Route of the Eagles Forum

Reminiscing about the Texas & Pacific Railway • Texas & Pacific Railway - Possible Passenger re-instatement

2013-04-23T17:28:41-05:00

I've moved to the Abilene area in the past four years and travel to Dallas on a regular basis. I've used bus, car and air on different occasions and found them all inconvenient or uncomfortable. I believe that, given the traffic volumes in and around El Paso, Abilene, Fort Worth and Dallas, there is a need for a new passenger rail connection between these cities. Does anyone feel likewise? If so, I would appreciate any comments via the discussion group. I too appreciate the history of the line. And, after all, Abilene was a main railway center in the past, and helped to establish this city.

Statistics: Posted by limeyone — Tue Apr 23, 2013 5:28 pm

General Railroad Discussion • Possible Rail Re-opening Fort Worth/Dallas - Abilene/El Paso

2013-04-23T17:22:48-05:00

Statistics: Posted by limeyone — Tue Apr 23, 2013 5:22 pm

General Railroad Discussion • Greetings from England

2012-11-10T11:41:07-05:00

Hello all,
My name is John Edge and I have been a fan of US railroads for over twenty years! I acquired a lovely model of a Broadway T&P SW7 in H0 a couple of years ago, recently overhauled it to make it work and have rather fallen in love with this line.
As an Englishman, I am intrigued that it is called the Texas & Pacific Railway, does anyone know why this is so, please?
I have a good friend who used to live alongside the T&P main-line and we have swapped some stories - I am keen to find out more about this line as it doesn't seem very well known in the UK.
I have now ordered the forthcoming Athearn Genesis GP7 and am thinking of starting a layout based upon the T&P, I wish I could afford steam locos but it will still be fun collecting diesels, I love their colors anyway!
Cheers,
John E.

Statistics: Posted by allegheny1600 — Sat Nov 10, 2012 11:41 am

Reminiscing about the Texas & Pacific Railway • Riding Texas Eagle To El Paso: 1960s

2012-09-02T12:30:48-05:00

I am very pleased to find this site since the T&P has been my favorite railroad since the 1960s when my mother and I took some summer trips from Waco, TX to Tucson, AZ to visit relatives. We would catch the Eagle in Dallas/Fort Worth and ride to El Paso where we would catch the Southern Pacific 'Sunset Limited' to Tucson.
On our first trip, we rode a Missouri-Kansas-Texas (Katy) train from Waco to Dallas. I recall that the Katy train would back into the station. The Texas Eagle in Dallas was at full capacity and no additional coach seats would be available until Fort Worth, so we rode from Dallas to Fort Worth in a diner/lounge car. The car was very luxurious and had 'Missouri Pacific' lettering rather than 'Texas and Pacific'. In addition to the standard rectangular windows, it had some round windows at the end of the car. I was very impressed that the windows had blinds rather than cloth curtains.
I always enjoyed viewing the wide open landscape of west Texas and riding through the various towns and the cities of Abilene, Midland, and Odessa. I recall how impressive the Midland skyline appeared -- it always reminded me of a scaled down version of the the big Dallas skyline.
The Eagle would arrive in El Paso at night, 10:30 to 11:00 if I recall correctly after 50 years. The Sunset Limited would be sitting on the next track as the Eagle arrived at the El Paso station. It was an easy transfer of just a few feet to board the Sunset after departing the Eagle. The El Paso station was full of activity with people boarding the Sunset Limited and transferring to it from the Eagle. I also recall that there would be a Santa Fe train sitting on another track with the beautiful Santa Fe silver and red engine. I believe that it was probably a train from Albuquerque to El Paso.
We would ride the Sunset Limited through the night on our journey to Tucson. The Sunset was a very long train at that time, with 4 or 5 engines and over 20 passenger cars. I would always count the cars and tell my aunt in Tucson how many there were.
In the morning we would view sunrise from our train window -- seeing the 20 stainless steel cars and those big engines snaking its way though the gulleys and cactus of the desert outside Tucson. It is an experience that I will always cherish.
On our last trip out west, my father drove us from Waco to Fort Worth. We arrived at the station pretty early and walked out to the platform. I was thrilled when I saw a beautiful blue Texas and Pacific dome car sitting on the track. I was even more thrilled when a railroad worker came over and said that we could board the dome car now if we wished. I had never ridden on a train with a dome car so I thought that I had just arrived in heaven to have such a great opportunity.
I must also mention how beautiful the T&P station in Fort Worth appeared. It was a very impressive station with its beautiful waiting rooms. I am very pleased that it has been restored and still serves a purpose.
Train travel in the 1960s was fun with all of the railroads having their own unique trains with different consists, equipment and color schemes.
I still take the short drive from Waco to McGreggor occassionally just to watch the Amtrak 'Texas Eagle' arrive. I'm glad that the 'Texas Eagle' name is still alive although it is a very different train than the one that I rode years ago.

