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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Reporting mark | TBV |
| Locale | Texas |
| Dates of operation | 1902–1930 |
| Successor | BRI |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
TheTrinity and Brazos Valley Railway (reporting markTBV) of Texas came into existence on October 7, 1902, originally chartered to build a railroad fromJohnson County to theBeaumont area near theGulf coast. It took its name from theTrinity andBrazos rivers. It was commonly known as the “Boll Weevil," though it referred to itself as the "Valley Road."[1][page needed]
The first line opened betweenHillsboro andMexia in October 1903. It was extended north toCleburne in January 1904, making a total of 78 miles of track between Cleburne and Mexia.
Financial problems in the system led to its purchase byColorado and Southern Railway (C&S) on August 1, 1905.Benjamin F. Yoakum, a railroad executive who was a director of the C&S, was contracted to build more track in Trinity and Brazos Valley system. As part of the construction deal, C&S sold one-half of the securities issued for the project toChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway (CRIP), making the T&BV half-owned by both CRIP and C&S parentChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.
A southern extension of 224 miles from Mexia toHouston was built from 1905-1907. An extension was also completed between Teague andWaxahachie in 1907. T&BV contracted with theMissouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT) between Waxahachie and Dallas, while it usedGulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway (GC&SF) tracks on its northwestern end between Cleburne andFort Worth and on its southeastern end between Houston andGalveston. In Houston, T&BV took a one-quarter interest in theHouston Belt and Terminal Railway, which was being built by Yoakum at the time.
The Trinity and Brazos Valley was placed into receivership on June 16, 1914, having been unprofitable since 1905. Its trackage rights with MKT and GC&SF were canceled at that time. The receiver appointed was John W. Robins, replaced by L.H. Atwell and then John A. Hulen in 1919.
In 1930, the business was reorganized as theBurlington-Rock Island Railroad Company with Hulen as the first president. Operating 303 miles of track at that time, BRI was still owned by CRIP and C&S.
Today,[when?] the trackage from Teague to Houston is still in use as part ofBNSF Railway. The portion from Teague to Cleburne has been abandoned.
The capital stock to begin the railroad was $300,000. In 1916, it reported earnings of over $1 million ($842,000 infreight and the rest inpassenger). By 1926, it owned 37locomotives and freight earnings had climbed to $2.6 million, with passenger earnings down 15 percent from 1916 levels.