The Texas Traction Company, better known as the
Interurban, went into operation in July of 1908. It pretty much followed the
route of the Houston & Texas Central railroad from Denison to Dallas. A
rider could take the Interurban to Dallas and then connect with other
routes to Denton, Ft. Worth, Cleburne, Waco, Corsicana, and Terrell. At the
time it was the largest Interurban system in the country. It was
discontinued on December 3, 1948.
In McKinney it entered on
the west side of Pecan Grove Cemetery and veered west following Kentucky
Street to the courthouse square. The station was just south of Louisiana
Street. There was an Interurban garage north of the square just south of the
old library and a power station north of town near the old Ashburn
hospital/Job Corp facility.
The first railroad came to Collin County in 1872.
This was the Houston & Texas Central that came up from Houston and
continued to the Red River. Richardson and Plano moved to the tracks. The
town was Allen was created by the railroad as a watering station. The line
went through McKinney. The towns of Melissa, Anna, and Van Alstyne were
created by the railroad. Parts of the tracks are still in use. The Dallas
Area Rapid Transit will use these tracks to Plano.
See
McKinney
for a newspaper article about the arrival of the first
train to McKinney.
The next railroad was the
East Line and Red River,
also known as the Sherman, Shreveport, and Southern. It reached McKinney in
1886. It went from Jefferson to McKinney, through Farmersville and Lowry
Crossing, and created the town of Princeton. It was discontinued in the
1941. The tracks east of Farmersville are still in use.
See Eastline for
a history of the railroad.
The Gulf Colorado & Santa Fe came to Collin
County in 1886-87. It entered the county at Wylie, going through Clear Lake
and Copeville, exiting at Farmersville, and continuing on to Paris. It created the town of Sachse.
The town of Nickelville moved to the tracks and changed its name to Wylie.
It is still in use.
The St. Louis Southwestern, better known as the
Cotton Belt, came through the county in 1886-87. The towns of Renner,
Murphy, and Josephine were created by it. Nevada moved to the tracks. The
railroad
went through Renner, Plano, Murphy, Wylie, Lavon, Nevada and Josephine and
on to Greenville. The
tracks east of Wylie have been removed. The Kansas City Southern built
a rail yard and shipping hub in Wylie along this line.
The St. Louis San Francisco & Texas, called the
Frisco, came through Collin County in 1902, creating the towns of Prosper
and Frisco. Celina moved to the tracks. It is still in use.
The Greenville Northwestern was part of the Greenville-Whitewright Northern
Traction Company. It was supposed to go from Greenville to Gainesville. The
section from Anna to Blue Ridge, going through Westminster, was all that was
constructed. It opened in 1914 and was discontinued in 1920.
Allen Station
Texas Electric Railway Station
