via E-Mail
For suggestion or comments contact Dan Reed via E-Mail
August 8, 1997 the railroad crossing at the south end of Ney Yard passed into history. It had been in continuous service for 111 years, being built in 1886.
In 1886 the Fort Worth and New Orleans Railroad was built from Fort Worth east to Waxahachie to connect with the Houston and Texas Central Railway branch which ran from Ennis to Waxahachie. Shortly thereafter, the FWNO became a part of the H & TC.
Originally, the crossing was protected by a gate. On July 23, 1904 this crossing was given the designation of Tower 53, to be controlled, maintained, and manned by the MK& T. It continued as such until retired in 1957-58 and replaced with an automatic interlocking.
In it's heyday, it had twenty five functions and switches. It served the MK&T, H & TC, I & GN, and FW & RG. The Fort Worth and Rio Grande was official name of the Frisco Lines in North Texas.
Apparently, the I & G N track from Fort. Worth south didn't always run out of the I & G N Yard east of Tower 55, but branched off near enough to Tower 53 for it to control the switches.
I understand that Tower 167 may have been (Polk Tower) at the crossing of the GC & SF and H & TC about one block north of Rosedale Street. And, perhaps this explains how Tower 55 became so designated.
It seems that in designating Tower numbers it was probably done on one large map as someone was trying to figure out how to designate each crossing. Today, we would give them sixteen digit numbers that no one could remember.
Trains to and from the SP Fort. Worth branch will operate via Ney main lines to Tower 55. When construction is complete, the BNSF will operate from Tower 55 south on the old Broadway Yard main line to Allen Street and the UP will operate south from Tower 55 to Allen Street on the old Santa Fe and old SP main from Allen Street to a connection to be built connecting the old SP main and the switching lead at the south end of Ney Yard.
Note: The Houston and Texas Central was the first railroad chartered in Texas, but was the second to actually lay track. By 1861, the H. & T. C. Lines had been completed from Houston to Millican south of Bryan. In 1871 the interest that owned the Central Pacific in California, purchased the H & TC and completed it to Denison and the Red River to connect with the MK&T.
By 1883 the owners of the Central Pacific had formed a new company The Southern Pacific and eventually sold or leased all their railroads to the new company including the Central Pacific, H & TC and about 50 other small companies.
8-97