Southern Pacific No 268 rest between runs outside the Ennis Roundhouse near the closing days of the Steam Era. Photo by Vernie Barber.
Thumbing through an old Official Guide, we didn't find another logo as prophetic as Southern Pacific's "Sunset" emblem. The S.P.'s sun finally set for good behind clouds of disbelief, incompetence, mismanagement and chronic results of "Russellitis," when the once great of the railroad industry was absorbed by Union Pacific.
A huge portion of the Texas lines began as the Houston and Texas Central and the Galveston, Houston and San Antonio. At one time, the H. & T.C. was the "Big Daddy" of Texas Railroads. Due to state laws, the SP operated in Texas as the Texas and New Orleans, which absorbed the H. & T.C.
In keeping with Fort Worth's energetic aggressive action and economic evangelism in courting railroads, civic leaders J.J. Roche, Thomas Roche and ML Hurley and others raised $100,000 to build the Fort Worth and New Orleans the 47 mules to Garrett, three miles north of Ennis, to connect with the H. & T.C. for a shorter route to the sea.
Their 1885 efforts resulted in a flow of traffic in 1888. In order to keep its "Big Daddy" rank, H. & T.C. began buying connecting branch lines. The Fort Worth and New Orleans disappeared on the timetables with that activity. It was high noon on the Sunset Route in the 1920's. On the Fort Worth Division, thee were three daily passenger trains each way -- "The Hustler", "The Owl" and an unnamed train.
In November of 1928, we remember coming from San Antonio on the Katy and seeing the SP's 7:30 a.m. arrival running along beside us on the parallel track almost to Tower 55 where No. 85 went on to Union Station.
By the 1930's, only No. 85 and 86 remained. In the 40's, a doodlebug with a trailer coach was assigned to the run, but the years finally took their toll on the Electro-motive motor and steam power came back restoring some class and respectability to the train.
The power was 4-4-0's, usually Nos. 262 or 268. During the day, one of the Classic Americans could be seen on the Broadway Yard engine Track from Boaz or Vickery Street. The train operated from the stub track at the south end of Union Station.
On June 19, 1951, Southern Pacific filed to discontinue the run to Ennis. On December 26, we entered Union Station with the enthusiasm of going to a funeral home for the final obsequities of a dear friend. We bought the last ticket and with a handful of other passengers after the final call, walked down the platform to board the Harriman coach. No ceremonies, no pictures, no respectful farewells.
We pulled out and clattered over the crossovers at Tower 55, Past the night lights of Saint Joseph's Hospital, picked up speed, roared past the wig-wags at the Berry Street crossing and rumbled over the Sycamore Creek bridge with the stack sharpening going up the long grade to Forest Hill.
It was not long till midnight when we pulled into Mansfield. A couple of bags of mail were tossed off by the Railway Post Office Clerk. We stepped off into the quietness of a sleeping village. The step-stool clattered on the vestibule floor, The Conductor highballed, a couple of blast on the whistle, and No. 86 rolled out into the darkness of the winter night and forever.
And another chip fell from a monumental civilization. We wonder if Messrs. Roche, Hurley, et al, could have tilted their halos as they sadly shook their heads. But there was joy in San Francisco that night.
Vernie Barber is a railroad historian and the founder of Trinity Valley Railroad Club. 3-97