as the train passed, the gates and warning signals shut completely off. As they raised they were dark, and there were occasions that the gate would get stuck, and with no lights blinking someone would fly down one of the streets and take the gate with them. I saw this at night on Heights Blvd. on more than one occassion. That and the fact that most of their warning signals were still there from when they were installed back in the 40's and 50's. Take a drive down Hempstead Highway sometime. Just past Dacoma, you will see one of the old style warning lights on the SB side of the Highway, which once led to a warehouse spur. This is what most all crossings of the MKT had for warning signals. The only other rail I've ever seen with warning devices as ancient as that are the ones that grace the old line parralleling Hwy 3 to Galveston. Now that UP owns that line, I have noticed that rail's signals are slowly but surely being replaced as well. For the younger folks in the crowd imagine, if you will, the amount of traffic Interstate 10 has on it at about 5pm every weekday. Then run a slow moving train across every single intersection parralleling I-10, disallowing any traffic from moving northbound until the train passed. Now, picture this happening every singal day without fail. If you think I-10 is bad now, I have some stories that you would never believe. Picture cars bumper to bumper from I-10 clear down to Memorial at some more heavily travelled streets like Gessner. Best thing that ever happened to Spring Branch was losing the Katy line next to I-10.

Yep, this is true. Happened to the long bridge over White Oak Bayou on more than one occassion. Never seen the overpass of Studewood subject to any firebug, but the White Oak Bayou bridge was set on fire twice that I can recollect. Back in the 70's, a boy was trying to beat the train across Heights Blvd. and 7th street. He tripped over the grade and fell straight across the tracks. Amputated both of his legs. This, and the head on collision in '89 were the two biggest tragedies that I can remember from the Katy line. Worst train wreck involving a vehicle was in the 80's at Bingle Road and I-10. Passenger truck was stuck across the rails in traffic when the gates lowered. He had no where to go and the train plowed into him. He ended up all the way down to the driveway for the business park some 1/4 mile down the track. It was after that incident that Katy Freeway's traffic signal were set to blink red once the railroad warning gates activated. I had a cousin that lived on Frazier St. just off of White Oak. The track ran basically right next to his house, so when we'd visit him and my aunt and uncle, we'd sneak off to the track and lay down objects for the train to run over. Many nickels and pennies met their flattening fate on the MKT rail. Had we been caught, our fate would have been a long switch to the rear. Ah, but I still fondly look back at times like that as the good old days.

The bridges in the Heights are still there. The ones that paralleled I-10, to the best of my knowledge are gone. There was a long tressel over BW8 at Town & Country (concrete) which was removed, and one just past Bingle (it was a wooden one) that is also gone. The bridges over the bayou, Studewood and under I-45 are all still the original wooden bridges used my the MKT, just updated to accomodate the hike trail.

This video is crossing Waverly at 7th.

