Cowtown Underground: Exploring the old M&O subway tunnel

The Star-Telegram's Gordon Dickson delves deep into Fort Worth's history by taking a journey beneath downtown into the subway tunnel that use to transport residents and shoppers from a parking lot near the Trinity River to Leonards Department Store and later RadioShack headquarters downtown.
By Gordon Dickson
Video by Rick Press, Clif Bosler and David Kent.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

[@Lee-kt9ww]

And it was FREE to ride! And parking in the parking lots were free. Those were great times!

[@cristianhernandez1045]

They need to bring this back, including the ice skating

[@casey3713]

Am I crazy or did I go ice skating there as a child? I was born in 88

[@StumpyVanLife]

@@casey3713 Tandy Center was in operation until around 2002. Not sure if the skating rink made it that long, but it might have. I was born in 73 and have many found memories of visiting the Tandy Center. We would go about once a month and ride the subway!

[@asellers98]

takes me back to when I use to ride it as a kid to go ice skating in the Tandy Building.

[@Vee_3013]

This place has such great memories. My parents went as kids and then we all went together. It was such a magical place, from the subway ride to the ice skating rink. We’d visit Santa every year. Looking at this makes me tear up a bit from pure nostalgia. I wish it still existed so I could take my son.

[@jerriecarpenter4828]

I agree. I wish we still had this. I loved riding the subway.

[@gittemal]

Finally found information on this subway! My grandfather used to always take me here during the summer of 1969 as I was visiting from New Orleans. I was only 3 years old at the time. Don't know how I remember this!

[@ghostrider2664]

I used to love taking the subway to Tandy center.used to meet girls there for dates. Good times. looks like it's long gone now. Wish this could've been preserved

[@yvonneovercast5864]

It takes me back to when i was a kid. My Dad drove these subway cars for Tandy and then retired. Its been along time. Thank you for publishing this video.

[@ray817oneDEEP]

I worked for him

[@garyprather251]

I use to ride that subway from the parking lot to the Tandy Center when I was younger.

[@edhall9656]

As a child Leonards at Christmas was magic

[@deborahj4976]

Great memories of growing up when life was so easy. There wasn’t a trip downtown unless you rode the subway if just for the turn around 👏🏻🤓

[@trqP82wVeUMBcSCGDnv79m]

I'm very happy that you guys covered this, I remember riding on the train just one time when I was young.

[@RichardBinder-dx7fk]

Im a proud TCC graduate. I took all my classes at Trinity River Campus, the old Radio Shack headquarters. Great place to attend .

[@teriross3779]

I remember riding that subway. My grandparents lived in Burleson, and Grandma would go to Leonard's. Not very often, but it was definitely memorable for me as a kid.

[@gunnyu.s.m.c8606]

I'm 55 and I remember my dad used to take me there on Saturdays my granny worked for the lenard Brothers, and oh yes subway ride🤗 we always parked the furthest so the ride would be longer, I can remember when they hung 🎅 and the raindeer we're hung on the walls of the tunnel you would see as the subway passed, then Tandy center was built with ice rink, I would go there just to ride the subway walk around watching people crash and burn trying to ice skate 😂 thanks for sharing, my compliments sir, the tunnel was longer of course because you couldn't see either end.

[@michaelmartinez3674]

Say gunny I'm 55 also and I remember being allowed to ride up front with the conductor going in and out. The screeching echo always gave me an eerie feeling that we were going to be trapped. Then seeing the light at the end.

[@smalldollars]

I used to ride this as a child.. I went to the daycare/preschool there when mom worked at the Tandy center

[@TheMacGuy2]

Thanks for producing this video. I live in the Metro DC area, where the cars came from, but was never able to get to Dallas-Ft. Worth and ride it. I only saw photos in Black and White. Hooray for KZbin and you!

[@leisacooksey2281]

I remember riding the Subway. I thought it was so fun! My Aunt would take me. I was 4 and it was 1969.

[@jetdoctn]

Rode this subway more times than I could count, it was a blast.

[@MichaelSmith-xo6li]

I used to ride these rail cars daily go to work. I used to work in the Tandy Center in the food court. I was that cute handsome guy. So if you remember me. LOL

[@txxxvvvttt]

Thanks much for this video! Our family made good use of the subway from when it first opened. Pleasant memories.

[@michaelhansen4300]

In mid 60s lived in Hurst,for a year, we took this subway several times to go into downtown to the dept.store complex and shopping from a almost out of town parking lot. Loved the trip it was fun loved it , great memories.

[@jppalmer3434]

Wish they’d bring it back

[@MidnightAspec]

That's so fascinating. Thank you for sharing.

[@robertsilva8097]

Hello to everyone from California USA

[@MisterMikeTexas]

I remember when Tandy Center partnered with the Tarrant County Justice Center across the street. In the 90s, and early 2000s, when I was called to jury duty, jurors got to park out in the Tandy Center lots, and ride the subway to the Tandy Center. Then, if there was time, grab some breakfast burritos and glazed cinnamon danishes in the food court with a cup of joe. Then it was a simple walk across the street to the Center. Most of my court assignments were in that building. It was a treat for jurors. I remember riding that subway to Leonard's as a 5 and 6 year old when my family went shopping downtown.

[@johnlynn3225]

Next question is whether the Tandy center is still intact

[@subwaymark]

Awesome Video, I would love to visit this subway!!

