Milam county railroad history
Under Construction
Milam County was home to several railroads:
International & Great Northern which became the Missouri Pacific and later the Union Pacific
Rockdale, Sandow & Southern Railroad
San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad
International & Great Northern which became the Missouri Pacific and later the Union Pacific
Rockdale, Sandow & Southern Railroad
San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad
San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad - the SAAP
There is not a whole wealth of information available pertaining to the SAAP, so we may not include a lot documentation here on this site. However, we will include links on this page where one can easily find established information.
The Texas Transportation Museum, located in San Antonio, Texas, has one of the most informative web sites we have found so far. If you are interested in the SAAP, then this is the place to start.
Another site containing some interesting information is Carl Codney's site.
Supposedly, The San Antonio and Arsansas Pass Railway; The Story of the Famous "SAP" Railway of Texas
by Hedge, John W. and Geoffrey S. Dawson is a great book on the SAAP but very hard to find.
There is not a whole wealth of information available pertaining to the SAAP, so we may not include a lot documentation here on this site. However, we will include links on this page where one can easily find established information.
The Texas Transportation Museum, located in San Antonio, Texas, has one of the most informative web sites we have found so far. If you are interested in the SAAP, then this is the place to start.
Another site containing some interesting information is Carl Codney's site.
Supposedly, The San Antonio and Arsansas Pass Railway; The Story of the Famous "SAP" Railway of Texas
by Hedge, John W. and Geoffrey S. Dawson is a great book on the SAAP but very hard to find.
SAAP Route Map... This is the 1893 version of the SAAP route map. It clearly shows where Cameron and Rockdale fit into the overall system.
SAAP timetable - Here is the 1893 version of the SAAP timetable.
Rockdale, Sandow & Southern Railroad - RSS
RSS was incorporated in 1923.
Track Miles: 4
Interchanges: Union Pacific (Marjorie, Texas)
Capacity: 286k
Commodities: Alumina, Fly Ash, Frac Sand, Slag
Railcar Storage Available: Yes
Acquired by Rail America in 2005
Acquired by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. in 2012
In 2008 the RSS hauled 6100 carloads.
The Texas State Historical Association has the following information of interest:
ROCKDALE, SANDOW AND SOUTHERN RAILROAD. The Rockdale, Sandow, and Southern Railroad Company was chartered on June 13, 1923, to acquire and rehabilitate an industrial railroad constructed by the Federal Fuel Company in 1919. The six-mile line extended from Marjorie on the International-Great Northern to the Federal lignite mine near Millerton, the first surface lignite mine in Texas. However, the equipment employed by Federal Fuel to strip the overburden and lignite failed to work as expected, and the company entered into voluntary bankruptcy in late 1920. The Standard Coal Company, a new organization, took over the property the following year and in 1922 conveyed the mine to a subsidiary of the McAlester Fuel Company. In order to promote lignite, McAlester renamed the mine site Sandow, after Florenz Ziegfeld's strongman. The railroad had a capital of $10,000 and a business office in Sandow. The members of the first board of directors were E. A. Camp, John M. Reed, L. W. Sledge, John T. Hale, and E. M. Camp, all of Milam County; and V. C. Robbins and A. P. Rudowsky of Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. The RS&S, also a subsidiary of McAlester Fuel, began operation on February 4, 1924. Virtually all of its traffic originated at the mine, and the fortunes of the railroad depended on the demand for lignite. In 1926 the Rockdale, Sandow, and Southern Railroad reported passenger earnings of three dollars and freight earnings of $63,000 and owned four locomotives and three cars. By the late 1940s, however, petroleum and natural gas had captured most of the markets supplied by McAlester, and the last major customer, the University of Texas, converted to natural gas on October 1, 1950. The last car of lignite was loaded by the mine on October 18, 1950.
A new era for the RS&S began in July 1951 when the Aluminum Company of America announced plans to build a smelting plant near the mine. As a part of the project, Alcoa received authority from the Interstate Commerce Commission to acquire control of the RS&S, which was now authorized to operate in interstate commerce. Previously, the RS&S handled intrastate traffic only. The railroad was upgraded, and about three miles of track was moved in order to serve the new Alcoa plant better. Construction of the Rockdale Works began in the fall of 1951, and the first carload of aluminum was shipped in November 1952. Although it is independently operated, the RS&S has become an integral part of Alcoa's Texas operations. Unit trains carry material between the Alcoa facility at Point Comfort and the Rockdale Works on the tracks of the RS&S, the Union Pacific, and the Point Comfort and Northern, another Alcoa-controlled railroad. The RS&S carried passengers until about 1950, although passenger traffic was light. A Pierce Arrow, modified to run on rails, provided passenger accommodations in later years. This allowed the RS&S to retire its combination baggage and coach car, which was sold to Twentieth Century Fox in 1945. The car has subsequently appeared in numerous movies and television programs. The bell from steam locomotive number 3 has served since 1954 as a Victory Bell for the winner of the annual football game between the Rockdale Tigers and the Cameron Yeomen. In 1990 the railroad had revenue of less than $5 million and hauled metallic ores, metal products, and petroleum products. In 1990 the company owned three locomotives and leased 159 freight cars.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Austin American-Statesman, August 12, 1956. Texas Parade, February 1952.
