Several railroads were chartered by the Republic of Texas, but the first line built was the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado, which began construction near the Port of Houston Turning Basin in 1851. The BBB&C would become the oldest segment of the country's first transcontinental railroad under sole ownership: the Southern Pacific's Sunset Route, connecting New Orleans and Los Angeles and completed in 1883. By the time oil was discovered near Beaumont in 1901, Houston was such a transportation hub that it became the heart of the petrochemical industry. Houston saw narrow-gauge lines, two interurban lines, light rail, and even a monorail. For many years, the chamber of commerce proudly proclaimed that Houston was the place where seventeen railroads meet the sea. More than 30 beautiful trains with names like Sunset Limited, Sunbeam, Sam Houston Zephyr, Twin Star Rocket, Bluebonnet, Texas Rocket, and Texas Chief would serve three depots.
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Title: New Historical Book Delves into the History of Houston's Rails
Author: Staff Writer
Publisher: Model Railroad News
Date: November 2009
Arcadia Publishing has released a new edition to its line of Images of Rail books: Rails Around Houston by Doug Weiskopf. Weiskopf, a native of Houston and lifelong railroad history buff, is the author of several articles on Houston Railroading and is the chapter historian of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
The Republic of Texas chartered several railroads, but the first line built was the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado, which began construction near the Port of Houston Turning Basin in 1851. The BBB&C would become the oldest segment of the country’s first transcontinental railroad under sole ownership: the Southern Pacific’s Sunset Route, connecting New Orleans and Los Angeles, completed in 1883. By the time oil was discovered near Beaumont in 1901, Houston was such a transportation hub that it became the heart of the petrochemical industry. Houston saw narrow-gauge lines, two interurban lines, light rail, and even a monorail. For many hears, the chamber of commerce proudly proclaimed that Houston was the place “where seventeen railroads meet the sea.” More than 30 beautiful trains with names like Sunset Limited, Sunbeam, Sam Houston Zephyr, Twin Star Rocket, Bluebonnet, Texas Rocket, and Texas Chief would serve three depots.
Rails Around Houston features many unpublished photographs from the collection of the Houston public Library’s Houston Metropolitan Research Center and explores the more than 60 passenger trains that served Houston, giving access to most major cities in the United States. Rails Around Houston contains 128 pages. The softcover book retails for $21.99.
Arcadia Publishing publishes local and regional history in the United States. Their mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places. A full list of their book catalog is available online.
Author: Staff Writer
Publisher: Model Railroad News
Date: November 2009
Arcadia Publishing has released a new edition to its line of Images of Rail books: Rails Around Houston by Doug Weiskopf. Weiskopf, a native of Houston and lifelong railroad history buff, is the author of several articles on Houston Railroading and is the chapter historian of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
The Republic of Texas chartered several railroads, but the first line built was the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado, which began construction near the Port of Houston Turning Basin in 1851. The BBB&C would become the oldest segment of the country’s first transcontinental railroad under sole ownership: the Southern Pacific’s Sunset Route, connecting New Orleans and Los Angeles, completed in 1883. By the time oil was discovered near Beaumont in 1901, Houston was such a transportation hub that it became the heart of the petrochemical industry. Houston saw narrow-gauge lines, two interurban lines, light rail, and even a monorail. For many hears, the chamber of commerce proudly proclaimed that Houston was the place “where seventeen railroads meet the sea.” More than 30 beautiful trains with names like Sunset Limited, Sunbeam, Sam Houston Zephyr, Twin Star Rocket, Bluebonnet, Texas Rocket, and Texas Chief would serve three depots.
Rails Around Houston features many unpublished photographs from the collection of the Houston public Library’s Houston Metropolitan Research Center and explores the more than 60 passenger trains that served Houston, giving access to most major cities in the United States. Rails Around Houston contains 128 pages. The softcover book retails for $21.99.
Arcadia Publishing publishes local and regional history in the United States. Their mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places. A full list of their book catalog is available online.
About the Author
Douglas L. Weiskopf, native Houstonian and lifelong railroad history buff, has authored several articles on Houston railroading. He is the chapter historian of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and worked for over 20 years as senior library services specialist in the Houston Public Library's Texas Room.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT BOOK ON TRAINS!,
This review is from: Rails Around Houston (TX) (Images of Rail) (Paperback)
If you are a "Train Expert" like Mr. Weiskopf is, you will enjoy this book.
It is an excellent account about the trains in this era (and area). The research is very detailed. Well worth the price. How do I get my copy signed!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent local history,
By Margaret Dybala "too many books, too little time" (Pearland, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Rails Around Houston (TX) (Images of Rail) (Paperback)
This is a delightful book for people who like local history, or even for the general reading public that might like the history of an urban train system. It is full of images of the trains as the system grew, over the years, in what is now Houston and its surrounding areas. These photos are a real discovery, bringing a lot of pleasure to me as I tried to identify present day landmarks in these old pictures.
In a sense, the growth of a train system mirrors the growth of the importance of any community in the USA over the 19th and first half of the twentieth century. Houston became a major transport hub because of its port and railroad. How sad that that fact isn't commemmorated more! I also enjoyed the text sections, which were well done. But this book is primarily a book of wonderful photos.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars for Lovers of Pictures,
By JKHero "JKHero" (Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Rails Around Houston (TX) (Images of Rail) (Paperback)
This book is big on photos and drawings, but short on paragraphs. The title is serious about "Images of Rail" being the content. For someone looking for a photo album, this book is perfect.
The book is appropriately organized into chapters. Each chapter has a page of narrative followed by relevant pics. The author provides commentary with the pics, and the commentary is often entertaining. For example, how did Houston manage to count 18 railroads for itself, why did early trains hauling cotton have an extra man on top or push their loads instead of pulling them, how was the 188-ton T&NO engine No.982 moved to Hermann Park, why did steam engines carry sand, and how did employers quickly assume the amount of work experience applicants had for the job of brakeman? Despite these fine features, this book leaves much of the railroad story untold. For that story, books containing many paragraphs are needed.
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