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TEXAS
RAILROADS
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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. |
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The
Crash at Crush by Luke Warm
One of
the most bizarre publicity stunts of all time. Illustrated with
6 photos
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Tracks
by
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."
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Orphans
find homes in West by Delbert Trew
1-8-08
The Orphan Trains.
Train
travelers owe much to service pioneer by Delbert Trew 11-20-07
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.
Life
on a West Texas Paint Train in the 1940s 7-6-07
Big Bend Memories. Vintage
Photos.
Locomotive
Boiler Explosion
6-1-07
Smithville Blast of 1911 Kills 9, Injures 12
Built
it and they will ride it by Archie P. McDonald 1-15-07
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
Little Engine That Couldn't by C. F. Eckhardt
The Fredericksburg & Northern Railroad
"... 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
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...
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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."
The
Crash At Crush - Song Lyric by Brian Burns - Brian Burns
Music (BMI)
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
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Texas
Train TRavel
Cultural
Shock Then. Cultural Shock Now
by N. Ray Maxie 4-1-08
At the Atlanta, Texas, railroad depot, then known as the local Texas
and Pacific train station, we waited. I was just six and a half
years old. This was the beginning of an exciting adventure; my very
first train trip...
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