In addition, here is some information about the history surrounding the beginning of the RSS well before it was a complete railroad. This is about Sandow which was previously known as Millerton and, before that, Freeze-Out.
(Researched by Mrs. Robert N. Baker)Millerton-Sandow community is located in the southwest part of Milam County. A schoolhouse was built there before 1900. The building of the schoolhouse was of prime interest to the local residents.
It was built of bricks made by hand. The location of the school building stood until the Alcoa plant construction was well under way.
Also, the community has always been known as “Freeze-Out” but no knowledge of the origin of the name has been found.
The school was paid for by money donated by Mr. Beardy Miller who was a bachelor from Georgia. He died as a result of injuries sustained from a bull. He is remembered for his generosity, thoughtfulness of others, and willingness to furbish what he could for a future generation.
There are two cemeteries in the vicinity, the Garner Cemetery and the Miller Cemetery.
SOURCE: Marshall, Ida Jo (ed.), Rockdale Centennial: A History of Rockdale, Texas, 1874-1974. Rockdale, TX: Rockdale Reporter, 1974. (p. 100-101)
Sandow is a mining community located on Farm Road 1786, about 8-miles southwest of Rockdale in southern Milam County.
At one time the site was a stop for mule drivers hauling freight from Matagorda. Freeze-Out, as the drivers named the community, had a trading post, a quarter-mile racetrack, and several saloons.
A post office opened there in 1873 and was named Millerton in honor of Emil Miller, who had given land for a school. Millerton became a voting precinct in 1874. Its post office closed in 1876, reopened in 1889, and was finally discontinued in 1891, when mail was routed through Rockdale.
Millerton had a one-teacher school for 42 students in 1903; the school was incorporated with the Rockdale Independent School District in 1949.
In 1918 the Federal Fuel Co., which owned a lignite mine at Millerton, began construction of a 6-mile railroad to connect the mine with the International and Great Northern line at Marjorie. The fuel company soon went bankrupt, however, leaving the railroad unfinished.
When the McAlester Fuel Company took over the operation in 1922, it renamed the town Sandow, after a famous strongman then being promoted by Florenz Ziegfeld.
Construction of the Rockdale, Sandow and Southern Railroad was completed in 1923. For 25 years the Sandow mine provided lignite to several plants in Texas, including the central heating plants at the University of Texas and Texas A&M University, the San Antonio Public Service plant at New Braunfels, and the Texas Power and Light plant at Trinidad.
The abundance of cheap natural gas, however, undermined the lignite industry during the 1930s and 1940s, and in 1950 the mine at Sandow closed.
In 1951, after the development of a process by which lignite could be dried and carbonized to produce a cheap fuel, the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) decided to locate a large plant near Sandow; the Sandow Power Plant used lignite to generate electricity for Alcoa. Though the new business brought a much-needed economic boost to the region, Sandow did not develop as a commercial or residential center. Most of the employees of the Alcoa plant lived and shopped in Rockdale. The Alcoa facilities were all that marked Sandow on the 1988 county highway map. No population estimates were available.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Lelia M. Batte, History of Milam County, Texas (San Antonio: Naylor, 1956); Milam County Heritage Preservation Soc., Matchless Milam: History of Milam County (Dallas: Taylor, 1984); Handbook of Texas On-Line
Going to another source, the Texas State Historical Association, we find this about Sandow:SANDOW, TEXAS. Sandow is a mining community on Farm Road 1786 eight miles southwest of Rockdale in southern Milam County. At one time the site was a stop for mule drivers hauling freight from Matagorda. Freezeout, as the drivers named the community, had a trading post, a quarter-mile racetrack, and several saloons. A post office opened there in 1873 and was named Millerton in honor of Emil Miller, who had given land for a school. Millerton became a voting precinct in 1874. Its post office closed in 1876, reopened in 1889, and was finally discontinued in 1891, when mail was routed through Rockdale. Millerton had a one-teacher school for forty-two students in 1903; the school was incorporated with the Rockdale Independent School District in 1949. In 1918 the Federal Fuel Company, which owned a lignite mine at Millerton, began construction of a six-mile railroad to connect the mine with the International and Great Northern line at Marjorie. The fuel company soon went bankrupt, however, leaving the railroad unfinished. When the McAlester Fuel Company took over the operation in 1922, it renamed the town Sandow, after a famous strongman then being promoted by Florenz Ziegfeld. Construction of the Rockdale, Sandow and Southern Railroad was completed in 1923. For twenty-five years the Sandow mine provided lignite to several plants in Texas, including the central heating plants at the University of Texas and Texas A&M University, the San Antonio Public Service plant at New Braunfels, and the Texas Power and Light plant at Trinidad. The abundance of cheap natural gas, however, undermined the lignite industry during the 1930s and 1940s, and in 1950 the mine at Sandow closed. In 1951, after the development of a process by which lignite could be dried and carbonized to produce a cheap fuel, the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) decided to locate a large plant near Sandow; the Sandow Power Plant used lignite to generate electricity for Alcoa. Though the new business brought a much-needed economic boost to the region, Sandow did not develop as a commercial or residential center. Most of the employees of the Alcoa plant lived and shopped in Rockdale. The Alcoa facilities were all that marked Sandow on the 1988 county highway map. No population estimates were available.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Lelia M. Batte, History of Milam County, Texas (San Antonio: Naylor, 1956). Milam County Heritage Preservation Society, Matchless Milam: History of Milam County (Dallas: Taylor, 1984). Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin (Rockdale, Texas).
