M-Line Trolley
The M-Line Trolley is a heritage streetcar line in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. The trolley line, which has been in service since 1989, uses restored historic streetcar vehicles, as opposed to modern replicas.
The M-Line Trolley operates every day. The line runs along McKinney Avenue between West Village and Klyde Warren Park before leaving McKinney to service the Dallas Arts District. It connects to the DART rail system at on the northern end and on the southern end.
The "M-Line" name was officially adopted in 2002 following the route's expansion beyond McKinney Avenue, but locals sometimes refer to it using its previous "McKinney Avenue Trolley" name. To avoid confusion with the Dallas Streetcar, a separate modern streetcar operating in northern Oak Cliff, M-Line vehicles are typically referred to as "trolleys" or "cars", not "streetcars".
The trolley is operated by the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority, a non-profit organization. The trolley is free to the public thanks to donations, as well as a joint operating subsidy from Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Uptown Improvement District.
History
Metropolitan Dallas had an extensive network of streetcar lines from the late 19th century through 1930s. Before the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority began operations in 1989, the last streetcar ran in Dallas until January 15 1956. Numerous maps of the old trolley routes are available online.During the 1980s, there was a movement to restore streetcar service in Dallas's Uptown neighborhood after some of the original rails were uncovered on McKinney Avenue. Dallas streetcar enthusiast and collector, Ed Landrum and restauranteur, Phil Cobb incorporated the non-profit, McKinney Avenue Transit Authority in 1983 with the intent to return streetcars to historic McKinney Avenue. At 2:08 a.m. on January 14, 1986, exactly 30 years to the minute after the last scheduled streetcar rolled into the barn, MATA signed a lease for the building on Bowen Avenue which was to become their new car barn. New rails were first laid in September 1988 near Hall Street. The initial infrastructure would be in place in the summer of 1989. On July 22, 1989, Dallas saw a return of the streetcar as car 122 broke a celebratory banner.
In 1995, the agency had to fix a subsidence in Cole Avenue causing a dip in the tracks between Hall and Bowen Streets. About 200 feet of track was replaced.
By the late 1990s, it became apparent that the 110-year-old brick pavement on McKinney Avenue could no longer support modern-day car, truck and bus traffic. Repairs began in July 1999 and were completed in December 2000. The street was repaved with concrete brick and most of the old brick was saved for sidewalks and other amenities. Work was done on one lane of the street at a time. Many times the streetcars were rerouted, sometimes with a shoofly. For several months the north loop was inaccessible due to utility work at Allen and McKinney.
First expansion
The first expansion of the system opened in 2002. Both Dallas Area Rapid Transit and MATA desired the streetcar to meet up with DART's CityPlace subway station a few blocks from the route. The first new track for the CityPlace extension was laid on Cole Avenue south of Blackburn in June 2001. In the summer of 2002 while the tracks were being laid, construction crews unearthed history as old center-of-the-street rail from Dallas Railway and Terminal tracks were discovered on Cole Avenue. On May 6, 2002, the extension was opened for the public. It is now possible to ride the DART rail system and get off at CityPlace station and board the streetcar to Uptown. Effective May 6, 2002, all service on the line became free. The extension increased the line's length to. The line was given the name "the M-Line" in the local transit system at this time.Second expansion
MATA founders, Cobb and Landrum, as well as MATA's Board, downtown interests and DART felt that an extension of the trolley line into near downtown would be a good next move. Originally the focus of the expansion planning centered on the West End entertainment area via a right turn from St. Paul onto Ross Avenue to Lamar Street, from Lamar to San Jacinto Street and returning east along San Jacinto to either St. Paul or Olive Street thence north returning to McKinney Avenue. Relocation of electric utility vaults proved too costly and so an expansion task force, headed by MATA board members, Michael Anderson and Otto Wetzel, developed the St. Paul, Federal, Olive route that is currently in use. This alignment was to be built in two separate projects beginning with the original plan for a line to split off from the current line at McKinney and Olive Streets and travel down Olive to the light rail transit mall downtown near Pearl Station. This was to be followed by the St. Paul to Federal alignment. The connection of these two extensions would create the long sought, "downtown loop" for the trolley as well as serving DART via a cross block connection with St. Paul station. The City of Dallas and MATA continued working together to expand the streetcar system past the southern terminus further into downtown. This unique public/private partnership has been one of the hallmarks of the M-Line’s success.Part of the money needed for the expansion was put to voters in the form of a bond. On November 7, 2006, the voters of Dallas approved Proposition One, which asked voters if they would like to approve "The Issuance of $390,420,000 general obligation bonds for street and transportation improvements." The bond was approved 87.4% to 12.6%. Engineering for the project was to follow, with construction planned for 2010.
