Houston And North Shore Railway Company (H&NS)

[riverrat]

Does anyone remember the last electric interurban built in the U.S. (1927) ?? It was the Houston And Northshore Railway Company (H&NS) which connected Houston with Baytown (Back when it was Baytown, Pelly and Goose Creek). It ran east through Jacinto City, Greens Bayou (just North of Galena Park), Channelview, Highlands, McNair and on to Baytown, passing through the Humble Oil plant (now Exxon Baytown). I never rode it but a lot of people did, especially during WWII, when the Channel industries were booming. There is a great book available at the Baytown Library (possibly County and City also) on the history of this Railway with lots of pictures and history. If you have a thought or question. pls reply.

[gnu]

Does anyone remember the last electric interurban built in the U.S. (1927) ?? It was the Houston Northshore Railway (HNS) which connected Houston with Baytown (Back when it was Baytown, Pelly and Goose Creek). It ran east through Jacinto City, Greens Bayou (just North of Galena Park), Channelview, Highlands, McNair and on to Baytown, passing through the Humble Oil plant (now Exxon Baytown). I never rode it but a lot of people did, especially during WWII, when the Channel industries were booming. There is a great book available at the Baytown Library (possibly County and City also) on the history of this Railway with lots of pictures and history. If you have a thought or question. pls reply.

I am a little too young to remember it much less ride it....but i would have liked to.

i believe this is the book you are thinking of:

http://www.cera-chicago.org/b-133.%20Houst...rth%20Shore.htm

Great book with a lot of pictures. I checked it out of the library several years ago...seems like I got it through the county library and they had to request it from Sterling Municipal Library in Baytown.

I particularly liked the pics of those weird combo bus/streetcars MoPac ran on the line in the 50's and 60's.

The Houston Electric book also has a little information of the HNS. It's a good book too.

http://members.iglou.com/baron/book-info.htm

A few years ago, someone in Highlands found an old streetcar from the line in Channelview and is restoring it. I haven't heard anymore about it though.

[riverrat]

I am a little too young to remember it much less ride it....but i would have liked to.

i believe this is the book you are thinking of:

http://www.cera-chicago.org/b-133.%20Houst...rth%20Shore.htm

Great book with a lot of pictures. I checked it out of the library several years ago...seems like I got it through the county library and they had to request it from Sterling Municipal Library in Baytown.

I particularly liked the pics of those weird combo bus/streetcars MoPac ran on the line in the 50's and 60's.

The Houston Electric book also has a little information of the HNS. It's a good book too.

http://members.iglou.com/baron/book-info.htm

A few years ago, someone in Highlands found an old streetcar from the line in Channelview and is restoring it. I haven't heard anymore about it though.

That is the book. I have also read the second book you referenced. I don't know anything about a restoration project but the HNS book did talk about one of the cars being in a train museum in St. Louis, which is where some of them were made. The combos were called Autorailers. Like many ideas involving merging two technologies, they apparently were not very good railcars OR buses (rough riding) and they were replaced with the Railbuses which were used until the interurban was discontinued in 1961. I grew up about 1/2 mile from the track close to the San Jacinto River crossing and used to walk the trestle to Highlands. Never had any close calls but heard (probably exaggerated) about kids getting caught and having to climb down the pilings to get out of the way.

I just discovered this site...what a great place for us Baby Boomers to reminisce about what for us were the "Good Ol' Days".

Edited January 12, 2006 by riverrat

[s.bucy]

I'm new to this site. I thought I sent something earlier, but I'm not sure it went through. Anyway, I'm in Dallas, Texas. I looking for info. on an area called Greens Bayou that was north west of downtown Houston.

My father lived their as a teenager, in the mid 1940s. The family he lived with where the Clay's. Mrs. Clay owned or managed a nursery (Trees - Plants) in the area. Mr. Clay had been a merchant marine and he built their house, a large log house. My father died a year ago February so I have no other info. . Except my mother said after they married in 1948 they drove down to Houston and stopped by the nursery. She said it was north of Houston and west of the Hwy. from Dallas. I'm guessing what if now Jersey Villiage.

Does the Green Bayou run thru that area? Thanks for any info.

[musicman]

I'm new to this site. I thought I sent something earlier, but I'm not sure it went through. Anyway, I'm in Dallas, Texas. I looking for info. on an area called Greens Bayou that was north west of downtown Houston.

My father lived their as a teenager, in the mid 1940s. The family he lived with where the Clay's. Mrs. Clay owned or managed a nursery (Trees - Plants) in the area. Mr. Clay had been a merchant marine and he built their house, a large log house. My father died a year ago February so I have no other info. . Except my mother said after they married in 1948 they drove down to Houston and stopped by the nursery. She said it was north of Houston and west of the Hwy. from Dallas. I'm guessing what if now Jersey Villiage.

Does the Green Bayou run thru that area? Thanks for any info.

The Green's Bayou i know is northeast of Houston. stretching roughly from Bush Airport to an area east of the 610 loop.