[@Kihidokid]

subwaymark it's been sealed with concrete and grass

[@SouthPadreMusicTv]

That's awesome history!

[@timfarmer648]

Lived in TEXAS my whole life. Road it on field trips, with my dad, with my grandparents. Damn thing was fast too. 🤠😂🤣😂

[@bonniecastillo322]

I used to ride that subway all the time to Leonards in the early 70’s back before Tandy center was even thought of.

[@robertsilva8097]

Thank you for the Great video

[@d.b.2812]

Rode it many times with my grandfather.

[@johnclower945]

The M & O replaced the buses which used to transport people from the parking lot to Leonards.

[@smokegodnemo7984]

We had a subway system my generation will never know

[@shanerogers2835]

I used to ride that subway every day when I was a kid . My mom worked for " Eds" bank I had to go to the " y.m.c.a." before school. That was back in 1980 through 1985

[@robertsilva8097]

Keep up the Great work

[@HipPocketMemories]

I remember waiting for the subway at one of those shelters with my mother and sister and riding it through the tunnel to Leonards in the mid 1960s.

[@rwhitenight]

Boy, does that take me back :-)

[@AmadOwns]

😪

[@johnjennings9023]

Amazing

[@nielspemberton59]

Extended at both ends and you have a new light rail line.

[@mssnip69]

Every time I went downtown, I rode the subway. It just made parking easier. My first time was for jury duty. Once you got off, you had signs you could follow to the court house.

[@thesilentworld9556]

I loved to ride that subway from the parking lot to Leonard's then Tandy Center close to ice skating rink. No more free parking in downtown anymore due to Mayor Betsy PRICE smelled the money to tax everything from Will Roger parking lots and everything parking in downtown Fort Worth and 7th West St.

[@jacobmccaslin5140]

I remember I used to go with my grandma when I was a kid and we use to walk around and go into the stores in the 2000s I forget when the shut it down

[@hopeodell859]

Why did they shut it down

[@kahunamedia9965]

Thanks for making this! That must have been a pretty special opportunity to go into those spooky old tunnels.

[@DarkStarPDX]

What happened to the vehicles?

[@andyanderson8383]

Yep, rode that subway to Tandy Center to go next door to the Tarrant County courthouse.

[@victorbailey6233]

It's a shame that it's gone

[@daveunknown3799]

rode that many times with my grandmother Leatha Cox Sisk.

[@robertsilva8097]

KZbin recommended your channel to me

[@Bbg647]

I’m here because in my dream I ask where was I and the lady in my dream reply and I had to look it up in its true this place is real 😮

[@davidcarper5411]

The space for Leonard's was huge unsure of where it was though

[@goldenstarmusic1689]

They should totally bring this back as a campus shuttle!

[@GnonplussedGnome]

We rode on it when it opened up.

[@tomg1776]

Nice adventure - I road it before it was closed down . . You were very unprepared with proper portable flood lighting instead of four Radio Shack spot flashlights from 1980 - pun intended

[@JoeFlation]

love to see the history. too bad that can be brought back to life, even if only for historical usage

[@ray817oneDEEP]

Was it downstairs with the foodcourt?

[@albertovasquez5772]

why did they close it

[@stardog2779]

Is this the place that led to that inside mall

[@were2baby134]

It used to go all the way to the old Montgomery Wards

[@maxmullen6337]

I don't understand the comment the world's only privately ownly subway. The early London subways were all privately owned, in the sense they were owned by a private company. The first London subway opened in 1863.

[@NessLow]

She meant to say only privately owned in the United States.

[@LarryRobinsonintothefog]

Road the subway many a time when work for Radio Shack.

[@North_Texas_Railfan]

(Please reply) is the Tandy Center still here? Not the subway, the building

[@NessLow]

No its been long gone they took it down and replaced it now called City Place I remember going there like a couple times too when I was a little kid remember ice skating rink.

[@North_Texas_Railfan]

Oh. Does City Place look like how the Tandy Center used to look like?

[@NessLow]

TREFan120 no it looks all diffrent you can see how it looks like on a few websites.

[@North_Texas_Railfan]

Just one more question: is the station the wasbinside the building still there (what there’s left)?

[@NessLow]

What's left is the underground area and the two platforms where people would wait to get on the subway. I know if you do a google street view of City Place you can make it go back to 2007 when it was still there.

[@mike42ohio]

So what's beyond the concrete wall?

[@jaylucien669]

dirt

[@wonderhomie2011]

The tunnel entrance was there. Covered over now.

[@Iam_Telesha]

I road on the at in the 80s and think part of early 90s

[@gradyfry4691]

😢

[@michaelyork3198]

My dad worked for Tandy. I remember riding the Subway to "kidnap" him to take him to lunch. He was always surprised to see us. Then we would use it go to the Library. It was a sad day for us when it shut down. It was fun to ride

[@Wellch]

what if the place was haunted after all.

[@MrSw9guy]

I've never heard that it was haunted. Looks like it could be though ... LOL

[@lawsonryan24]

this is just raccoon city from resident evil

[@dmanjones7946]

What I learned from this video: Urban exploring is fine, as long as rich hereditary oligarchs do it with the press filming.

[@istankimjong-unbutcantstan3398]

5:05 The Backroom into the tunnel.