On Thursday, July 8, 2010, it was announced that the federal government would grant an additional $5 million for the M-Line trolley project, specifically to help complete the downtown loop for the McKinney Avenue trolley line, and the line will be able to run faster, more modern cars and penetrate deeper into downtown.
On May 4, 2015 MATA started running trolleys on the new downtown extension. The line extended past Ross Avenue, making a loop along Federal Street and Olive Street and then reconnecting to the line on McKinney Avenue. The new line formally opened on June 5, 2015 followed by a public celebration event held on June 6, 2015. The event encouraged citizens to ride the free trolley and send pictures via social media for a chance to win one of several prize packages from local businesses. Two dozen other local uptown and downtown businesses participated in the event by offering free samples and discounts.
Future
The rails may one day be connected to the Dallas Streetcar line.Rolling stock
In service
122 - ''Crescent Rose'' or ''Rosie''
Car 122 was built to a standard American design by the J. G. Brill Company of Philadelphia in 1909 for export to Porto, Portugal. Rosie is similar to early streetcars that once operated in Dallas. 122 was retired from service on the Porto streetcar system in 1978, and was brought to the U.S. in the early 1980s by Gales Creek Enterprises, of Oregon, purchased by Portland businessmen Bill and Sam Naito for possible use on a then-proposed heritage streetcar line in Portland. GCE refurbished it at the Oregon Electric Railway Museum for use, on loan, in the first San Francisco Historic Trolley Festival, in summer 1983, and car 122 operated intermittently in service on San Francisco's Market Street in that year; it was painted yellow-and-cream, the colors of its sponsor in the Trolley Festival, Eastman Kodak. In fall 1984, No. 122 was sold to MATA, and it arrived in Dallas around the beginning of 1985. Having previously been refurbished for use in San Francisco, 122 only needed minor work to bring it into service on MATA's opening day. However, in the late 1990s car 122 received a more extensive restoration. Shortly afterward, 122 developed motor problems which kept it in the barn. These problems have been solved and 122 is currently the oldest streetcar in daily service in North America.In July 2020, MATA unveiled an extensive restoration of Car 122 to preserve and restore its distinctive woodwork, stained glass, and metalwork.
186 - ''Green Dragon''
186 was built by the St. Louis Car Co. for Dallas Consolidated Electric Street Railway in 1913. The car served for 43 years in Dallas before being retired in 1956, when the streetcar system was abandoned. 186 was stripped of its running gear and electrical wiring and sold to a private individual who used it for a hay barn in far North Dallas. Ed Landrum, one of MATA's founders, acquired the car in 1979 and cosmetically restored it. The Green Dragon was originally displayed in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Grand Prairie, Texas. When the museum closed, Landrum removed 186 and donated it to MATA, which restored the Green Dragon to running order in 1989.369 - ''Matilda''
369 was built in 1925 by James Moore, Ltd. for the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board in Melbourne, Australia. The W2-class car was in continuous service in Melbourne for six decades before being purchased by MATA in 1986. Matilda arrived in Portland, Oregon, by ship and was then trucked to Dallas. Acquired in running order, Matilda only required cosmetic modifications to give her a more North American appearance. In 2008, the car was equipped with air-conditioning.636 - ''Petunia''
Car 636 was built in 1920 as part of an order for 25 streetcars for the Dallas Railway Co. from the J. G. Brill Company. Petunia, a "Birney Safety Car," is named after its designer, Charles O. Birney of the Stone & Webster Co. The design incorporated numerous operational and safety improvements over earlier streetcars that permitted one man operation and thereby allowed street railway companies to reduce their expenses. Birneys were known for their bouncy riding qualities and were never very popular with the Dallas riding public. Nevertheless, 636 ran in Dallas until 1947 when it was replaced by more modern equipment. MATA's Ed and John Landrum, Frank Schultz and Dean Smith designed and built 636's current 8-foot-long truck using parts from the extra Melbourne trucks purchased along with Car 369. MATA later added shock absorbers to smooth out the Birney's characteristic bouncy ride.636 is the first of the original cars to be equipped with air-conditioning. A single unit was installed in 2007 as a test, with three more units later installed on the roof to provide full cooling.
After a collision with a cement truck in mid-2013, 636 was out of service for several months while one end of the car was completely reconstructed. At the same time it received a general overhaul that included new wheels, new roof, and a rewiring of the motor control system.