Texas and New Orleans Railroad on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad was a railroad in
''Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports.''
Volume 36, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1932.
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad was chartered as the Sabine and Galveston Bay Railroad and Lumber Company in 1856, and was formed to build a railroad from Madison (now
/ref> By early 1861, track was laid for west of Beaumont and the trackage to Houston was complete. In spring 1862 the President of the Railway, Abram M. Gentry, stated that the line from Houston to Orange was open, but some of the track was temporary for military needs due to the Civil War. Scheduled service was operated from Houston to Orange from 1862 to mid-1863 and irregular service until early 1864. Work on the line to Louisiana continued until New Orleans was captured. The Trinity River Bridge washed out in 1867 and the Texas and New Orleans continued to offer service between Houston and Beaumont until spring 1868, at which time the company was forced into receivership. From 1870 to 1871 limited service operated between Houston and West Liberty until the railroad was sold. The purchaser was John F. Terry of the New York banking firm of J. S. Kennedy and Company. A new Texas and New Orleans Railroad company was chartered in 1874 and Terry was named president. The first train from Houston to Orange in over a decade ran in late 1876. It was during this time the railroad was converted from to . In 1878 the Texas and New Orleans, Charles Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad and Steamship Company, and the Louisiana Western Railroad Company reached an agreement and the line was finished from Orange to New Orleans. The Louisiana Western Extension Railroad Company was chartered in Texas to build from Orange to the Louisiana boundary and the first through train ran from Houston to New Orleans on August 30, 1880.Handbook of Texas Online - ECHO, TX
/ref>
In 1881 C. P. Huntington, acting for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, bought the Texas and New Orleans as well as many other railroads in the southern
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad was a railroad in Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
and Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. It operated of railroad in 1934; by 1961, remained when it merged with parent company Southern Pacific.
Location
The Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad was a partly double-track, standard-gauge, steam railroad, situated entirely within theState of Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. The main line extended from Algiers, on the Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
opposite , to Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to:
People
* Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette
* House of La Fayette, a French noble family
** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757â ...
, where it connected with the line of the Louisiana Western Railroad Company. It formed an important link in the through route of the Southern Pacific Company
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, ...
between New Orleans and San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. The principal branch lines extended from Lafayette to the Mississippi River opposite Baton Rouge, from Lafayette to Cheneyville, from Breaux Bridge to Port Barre, from Breaux Bridge to Cade, and from Thibodaux Junction to Napoleonville. There were a number of other branch lines of an average length of about 10 miles, which served the numerous sugar plantations along parts of the line.United States Interstate Commerce Commission''Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports.''
Volume 36, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1932.
History
Early history 1856–1880
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad was chartered as the Sabine and Galveston Bay Railroad and Lumber Company in 1856, and was formed to build a railroad from Madison (now Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' Ă— ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
) in Orange County to tidewater at Galveston Bay. Groundbreaking was on August 27, 1857 outside Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
and real construction work began in April, 1858. Shortly thereafter some work was transferred to Beaumont and railroad construction went east and west. By this time many people started to figure out the builders of the railroad wanted to see a railroad connecting Houston with .
In the following year rails and equipment were ordered and received. By 1860, of right-of-way was graded and of track was laid. In late 1859 the name of the railroad was changed to the Texas and New Orleans Railroad Company."Texas and New Orleans Railroad," ''Handbook of Texas Online''/ref> By early 1861, track was laid for west of Beaumont and the trackage to Houston was complete. In spring 1862 the President of the Railway, Abram M. Gentry, stated that the line from Houston to Orange was open, but some of the track was temporary for military needs due to the Civil War. Scheduled service was operated from Houston to Orange from 1862 to mid-1863 and irregular service until early 1864. Work on the line to Louisiana continued until New Orleans was captured. The Trinity River Bridge washed out in 1867 and the Texas and New Orleans continued to offer service between Houston and Beaumont until spring 1868, at which time the company was forced into receivership. From 1870 to 1871 limited service operated between Houston and West Liberty until the railroad was sold. The purchaser was John F. Terry of the New York banking firm of J. S. Kennedy and Company. A new Texas and New Orleans Railroad company was chartered in 1874 and Terry was named president. The first train from Houston to Orange in over a decade ran in late 1876. It was during this time the railroad was converted from to . In 1878 the Texas and New Orleans, Charles Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad and Steamship Company, and the Louisiana Western Railroad Company reached an agreement and the line was finished from Orange to New Orleans. The Louisiana Western Extension Railroad Company was chartered in Texas to build from Orange to the Louisiana boundary and the first through train ran from Houston to New Orleans on August 30, 1880.
/ref>
Expansion 1881–1920
In 1881 C. P. Huntington, acting for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, bought the Texas and New Orleans as well as many other railroads in the southern United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. As a result of this acquiring of railroads by Southern Pacific, The Texas and New Orleans Railroad found itself as part of a major transcontinental route. In 1882, The T&NO made over $1,500,000 and owned 36 locomotives as well as over 1000 pieces of rolling stock. Also in 1882 the T&NO acquired the Sabine and East Texas Railway Company. Many more companies were merged into T&NO from 1880 to 1900. In the early years of the 20th century The Texas and New Orleans built over of track, much of it between Cedar and Rockland, opening up a through route from Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
to Beaumont
Beaumont may refer to:
Places Canada
* Beaumont, Alberta
* Beaumont, Quebec
England
* Beaumont, Cumbria
* Beaumont, Essex
** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s
* Beaumont Street, Oxford
France (communes)
* Beaumont, Ardèche
* ...
. In 1921, the Texas State Railroad was leased in.
1921–1961
At the end of 1925 T&NO operated 545 miles of railroad; to simplify SP's corporate holdings T&NO leased the other Texas-Louisiana SP lines in 1927, including: *Dayton-Goose Creek Railway Company *Franklin and Abbeville Railway * Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway *Houston and Shreveport Railroad * Houston and Texas Central Railway * Houston East and West Texas Railway *Iberia and Vermilion Railroad *Lake Charles and Northern Railroad *Louisiana Western Railroad * Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad and Steamship Co * San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway * Texas Midland Railroad In 1934 all of these were merged into T&NO, making it the largest Texas railroad with of road (not all in Texas). On November 1, 1961 the remaining merged into the Southern Pacific and the T&NO ceased to exist.Named trains
Named passenger trains operated on T&NO rails included: *'' Sunset Limited'' (New Orleans to Los Angeles) *''Argonaut
The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, ''Argo'', n ...
'' (New Orleans to Los Angeles)
*'' Sunbeam'' (Houston to Dallas)
*''Hustler'' (Houston to Dallas)
*''Owl'' (Houston to Dallas)
*''Border Limited'' (Houston to Brownsville)
*''Rabbit'' (Houston to Shreveport)
*''Alamo'' (San Antonio to New Orleans)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Texas New Orleans Railroad Defunct Louisiana railroads Defunct Texas railroads Predecessors of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company Former Class I railroads in the United States Railway companies established in 1859 Railway companies disestablished in 1961 5 ft 6 in gauge railways in the United States 1859 establishments in Texas American companies established in 1859 American companies disestablished in 1961