These words were recorded in a letter by an early traveler upon his arrival in Dallas.  His journey was by train.  The year was 1873 and the railroad had just reached Dallas from Houston a year earlier.  Dallas had been chartered a mere 17 years previous.  This burgeoning town would soon become the intersection of the first east-west line due to skillful maneuvering by local politicians.  The arrival of these two major rail lines set the stage for a period of growth ultimately making Dallas the center for commerce in the Southwest - unprecedented for a city without a major river or seaport! 

With the arrival of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad (H&TC) in 1872, John Neely Bryan, considered the founder of Dallas, would realize his vision of the city becoming a rail destination.  Several astute businessmen had followed the progression of the H&TC line as it built northward from Houston.  They sold general goods to construction crews along the line, and would settle in Dallas on speculation that the Texas & Pacific Railway (T&P) would arrive from the east within a year.  These entrepreneurs established businesses which are household names in Dallas today.  In 1873, the H&TC continued to build northward to Sherman, connecting with the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad.  This connection would link Dallas with industries in the Northeast and Midwest, providing a direct route for much needed materials and machinery for the bustling young town.

Several North Texas towns had been keeping up with Dallas’ growth, but that would change by the end of 1873.  As the T&P Railway built westward toward Fort Worth and El Paso, it crossed the H&TC line at a point known as  Browder Springs.  Local politicians had introduced last-minute legislation in Austin that required the junction of the two railroads to be located at this little known spot.  Unbeknownst to the competition at the time, Browder Springs was actually Dallas.  This junction of two major rail lines would draw people and businesses from all over the U.S. as well as neighboring towns. Towns such as McKinney to the north and Ennis to the south were suddenly at a disadvantage.

 The increase in rail service and the attendant growth of Dallas’ central business district was not without problems.  By the early 1900s, the city found itself in daily conflict with the very source of its prosperity.  Rail lines crisscrossed the downtown area, with passenger and freight stations scattered throughout.  These crowded and confusing conditions were suffocating Dallas.  The solution came in 1911 when the Kessler Plan was unveiled.  This master plan for Dallas included a detailed proposal for building a “belt” rail line around Dallas to be used by the railroads currently serving the central business district.  Along this line on the western edge of town would be a new “union” station, a consolidation of seven railroads and five passenger depots.  The city quickly adopted nearly every aspect of the plan.  

By October 1916, the Dallas Union Terminal Company opened its doors with its magnificent renaissance style station, the largest of its kind in the Southwest.  Dallas was finally free to move about without interference from trains, while the railroads were able to serve the city from its perimeter via the new belt line. Union Terminal would see nearly 80 arrivals and departures a day during its peak years of the late 1920s.  This marked the Golden Era of rail travel, when passengers to and from Dallas could enjoy a restful night's sleep in plush Pullman cars and dine on sumptuous meals in dining cars aboard long distance trains serving Union Station. 

Trains were the preferred mode of travel in the 1920s. However, by 1930, the affordability of the automobile triggered an irreversible decline in rail passenger service.  After a surge in business during World War II, the once busy Union Station would see fewer and fewer trains.  By the 1960s, the completion of the Interstate Highway system and the introduction of commercial jet aircraft would signal an end to passenger trains in Dallas.  In May of 1969 T&P Conductor J. K. Welch would call “all aboard” for the final departure of the Texas Eagle and Union Station would close its doors on nearly 100 years of rail service.  Dallas was left as the largest city in the U.S. without passenger trains.

But the story was far from over.  Dallas would soon see resurgence in rail service.  The advent of Amtrak in 1971 brought passenger trains back to Union Station two years later.  Today, Amtrak is joined by DART’s Light Rail and TRE Commuter train service.  Meanwhile, the private freight railroads were setting records in the transportation of intermodal traffic, chemicals, and bulk commodities. With the opening of RailPort just south of Dallas, the city is now adjacent to a major distribution center for rail freight traffic.  This facility serves as an inland international port for rail and sea container traffic and reduces congestion at traditional boarder and coastal ports.  Dallas is also a destination on several proposed high speed intrastate passenger rail corridors. 

While Dallas is recognized more as an aviation center today, it owes its early growth and prosperity to the railroad.  Without the intersection of two major rail lines being located in Dallas, McKinney was favored to have been the metropolis of North Texas.  Ironically, rail has become the ideal mode to alleviate congestion in the air and on the roads in Dallas and North Texas.  The very form of transportation that put the region on the map will ultimately play a significant role in addressing future transportation issues.    

The Museum of the American Railroad at Fair Park now maintains an outstanding collection of early 20th century trains that contributed to the development of Dallas and the Southwest.  But, what is old is new again.  The museum’s future programming will address current and new technologies unique to the rail industry that will ensure our mobility in the future.   

Texas & Pacific Passenger Train, Dallas 1870s,  Dallas Public Library

Burlington "Zephyrs" Arrive & Depart Dallas Union Terminal ca. 1950,  R. S. Plummer, Burt C. Blanton Collection

Amtrak's Southbound Texas Eagle Departs Dallas Union Station, 1985

Southern Pacific / Cotton Belt Freight Yard on South Edge of Dallas CBD,  ca. 1951

Missouri-Kansas-Texas Dallas Yard, 1987.  Present Location of Victory Park

The Last Vestige of Early Railroading in Dallas, Southern Pacific's (H&TC) Recently Closed Eakin Street Yard Office Awaits an Uncertain Fate in Summer, 1963.  This Venerable Building Would Move to Fair Park in September of that Year, Having Escaped the Wrecking Ball During I-30 Construction South of Downtown.  It Continues to Serve as the Museum's Admissions, Exhibits, and Store at Fair Park Today.  Its Original Location at the Southern End of SP's Downtown Dallas Yard is the Site of Today's Farmer's Market.