Statistics: Posted by jerrylx — Sun Sep 02, 2012 12:30 pm

Reminiscing about the Texas & Pacific Railway • Time on the T&P

2012-06-27T21:29:33-05:00

I grew up in Bonham, TX, the dispatch point on the Intercontinental Division running from Texarkana along the Red River through, New Boston, Clarksville, Paris, Bonham, Sherman, and Whitesboro before turning southwest to Denton and Fort Worth. The summer I graduated from high school, 1963, I got a job for the summer braking out of Bonham, usually off the extra board. I did this for three summers and then a fourth on the Ft. Worth and Denver out of Wichita Falls. During the third summer, I spent about a month in Mineola on the main line.

I've written several chapters based on my railroad days in a book titled "Tall Cotton: The Cotton County Chronicles," which I published in 2005.

It was a wonderful experience, and one which I treasure greatly. After college, I lived in Atlanta, GA for 30 years before coming back to Texas in 2000. I now live in Sherman.

I've often considered a trip to Fort Worth to see if I could find anything I remembered from my many trips into the Lancaster Yards. In particular I wonder what happened to the T&P Roundhouse Cafe and Hotel, at least that's the name I remember. Does anyone know? Where exactly, was the place. The most striking memory is of the tiny sleeping rooms where the A/C kept the temperature down around freezing most of the time.

Statistics: Posted by MrTutt — Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:29 pm

General Railroad Discussion • T&P Station in Shreveport

2012-04-02T08:50:05-05:00

Our group, The Red River Valley Railroad Historical Society, is restoring one of the neon signs that were on the T&P Station before it was demolished in 2005.

We want the neon color to be correct on the letters and the border.

Does anyone know of a clear photo of the signs, especially at night?

Thanks!
Dave Bland
Shreveport

Statistics: Posted by DDBland — Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:50 am

People of the T&P • Re: Engineer - John Notestine

2012-03-13T14:25:43-05:00

I have found census records for John and his family. There is nothing specific to the T&P but they do say he is and engineer.

Statistics: Posted by wference — Tue Mar 13, 2012 2:25 pm

General Railroad Discussion • Time Table for 1964

2012-03-10T21:02:21-05:00

Hey Fellow T&P fans...does anyone have a copy of a 1964 timetable for the Texas Eagle trains 1 and 2 from Texarkana to Ft. Worth and also the consist list? Any help would be appreciated...thanks.

Statistics: Posted by johnehodge — Sat Mar 10, 2012 9:02 pm

General Railroad Discussion • Re: Cast Iron logo plate

2012-02-06T01:02:43-05:00

I guess I wasn't too specific about this piece. But I have come to find out from a fellow collector at the Gaithersburg MD show that there were a few of these around over the past few years so that most likely it is not of any historical significance. (In short, a fake.) Oh well. It's still pretty neat and looks good, and fake or not, pretty scarce.

Statistics: Posted by gjewers — Mon Feb 06, 2012 1:02 am

General Railroad Discussion • Re: T&P train wrecks

2012-01-30T01:28:50-05:00

If you will search texas & pacific on ebay ,sometimmes there is a seller with a cd of train wrecks on the T&P going back to the early 1900's.I don' t know what kind of info they have on them,but you could probably ask the seller.

Statistics: Posted by tpmpup — Mon Jan 30, 2012 1:28 am