Texas railroads. (original) (raw)

Texas Railroads were unquestionably the biggest economic force in Texas after the Civil War and before the discovery of oil. Towns were born, nurtured or killed at the whim of railroad planners.

In this feature we examine the locomotives and perhaps some of the loco motives behind the planning. After the early immigrations, prior to the Civil War, railroads opened up the rest of the state to new groups or to people transmigrating from other parts of the U.S.

Here are railroad stations, steam engines, cabooses and rolling stock. Here are short line railroads, railroad bridges and even a few train wrecks. It's a collection of railroad relics, railroad stories and railroad towns discovered during our statewide research. It's brightly painted heavy metal with a light coat of oil.

The Railroads

The Fredericksburg & Northern Railroad

	The Little Engine That Couldn't by C. F. Eckhardt "... Even after the War, with much improved roads and a much lessened Indian problem, it still took freight wagons the better part of a week to travel from San Antonio to Fredericksburg... The people north and west of San Antonio wanted and needed a railroad..."

• The Fredericksburg Railroad by Michael Barr
  Fredericksburg waited 30 years for the railroad, but when the train arrived it was a day late and a dollar short...
• Railroad in the Red, and Brazilian Bats by Mike Cox
  "Some three million Brazilian free-tailed bats live in the abandoned tunnel from May through October each year, along with a much smaller population of Cave myotis bats."

The Katy Limited, Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway,
Postmark 1911
Old postcard courtesy Dan Whatley Collection

The Fort Worth & Denver South Plains Railway

• It Was That Kind of Railroad by Clay Coppedge
  [P]opular from the early 1900s through the 1940s, mostly along routes that provided service between smaller towns.

Railroad Interlocking Towers

• Railroad Interlocking Towers of Texas by Jim King
  History and photos of the railroad tower.
  Most people referred to these as "signal towers" or "switch towers"

Railroad Stories

	Tracksby Billy B. Smith "I have always loved railroads, both the trains and tracks... One railroad line in particular has been for me an umbilical cord that has connected me to my roots and my life. I have lived close to this line for most of my life. It always reminds me of where I've been and where I could have gone."

• Uncle Dick by Mike Cox

• Roping a Locomotive by Mike Cox

• Early Railroad Trip from San Antonio to El Paso by Mike Cox

• Storms, railroads shape area history by Delbert Trew
  Long before the town of Spearman was born, the settlement of Hansford became the county seat with the winning votes for the election swung by �the use of a three-seated hack and liberal doses of Dodge City tarantula juice.� Their new frame courthouse was nearing completion in 1891 when a cyclone struck...

• Best western was not always best by Delbert Trew
  Until the driving of The Golden Spike in 1869, signaling the coming of The Railroad Age, accommodations along the various trails, stage routes, freight routes and river routes were a tragedy to most travelers.

• Sawyers and Flatheads by Bob Bowman
  In the Northwest, they were called lumberjacks, but in East Texas they were called �sawyers� or �flatheads.� A hardy breed with a broad streak of independence, they were as colorful as they were hard working.

• Trew Ranch hosted Rockledge rail site by Delbert Trew
  From 1900 to 1902, Rock Island Railroad built tracks from Oklahoma to Tucumcari, N.M. From today�s Jericho to Alanreed, the track followed Old Trail�s Ridge, dividing the Salt Fork of the Red River and McClellan Creek watersheds. It also was the early day mail route from Old Clarendon to Mobeetie...

• The Beer Train by Mike Cox
  A wreck blocking the mainline between Austin and San Antonio was bad enough, but this derailment was even worse. Not only had there been casualties, ... the refrigerated cars telescoped on each other held a liquid cargo capable of causing problems. While not explosive or toxic, a trainload of beer could be problematic.

• Area full of historical tidbits by Delbert Trew
  The 1929 train wreck in Twist, Texas

• The Longest Train Ride by C. F. Eckhardt
  "Train #1 of the Gulf & Interstate Railroad, which left Beaumont, Texas, at 7:00 AM on September 8, 1900, to make the run to Port Bolivar, about 85 miles away by modern highway, arrived at Port Bolivar at 11:10 AM, September 24, 1903�three years, sixteen days, and ten minutes late. Some of the original passengers were still aboard..."

• Pioneer Texas railroad system drew snickers by Delbert Trew
  The career of friend Gerald Hook of Russellville, Ark., spanned nearly 40 years in railroading plus he is an avid historian on the subject. Among the more interesting history of railroads is that of the Texas Panhandle. Here are a few tidbits...

• Orphans find homes in West by Delbert Trew
  The Orphan Trains.

• Train travelers owe much to service pioneer by Delbert Trew
  Every traveler today, no matter what mode of travel he prefers, owes a salute to the organizational genius of Fred Harvey. This slender wisp of a man was all gentleman and laid the groundwork and quality goals for travel hospitality, making such trips comfortable, reliable and enjoyable.

• Built it and they will ride it by Archie P. McDonald
  Most motorists traveling down Bremond Street in Houston, Lufkin, and Nacogdoches, or likely any street along US Highway 59 from Houston to north of Nacogdoches, haven't a clue of the debt East Texas owes to Paul Bremond...

• The Conroe, Byspot and Northern: A Tram Railroad That Time Forgot by W. T. Block, Jr.
  The Conroe, Byspot and Northern was never a chartered short-line railroad, but it nevertheless carried on many of the activities typical of a chartered railroad...

• Amarillo Symphony by Mike Cox
  "For all Amarilloans, those whistles � long since replaced by more prosaic air horns � represent the sound of a city�s history."

• Bet-A-Million Gates by Archie P. McDonald
  John Warne Gates, a native of Winfield, Illinois, became associated with three of Texas� most important items: barbed wire, railroads, and oil.

• "Struck on the head by a Locomotive" Early Waco Obituaries 1874-1908.
  Judging by these entries, the good old days didn't quite live up to the reputation.

• Railroads by Archie P. McDonald
  Trains are still crucial for moving freight, despite competition from trucks. Airplanes and cars move people. Some folks are fond of these. Johnny Cash and I have a thing about trains.

• Hell Either Way Taken by Archie P. McDonald

• Denison, Birth Place of a President by Archie P. McDonald

• Revisiting The Rabbit by Bob Bowman

• A Railroad Centennial by Bob Bowman

• The Iron Road Sorority: Penelope, May, Pearl, and Venus by John Troesser

• Slaton Harvey House

On the way to the Panhandle of Texas with the Reed-Allen Realty Co.
Click on image to enlarge
Old postcard courtesy Dan Whatley Collection