Fwwr owns and operates over a line from fort worth to ricker, tx with trackage rights to san angelo junction. Youll find endless opportunities to celebrate the history of fort worth. The fwwr operates their long trains of frac sand and other commodities across their rail system that features 276 miles of rolling landscape in scenic north central texas. Between 1866 and 1890, drovers trailed more than four million head of cattle through fort worth. Things to do in fort worth the stockyards hotel is located in the heart of the national historic stockyards district. Today, the fort worth stockyards, listed in the national register of historic places, is a famed tourist attraction providing shopping, dining and entertainment with a western flair. Available also through the library of congress web site as a raster image. Built in 1896 at the cooke locomotive works in paterson, new jersey, engine 2248 was originally purchased by the southern pacific railroad and used in california for passenger and freight service. By then, cattlemen faced serious competition from the sheep industry. With randolph scott, david brian, phyllis thaxter, helena carter. The next decade saw significant expansion, with the mileage jumping to more than 6,000. Texas and pacific railway the authority on texas history. The santa fe sold the line to an affiliate of the south orient railroad in 1994.
The wyoming cattle business never again achieved the stature it had from 1868 to 1886. Fort worth has been called the city where the west begins, cowtown, and. Much of the companys route originally belonged to the fort worth and rio grande railway, which began construction from fort worth in 1886 and reached brownwood in 1891. Selcer covers fort worths progression from military outpost to county seat to trail town, rail hub, regional gateway, oil. And in 19 the book of fort worth said the city had as many freight trains as passenger trains. Selcer, a native of fort worth, texas, loves and is proud of his home town which he writes warmly about in his history, fort worth, a texas original. Through a solid, and growing, base of customers along with the help of low interest loans the shortline has been able to upgrade most of track to fra class iii standards, or 40 mph. Fast forward almost three decades, and fwwr is now a vertically integrated full service railroad operating over 276 miles of track through 8 counties in.
That fort grew into a focal stop on the chisholm trail and later became the. The forecast for the economic future for north texas, and specifically fort worth, is very bright. Buildings such as the livestock exchange building 1902, cowtown coliseum 1907 and the stockyards hotel 1907. Operating only within the state of texas, its main freight service route is between carrollton, fort worth and brownwood.
Fort worth exudes a vivacious western spirit founded upon a rich history. Grapevine vintage railroad history historic train photos. Includes tables showing railroad construction in the united states and railroad towns in texas having a. This coffee table book tells the history of capitol hill as seen through the lives and times of a family. The first originates loaded frac sand trains on the cp up north and is interchanged to the kcs at kansas city who in turn interchanges with fwwr at saginaw, tx over bnsf. It is an edifying and welcome contribution to public library american and texas history shelves. The history of fort worth, texas, in the united states is closely intertwined with that of northern texas and the texan frontier. On november 1, 1903, the railroad was opened between fort smith and guthrie.
Plus a segment on the grapevine vintage railroad with a tourist train going to the fort worth stockyards historic district. Civil war veteran and former newspaper man ned britt returns back to fort worth after the war is over and finds himself fighting an old friend whos grown ambitious. He has authored seven books on western and civil war history and teaches history at cedar valley college in dallas, at tarrant county college, and at the international christian university in vienna, austria. Take a step back in time at the grapevine vintage railroad. He has authored seven books on western and civil war history and teaches.
In 1849, four years after the republic of texas became the 28th state, the army built a fort to keep native tribes west of the trinity. Early in its history, fort worth saloons provided cowboys with refreshment and entertainment, and the city is still known for unique, downhome. Fwwr values its customers and works proactively to find. Help the texas western preserve the history of north texas railroading, including fort worths own distinctive tower 55. When the railroad arrived in 1876, fort worth became a major shipping point for livestock, so the city built the union stockyards.
It was one of famous class of steam locomotives called the berkshire. Trains magazine offers railroad news, railroad industry insight, commentary on todays freight railroads, passenger service amtrak, locomotive technology, railroad preservation and history, railfan opportunities tourist railroads, fan trips, and great railroad photography. Louissan francisco railway company prior to its merger into the burlington northern. Fwwr leases and operates over a dart owned line from fort worth to carrolton, tx. Includes 3 insets of fort worth, dallas, and houston. The texas and pacific railway company was the only railroad in texas, and one of the few in the united states, to operate under a federal charter. While the importance of fort worths being the center of the cattle drives, railroads.
Eastern texas had extensive railroads, but western texas was not as developed. Selcer is a fort worth native and still calls fort worth home. While downtown boasts stories of hells half acre and american presidents, the stockyards national historic district still resembles its prime in the early 1900s. A peaceful haven nestled in the heart of fort worths cultural district, the garden is home to over 2,500 species of native and exotic plants that flourish in its 23 specialty gardens. Mont saint michel and chartres is a book written by the american historian and scholar henry adams 18381918. The fort worth and denver railway, nicknamed the denver road, was a class i. For years its amusementlined boardwalk including the. Push forward almost three decades later, and fwwr now runs over 276 miles of local track all the way from carrollton to brownwood, texas.
Bnsf railways 384acre headquarters is located in fort worth, texas. As a shortline railroad with competitive rates, fwwr concentrates on getting smaller shipments to the larger, class 1 railroads such as union pacific, bnsf railroad, kansas city southern and txpf. The stockyards is home to some of the best steakhouses in texas including the renown hunter brothers h3 ranch. Two transcontinental routes even crossed the state at this time. The railroad was heading to salt lake city on its long, difficult and indirect trek through the rocky mountains via pueblo and gunnison. It is the center piece of this lively shopping and entertainment destination. Today, texas railroads are mostly the domain of union pacific which controls roughly 51% of the trackage in the state, which is interesting considering that the up never had a presence at all in the lone star state until it.
Fort worth to carrollton is usually switched at night two or three times a week. The fort smith and western railroad was incorporated in arkansas in 1899 and began construction westward through indian territory and oklahoma territory. This group provides information, represents, and promotes interest in the fort worth and western. The fort worth grapevine vintage railroad, a tourist railroad hosted by the local class iii fort worth and western railroad, calls at the stockyards station on.
Our properties are adjacent to major interstate highways and receive rail service from fwwr, which interchanges with three class 1 railroads. From its early history as an outpost and a threat against native american residents, to its later days as a booming cattle town, to modern times as a corporate center, the city has changed dramatically, although it still preserves much of its heritage in its modern. Fort worth and western railroad public group facebook. Beyond fort worth, hed be crossing the red river into indian territory. Fort worth by dawn youngblood phd overdrive rakuten. Fort worth has long depended on manmade lakes for its water supply. Congress granted a charter to the texas pacific railroad company on march 3, 1871. The fort worth and denver city railway company connected fort worth with the texasnew mexico border. The fort worth and western railroad company was chartered on may, 1988, to acquire trackage in fort worth from the burlington northern railroad company. Fwwr operates freight service over 276 miles of track in north central texas. In subsequent years, the railroad made small purchases to bring the. Bnsf today serves the western twothirds of the united states as well as portions of. Fwwr fort worth and western locomotive roster railroad. Ride the train all the way to grapevine, tx in their victorianstyle coaches.
453 1130 1125 629 1048 29 667 541 560 106 376 173 998 444 1535 1598 1135 1611 281 630 657 743 476 1254 1461 1642 677 774 1032 442 699 503 580 611 1489 497 913 983 545 1079 1247 1275 1148 1093 977 245