Katy Comin’ ‘Round the Bend — 1908
by Paula Bosse
M-K-T approaching…
by Paula Bosse
I love this photo — taken not far from where I grew up — showing an MKT train waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out in the country. A. C. Greene’s caption, from his book Dallas, The Deciding Years:
The Katy approaches Dallas. This spot would be near Mockingbird Lane and Greenville today. It was taken about 1908.
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Here’s another photo, circa 1940s — SMU buildings can be seen in the distance.
And the caption to this photo, from the book The Park Cities: A Walker’s Guide and History by Diane Galloway and Kathy Matthews:
SMU as it was in the early forties can be seen in the distance as the Missouri-Kansas-Texas #379 Train No. 2 “Texas Special” speeds by northbound, approaching Greenville Avenue overpass. This particular day the train has a “pusher” because it was over ten cars long.
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Below, a couple of helpful maps showing the general area (click to see larger images).
1952 Mapsco
Google Maps
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I’m just going to imagine the dearly departed Dr Pepper plant in the background. I grew up very close to here, and I would lie awake in bed as a child and hear train whistles a few blocks away. Even though the railroad tracks across Mockingbird, just east of Central, were removed several years ago, I automatically slow down when I drive across where they had been, still expecting to drive over the raised rails.
I sound old. (Am I old?) No, I’m not old! (…Am I?) Hmm. Maybe it’s time to start handing out ribbon candy to the neighborhood children who fetch my hat pins, lye soap, and a bolt of gingham from the sundries counter of the dry goods store in town.
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Sources & Notes
First photo and caption from Dallas, The Deciding Years by A. C. Greene (Austin: Encino Press, 1973).
Second photo (from the DeGolyer Library, SMU) and caption appeared in the book The Park Cities: A Walker’s Guide and History by Diane Galloway and Kathy Matthews.
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Copyright © 2014 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.
Marvelous photo. My grandfather and great-grandfather worked in the Dallas Katy offices about this time. Unfortunately, they didn’t leave much of a story behind so, finding contemporary pictures are always a treat.
It’s a shame that many of us have such tenuous ties to the past — myself included. Thanks for reading, Gus!
More to this…Google Tower 35. Great history of the area!
The Katy train photo has been truncated from the original. The original shows the entire train and a football stadium in the distance on the left.
I recommend interested readers to buy Steve Goen’s book “Passenger Trains of Texas: the Katy.” It was just released from the printer a week ago. Lots of Dallas and Highland Park photos including the one posted! Order from:
https://texaszephyrpublishing.com/
Thanks! I tried to find this photo in the SMU database. It helps a little knowing the photo has been cropped. If I don’t find it, I may have to break down and buy the book!
There’s a neat story in Steve’s book about a Dallas businessman who would frequently board a northbound Katy train, eat supper in the dining car, get off at Greenville, and return home that evening aboard a southbound Katy train. Newspaper wrote about this story.
Here’s the original photo. Well, almost the entire train is captured on film.
https://digitalcollections.smu.edu/digital/collection/rwy/id/19/rec/14
Thank you!