The Georgetown Railroad is a
class III short-line railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the United States and Canada. In the former, railroads are ...
headquartered in
Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown is a city in Texas and the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 67,176 at the 2020 census, and according to 2024 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 101,344. It is no ...
.
History
The original Georgetown Railroad Company was chartered on May 31, 1878, with a commitment to build a railroad the approximate distance between Georgetown and
Round Rock
Round Rock is a city in Williamson County, Texas, Williamson and Travis County, Texas, United States, part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 according to the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census.
The city stra ...
. The first board of directors consisted of Emzy Taylor, Moses E. Steele, Thomas B. Hughes, J. H. Rucker, Duncan G. Smith, and John J. Dimmitt, all of Williamson County, and David Love. The headquarters was in Georgetown.
The first stock offering raised about $50,000, and by the end of 1878 the GRR had connected Georgetown to Round Rock. Soon, however, the railroad found itself in difficult financial straits and was sold in foreclosure on August 5, 1879. The
International-Great Northern Railroad purchased the Georgetown and operations were merged with that company in 1882. The branch was operated by the I-GN and its successors until 1959, when it was sold to the new Georgetown Railroad Company.
This company was incorporated on July 25, 1958, and it acquired eight miles of the Georgetown branch of the
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad o ...
, a successor to the I-GN.
On June 3, 1991, the Georgetown Railroad acquired that portion of the
Belton Railroad east of
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...
at
Belton and began operating it as its Belton Subdivision.
[Georgetown Railroad, Handbook of Texas.]
Operations
*The "Granger Branch", a line from an interchange with
Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...
at Round Rock through Georgetown to an interchange with Union Pacific at
Granger, Texas
Granger is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. It was incorporated in 1891. The population was 1,183 at the 2020 census.
History
In the late 19th century, Granger was one of the centers of the large Moravian Czech immigrant popu ...
. (The line was previously owned by the Missouri Pacific and
Missouri-Kansas-Texas.)
*The "Belton Branch", a line from
Belton, Texas
Belton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Belton is the county seat of Bell County, Texas, Bell County and is the fifth largest city in the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area, Killeen-Temple metropolitan area. In 2020, the popu ...
to an interchange with Union Pacific at
Smith, Texas. (The line was previously owned by Missouri-Kansas-Texas). It has sat out of service for about a decade.
The Georgetown Railroad primarily handles unit aggregate trains for the
Texas Crushed Stone Company's large quarry located west of Georgetown, but it also delivers building materials to the
Builders FirstSource lumber yard
A lumber yard is a location where lumber and wood-related products used in construction and/or home improvement projects are processed or stored. Some lumber yards offer retail sales to consumers, and some of these may also provide services s ...
in Georgetown.
See also
*
Georgetown Rail Equipment Company
References
External links
Link to Union Pacific Website with GRR Details
{{DEFAULTSORT:Georgetown Railroad
Texas railroads
Spin-offs of the Missouri Pacific Railroad