         --Museum of the American Railroad, Fair Park, Dallas Texas

Railroads serving Dallas today include Amtrak, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Dallas Garland & Northeastern, Kansas City Southern, Trinity Railway Express and Union Pacific.

Passenger trains that served Dallas/Ft. Worth:

Amtrak

Inter-American, 1971-1981 (San Antonio - Ft. Worth/Laredo - St. Louis/San Antonio - Chicago)
Texas Chief, 1971 - 1974 (Houston - Chicago)
Lone Star, 1974 - 1979 (Houston - Chicago)
Texas Eagle, 1981 - present (San Antonio - Chicago)

Gulf Colorado &Santa Fe Railway

Angelo, Train 77-78, 1945-1968 (Ft. Worth - Brownwood)
Antelope, Train 27-28, 1927 - 1948 (Kansas City - Ft. Worth)
Kansas Cityan, Train 11, 1960 - 1968 (Kansas City - Ft. Worth - Dallas)
Chicagoan, Train 12, 1960 - 1968 (Dallas - Ft. Worth - Chicago)
Ranger, Train 5-6, 1916 - 1960 (Chicago - Galveston)
Texas Chief, Train 15-16, 1948 - 1971 (Chicago - Houston)
Texas Chief, Dallas connection, Train 115-116, 1955-1968 (Gainesville, TX - Dallas - Ft. Worth)
Chicago Express, Train 15/112, 1905 - 1960 (Galveston - Newton, KS)
Texas Express, Train 16/111, 1905 - 1960 (Newton, KS - Ft. Worth - Galveston)

Burlington Route - Ft. Worth & Denver Rwy.

Gulf Coast Special, Train 7-8 (8 ended 1966, 7 ended 1967) (Denver - Dallas)
Texas Zephyr, Train 1-2, 1940 - 1967 (1 ended 1966, 2 ended 1967) (Denver - Dallas)

Burlington - Rock Island

Sam Houston Zephyr, Train 3-4 , 1936 - 1966 (Ft. Worth - Houston)
Texas Rocket, Train 509-510, 1937-1959 (Kansas City - Ft. Worth - Dallas - Houston)

St. Louis Southwestern "Cotton Belt"

Lone Star Special 1916 - 1918 (Memphis - Dallas - Ft. Worth)
Lone Star Limited, 1923 - 1930 Train 1-2 (Memphis - Dallas - Ft. Worth)
Morning Star 1930- Train 5-6 (Memphis - Dallas - Ft. Worth)
Evening Star 1930- (Memphis - Dallas - Ft. Worth)

St. Louis San Francisco Railway "Frisco"

Tulsa Texan, 1936 - 1938 (Tulsa - Dallas)
Black Gold, Train 507-508. 1938-59 (Tulsa - Dallas)
Texas Flash, Train 117-118 1946-47 (Kansas City - Tulsa - Dallas)
The Bluebonnet, Train 7-8, 1927-1948 (St. Louis - Dallas)

Missouri - Kansas -Texas "Katy"

The Bluebonnet, Train 27-28, 1927-1957 (St. Louis - Kansas City - Dallas - San Antonio)
Katy Flyer , 1893,1895-96,1899-1965 (St. Louis - Dallas - Ft. Worth - San Antonio)
Texas Special, Train 1-2 1915-1964(St. Louis - Dallas - Ft. Worth - San Antonio) (joint with Frisco)

Rock Island Lines

Mid-Continent Special, Train 17 - 18, 1925 - 1945 (Houston - Dallas - Minneapolis)
The Firefly, Train 31 - 32, (Ft. Worth - Kansas City)
Twin Star Rocket , Train 507-508/17-18 1945 - 1964 (Minneapolis - Houston)

Southern Pacific Lines

Sunbeam, Train 13 - 14 1925 - 1955 (Houston - Dallas/Ft. Worth )
Hustler, Train 15 - 16, 1938 - 1954 (Houston to Dallas)
Owl, Train 17 - 18, 1911-1958 (Houston to Dallas)

Texas & Pacific

Louisiana Limited, Train 2-22, 1921- (Ft. Worth - New Orleans)
The Southerner, Train 7-8, ended 1948 (St. Louis - El Paso)
Sunshine Special, Train 1-2, 1915 - 1932 (St. Louis - El Paso)
Tennessean Hot Springs Special, Train 18 (Ft. Worth - St. Louis)
The Ozarker, Train 3-4, (St. Louis - Ft. Worth)
The Texan, Train 25-26/3-4, 1932 - 1968 (St. Louis - Ft. Worth)
The Texas Ranger, Train 5-6, 1920-21 (Dallas - El Paso)
Texas - Colorado Limited Train 23-24, 1921-
Texas Eagle, Train 1-2/21-22, 1948-1969 (St. Louis - El Paso)
The Westerner, Train 7-8/27-28, 1948-1968 (St. Louis- El Paso)
Train 26-27, 1962-67 (Ft. Worth - El Paso)
Daylight Local, 1921- (Texarkana - Ft. Worth)