Boy how I remember that MKT line running through the Heights. One of the slowest trains I have ever witnessed. They ran through the Heights at about 5mph, or at least it seemed. The Hike and Bike Trail that runs through there now is exactly the ROW for the old line from N. Shepherd to Houston Avenue. It ran parrallel with 7th until it curved at Cortlandt, at which point it ran straight ahead past White Oak and then on across the Studewood bridge. In 1989 I was there when 2 trains collided head on to each other at that very spot. I was at an old school friend's house visiting when we heard the most God awful "boom". He lived at 10th and Heights in those apartments across the street from the Heights Food Store. (7-11 at that time) We heard it like it was right outside, and went to look. I remember telling Anthony that the train wasn't moving down there on the Katy, and that I bet it was a collision. Sure enough it was. One was coming into the Eureka Yard from DT and the other leaving Eureka heading for town. Somehow, communications between the dispatcher and the two trains got lost and hey met at the curve, ended up derailing 5 cars, and one of those boxcars actually ran into the corner of the house on the left of the track (now trail). It was shortly after that accident that UP decided to abandoned the old Katy line in favor of the SP line a few miles south that basically ran the same route, just without all of the curves. That track did a lot of stranges twists and turns. At Taylor (where Sawyer Heights is now) the track ran directly down the side of the street with the tracks basically in the front yard of those homes along the street. It then crossed Houston Ave, then under 45 along the old Moore Paper Company on Quitman and then through downtown. The old bridge north of downtown, next to the SP line is still there, although abandoned and in bad repair. The Katy continued on north of downtown, under US 59 and dumped out just east of the Union Station, crossing Texas Avenue, Dowling, St. Charles, etc. it then turned to the west (a right hand turn) across McKinney and continued west under 45 and beyond. There are still many remnants of the old Katy line along the way. Tower 13 at far west end of the yard is one of the oldest established towers in Houston, as I recall. Did you know that the bridge over Shepherd that ends just before Merchants Park was built specifically for the MKT? Now that the track is gone, there is no reason whatsoever for that bridge to exist, but of course with the MKT switching from Eureka across Shepherd in the 70's, Shepherd was backed up clear to I-10 on some occassions, while the train went back and forth switching cars. IIRC, the bridge over shepherd was built in 1982. The MKT line had several wig wags on it that are nearly non existent now. Example of that would be the St. Charles crossing, and the McKee St. crossing. It seems like Houston Ave. had wig wags at one time, but were changed to the old elevated warning lights with the cross hatch elevated as well. Those were there until just before MKT sold out to UP, at which time they were changed to the newer type warning signals. Up until about 2 years ago, the original 1950's warning lights were still there at the entrance of the yard and Cottage Grove on Kansas St. Those have now been replaced with the new LED warning lights. One of those Youtube pics show the crossings at Kansas St. with the old 50's style warning lights. Park 10 is indeed at Bark. Cypress and Katy Fwy. It used to look the way it did on the youtube video for many years, that is until the expansion of the Katy Freeway and deletion of Old Katy Road. Now that whole area is drastically different. It doesn't even resemble the Katy Freeway of my younger years. Oh, and the bridges you are referring to used to be there along I-10. Mason, Fry, Barker Cypress all used to go over I-10 instead of under. This way those streets were never affected by the freeway or the slow moving trains. They were all demo'ed for the Katy expansion.

Ah yes, Cal Worthington Chevrolet. He used to be the king of the bad commercial songs, right up there with that horrible Thunderbolt Engine commercial that they have been using for the past 30 years. That's no joke. 30 years, same commercial. If you don't believe it, really watch it sometime. You can still see the big Sears across Harrisburg from it, and that Sears has been gone for somewhere near a quarter of a century. I can still here it now, (and sorry if you get this stuck in your head because of me) "If you want a car or truck, go see Cal. If you want to change your luck, go see Cal. If you want a car or truck, and you want to change your luck, if you need to save a buck, go see Cal." He was on the SW Fwy, but for the life of me can't remember exactly where. Another couple of old dealerships not mentioned were the Hall brothers at 59 Eastex at...Saunders/Jensen? Mike Hall Dodge/Plymouth/Jeep/Eagle and Mort Hall Ford/Lincoln/Mercury. Both demo'ed and the land is now occupied by a Home Depot and strip center. Sam Montgomery Oldsmobile was at the North Fwy at Richey. The car lot is still there, at least all of the concrete is. The buildings are long gone, but the old Sam Montgomery sign remained for many years after it was gone. Tom Peacock, although now a Nissan/Cadillac Dealer was once at Katy Fwy. and Kirkwood. For many years it was Tom Peacock Chevrolet, until he spun it off to his son-in-law Mak Haik. Greenspoint and Northline Dodge, were two more. Greenspoint had been there since at least the 60's as my father's 1968 Plymouth (that I still have today) was purchased from Greenspoint, and had service done to it at Northline Dodge on several occasions. Greenspoint Dodge is now Spyker of Houston, Northline Dodge is now HCC's Mechanic School.

My family used to love Joe Matranga's on Irvington. An intimate Italian restaurant with dim lights and tremendous homemade food. Joe was the kind of guy that would come by the table, ask about your family, and genuinely cared about his patrons. He retired in the late 80's, and closed down. The last time I could recognize the building it was a cantina.

If I'm not mistaken Northwest Mall opened with an Orange Julius in it, next door to present day "Chick-Fil-A". I know for certain it was there in the 70's, and am pretty sure it was an original tenant.