Tandy Center Subway: Difference between revisions

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==History==
==History==


The Tandy Center Subway was originally planned as a light rail shuttle for Leonard's Department Store on the edge of downtown Fort Worth, using a total of 15 [[Presidential Conference Committee|PCC]] streetcars from the [[DC Transit System]] in Washington, DC, built between the 1930s and 1940s.
The Tandy Center Subway was originally planned as a light rail shuttle for Leonard's Department Store on the edge of downtown Fort Worth, using a total of 15 [[Presidential Conference Committee Streetcar|PCC]] streetcars from the [[DC Transit System]] in Washington, DC, built between the 1930s and 1940s.


In 1967, the Tandy Corporation purchased the department store, it's parking lots and the subway.  Later, the Tandy Corporation razed the department store, and built its headquarters and a shopping mall at the base of the center, while retaining the subway.  By 1978, the cars were rebodied, although keeping the original chassis and electrical and running equipment.  The new image of the vehicles were boxier in nature, looking nothing like they had previously.
In 1967, the Tandy Corporation purchased the department store, it's parking lots and the subway.  Later, the Tandy Corporation razed the department store, and built its headquarters and a shopping mall at the base of the center, while retaining the subway.  By 1978, the cars were rebodied, although keeping the original chassis and electrical and running equipment.  The new image of the vehicles were boxier in nature, looking nothing like they had previously.

Revision as of 14:13, 6 December 2016

The Tandy Center Subway was a privately-owned subway line that operated between the Tandy Center (today known as City Place) and four remote parking lots in between February 15, 1963 and August 30, 2002.

History

The Tandy Center Subway was originally planned as a light rail shuttle for Leonard's Department Store on the edge of downtown Fort Worth, using a total of 15 PCC streetcars from the DC Transit System in Washington, DC, built between the 1930s and 1940s.

In 1967, the Tandy Corporation purchased the department store, it's parking lots and the subway. Later, the Tandy Corporation razed the department store, and built its headquarters and a shopping mall at the base of the center, while retaining the subway. By 1978, the cars were rebodied, although keeping the original chassis and electrical and running equipment. The new image of the vehicles were boxier in nature, looking nothing like they had previously.

In 1995, the mall business declined, and on August 30, 2002, the Tandy Center Subway ceased operation.

From the closure, one streetcar was purchased by the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority of Dallas, which operated the car on its heritage streetcar line until the mid-2000s. As of 2012, it is in storage.[1]

Also, in April 1982, the first car to run the line in 1963, named "Leonard's Number 1", was saved from being dismantled by a Tandy Computer programmer and put into storage for at least 25 years. It was then donated to the Leonard's Museum in 2007.[2] Some other cars went to North Texas Historical Transportation in Forth Worth.[3]

At it's period of operation, the Tandy Center Subway was the only known privately owned subway in the United States.

Operating fleet

This list is incomplete, you can help!

Fleet number(s) Thumbnail Year Manufacturer Model Motors Notes
Unknown numbers 1930s-1940s St. Louis Car Company PCC

Further reading

References

<references>

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandy_Center_Subway Wikipedia article: Tandy Center Subway
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandy_Center_Subway Wikipedia article: Tandy Center Subway
  3. http://www.jtbell.net/transit/FtWorth/ Jon Bell - Fort Worth, Texas: Tandy Subway
  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxn0sLdHNrQ You Tube - 20020812 FTW Tandy Subway's Last Days.wmv