 Gulf Coast Lines system map, circa 1920 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Kingsville, Texas |
| Reporting mark | StLB&M, SLBM, SBM |
| Locale | Texas |
| Dates of operation | 6 June 1903–1 March 1956 |
| Successor | Missouri Pacific |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
Chartered on June 6, 1903, theSt. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Railway (also known as theBrownie) was a 200-mile (321 km) U.S. railroad that operated fromBrownsville, Texas, to Gulf Coast Junction inHouston, Texas. It served numerous towns and cities along its routes and operated a rail bridge betweenBrownsville andMatamoros, Tamaulipas, in junction with theMexican government. TheBrownie connected the citizens of Brownsville to nearby Corpus Christi for the first time on land rather than using water transportation.
AfterUriah Lott's success with his first railroad project, theCorpus Christi, San Diego and Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Railroad in March 1875, he envisioned a plan of creating land transportation along the southern interior ofTexas. Uriah collaborated with business partnerBenjamin Franklin Yoakum to create a large rail system that reached fromChicago,Illinois, in the north toMexico City in the south. To put this plan into effect,Yoakum used control from one of his two railroads he was president from - theSt. Louis - San Francisco - to create several railroads within Texas andLouisiana as a system. Known as theGulf Coast Lines, the system was created in three phases under three different railroads: The St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico (Phase 1 - June 1903), theBeaumont, Sour Lake & Western (Phase 2 - October 1903) and theNew Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railway (Phase 3 - September 1909).
In April 1904, the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico took delivery of their first three new locomotives: Burnham, Williams & Co.4-4-0s #925, 926 & 927. Shortly after the arrival of the locomotives, the first segment of track was completed on July 4, 1904, which reachedBrownsville, Texas, from its starting point inRobstown, Texas. On December 31, 1907, the second (and last) major segment of track on theBrownie was completed toHouston from its starting point in Robstown and reachingSinton as well.
To further expand the southern portions of the Robstown-Brownsville route, the StLB&M acquired the financially troubledSan Antonio, Chapin & Rio Grande Railway as well as theSan Benito & Rio Grande Valley Railway; one of the earliest expansions of the Rio Grande ValleySpider Web Rail Network which linked various small to large cities together.
In 1913, Yoakum and Lott's dream came to an end when the St. Louis - San Francisco entered receivership. Upon hearings of theInterstate Commerce Commission, the court ordered the receivers to sell off all of Yoakum's rail projects to recover from lost profits or face entire abandonment. In 1916, the New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railway assumed control of theGulf Coast Lines and established itself as an independent railway company until 1924. The New Orleans, Texas and Mexico Railway Co. was incorporated in 1916 to hold the securities of four railroads: (1) New Orleans, Texas & Mexico; (2) Beaumont, Sour Lake & Western; (3) Orange & Northwestern; and (4) St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Railroads. Bonds which had previously been issued by the San Francisco & St. Louis Company went into default in 1913. Foreclosure of the liens took place in 1915. The creditors of the bonds reorganized into the new company in 1916, which became the owner. At that time new officers were elected. The new chairman was Frank Andrews of Houston, Texas, and vice president became G.H. Walker, a banker in St. Louis. Additional officers and directors are set out in the 1916 edition of theManual of Statistics Handbook. The four railroads owned by the new company were known as theGulf Coast Lines.[citation needed]
G.H. Walker would later become the father-in-law ofPrescott Bush.[citation needed]
Under the Gulf Coast Lines ownership of the StLB&M, the railway saw no new purchases of rolling stock or locomotives. The last new rail line was completed in 1920 from Brownsville toSouthmost, Texas.
Under the presidency ofLewis W. Baldwin of theMissouri Pacific Railroad, the Gulf Coast Lines were acquired in December 1924 and renamed as theGulf Coast Lines Division. This acquisition now gave the Missouri Pacific access to the southern portions of Texas in competition with theSouthern Pacific Railroad and itsAtlantic Lines Division.
To further expand the Spider Web Rail Network in theRio Grande Valley, the Missouri Pacific acquired theRio Grande City Railway under the New Orleans, Texas & Mexico Railroad in 1926. The final acquisition for the Spider Web Rail Network came in 1941 when the former narrow gaugedPort Isabel & Rio Grande Valley railway was acquired by the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico.
Unfortunately, the Missouri Pacific declaredbankruptcy in 1933 and entered into trusteeship. During the MP/Trusteeship era, the STLB&M continued to modernize and expand. The last new steam locomotive delivered to the StLB&M was Lima0-8-0 #9766 in 1929. The StLB&M took delivery of its first new diesel-electric locomotive: General Electric44 Ton #813 in January 1942. The last new diesel-electric locomotive to arrive on the StLB&M was BaldwinAS-16 #4331 in July 1954.
After 13 years of trusteeship - the longest of its kind in North American history - the StLB&M (as well as the other Gulf Coast Lines subsidiaries) were reorganized and merged away into the Missouri Pacific (under the presidency ofPaul J. Neff) on March 1, 1956, when the United States District Court of St. Louis terminated the trusteeship. Shortly after the merger did the name of 'StLB&M' and 'Gulf Coast Lines' quickly disappear and various feeder/branch lines were aggressively being abandoned.
The StLB&M purchased various lightweight locomotives to serve main lines, branch lines and various feeder lines along the system.
Under the Yoakum era, the steam locomotives were lettered "ST. LOUIS BROWNSVILLE & MEXICO" along the upper section of the tender and thereporting marks were applied on the cab.
Under the Gulf Coast Lines era, the steam locomotives were lettered "GULF COAST LINES" along the upper section of the tender, but the railroad's reporting marks below the locomotive's roadnumber on the cab.
Under the Missouri Pacific era, the steam locomotives were lettered "MISSOURI PACIFIC LINES" along the upper section of the tender, but the railroad's reporting marks were applied below the locomotive's roadnumber on the cab and on the steam dome.
| St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Steam Roster | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Builder | Date | Locomotive Model | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
| Burnham, Williams & Co. | April 1904 – December 1905 | 4-4-0 | 16 | 925 – 927, 6 – 11, 910 – 912 & 952 – 955 | 925 – 927 are the first steam locomotives delivered |
| Baldwin Locomotive Works | June 1905 – December 1907 | 4-6-0 | 12 | 251 – 262 | |
| Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1905 | 0-6-0 | 3 | 9580 – 9582 | |
| Baldwin Locomotive Works | August 1914 | 2-8-0 | 20 | 81 – 100 | #100 is the last new steam locomotive delivered before Gulf Coast Lines era |
| Alco-Brooks Locomotive Works | 1926 | 2-8-2 | 20 | 1111–1120 | #1111 is the first new steam locomotive delivered in the Missouri Pacific era. 1111-1118 were oil burners while 1119-1120 were lignite fired |
| Alco-Brooks Locomotive Works | 1927 | 4-6-2 | 6 | 1156–1161 | |
| Alco-Richmond Locomotive Works | 1927 | 0-8-0 | 5 | 9601 – 9605 | |
| Lima Locomotive Works | 1927 | 0-8-0 | 3 | 9761 – 9762, 9766 | #9766 is the last new steam locomotive |
Since theBrownie had various branch lines and feeder lines (especially within the Rio Grande Valley) among its system, the Missouri Pacific purchased various lightweight diesel locomotives and switchers to operate where heavy diesel or steam locomotives were not permitted. Only ALCO PA-2s and Electro Motive Division E7 and E8 models were used in passenger service along the Brownsville - Houston route.
| St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Diesel Roster | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Builder | Date | Locomotive Model | Quantity | Road numbers | Notes |
| General Electric | January – February 1942 | 44 Tonner | 2 | 813 – 814 | #813 is the first new diesel-electric locomotive |
| Baldwin Locomotive Works | March 1944 – May 1946 | VO-1000 | 5 | 9153 – 9155, 9160 – 9161 | |
| Electro-Motive Division | March 1947 | E7A | 2 | 7008 – 7009 | The only six axle diesel-electric locomotives on the roster |
| Electro-Motive Division | November 1947 – June 1948 | F3A | 24 | 529 – 552 | |
| Baldwin Locomotive Works | February – March 1949, March 1950 | DRS-4-4-1500 | 4 | 4112 – 4115 | |
| Baldwin Locomotive Works | March – April 1949 | DS-4-4-1000 | 6 | 9162 – 9167 | |
| Electro-Motive Division | October 1949, April 1950 | F7A | 10 | 607 – 614, 615 – 616 | |
| Electro-Motive Division | July 1950 – April 1954 | GP7 | 28 | 4116 – 4120, 4159 – 4165, 4203 – 4207, 4249 – 4253, 4284 – 4286, 4298, 4323 – 4324 | |
| Electro-Motive Division | April 1951 | SW9 | 5 | 9187 – 9191 | |
| Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton | April 1952 | S12 | 3 | 9227 – 9229 | |
| Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton | June – July 1954 | AS-16 | 6 | 4326 - 4331 | #4331 is the last new locomotive delivered to the StLB&M |