Vivian Elizabeth Smyrl
RSS was incorporated in 1923.
Track Miles: 4
Interchanges: Union Pacific (Marjorie, Texas)
Capacity: 286k
Commodities: Alumina, Fly Ash, Frac Sand, Slag
Railcar Storage Available: Yes
Acquired by Rail America in 2005
Acquired by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. in 2012
In 2008 the RSS hauled 6100 carloads.
The Texas State Historical Association has the following information of interest:
ROCKDALE, SANDOW AND SOUTHERN RAILROAD. The Rockdale, Sandow, and Southern Railroad Company was chartered on June 13, 1923, to acquire and rehabilitate an industrial railroad constructed by the Federal Fuel Company in 1919. The six-mile line extended from Marjorie on the International-Great Northern to the Federal lignite mine near Millerton, the first surface lignite mine in Texas. However, the equipment employed by Federal Fuel to strip the overburden and lignite failed to work as expected, and the company entered into voluntary bankruptcy in late 1920. The Standard Coal Company, a new organization, took over the property the following year and in 1922 conveyed the mine to a subsidiary of the McAlester Fuel Company. In order to promote lignite, McAlester renamed the mine site Sandow, after Florenz Ziegfeld's strongman. The railroad had a capital of $10,000 and a business office in Sandow. The members of the first board of directors were E. A. Camp, John M. Reed, L. W. Sledge, John T. Hale, and E. M. Camp, all of Milam County; and V. C. Robbins and A. P. Rudowsky of Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. The RS&S, also a subsidiary of McAlester Fuel, began operation on February 4, 1924. Virtually all of its traffic originated at the mine, and the fortunes of the railroad depended on the demand for lignite. In 1926 the Rockdale, Sandow, and Southern Railroad reported passenger earnings of three dollars and freight earnings of $63,000 and owned four locomotives and three cars. By the late 1940s, however, petroleum and natural gas had captured most of the markets supplied by McAlester, and the last major customer, the University of Texas, converted to natural gas on October 1, 1950. The last car of lignite was loaded by the mine on October 18, 1950.
A new era for the RS&S began in July 1951 when the Aluminum Company of America announced plans to build a smelting plant near the mine. As a part of the project, Alcoa received authority from the Interstate Commerce Commission to acquire control of the RS&S, which was now authorized to operate in interstate commerce. Previously, the RS&S handled intrastate traffic only. The railroad was upgraded, and about three miles of track was moved in order to serve the new Alcoa plant better. Construction of the Rockdale Works began in the fall of 1951, and the first carload of aluminum was shipped in November 1952. Although it is independently operated, the RS&S has become an integral part of Alcoa's Texas operations. Unit trains carry material between the Alcoa facility at Point Comfort and the Rockdale Works on the tracks of the RS&S, the Union Pacific, and the Point Comfort and Northern, another Alcoa-controlled railroad. The RS&S carried passengers until about 1950, although passenger traffic was light. A Pierce Arrow, modified to run on rails, provided passenger accommodations in later years. This allowed the RS&S to retire its combination baggage and coach car, which was sold to Twentieth Century Fox in 1945. The car has subsequently appeared in numerous movies and television programs. The bell from steam locomotive number 3 has served since 1954 as a Victory Bell for the winner of the annual football game between the Rockdale Tigers and the Cameron Yeomen. In 1990 the railroad had revenue of less than $5 million and hauled metallic ores, metal products, and petroleum products. In 1990 the company owned three locomotives and leased 159 freight cars.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Austin American-Statesman, August 12, 1956. Texas Parade, February 1952.
In addition, here is some information about the history surrounding the beginning of the RSS well before it was a complete railroad. This is about Sandow which was previously known as Millerton and, before that, Freeze-Out.
(Researched by Mrs. Robert N. Baker)Millerton-Sandow community is located in the southwest part of Milam County. A schoolhouse was built there before 1900. The building of the schoolhouse was of prime interest to the local residents.
It was built of bricks made by hand. The location of the school building stood until the Alcoa plant construction was well under way.
Also, the community has always been known as “Freeze-Out” but no knowledge of the origin of the name has been found.
The school was paid for by money donated by Mr. Beardy Miller who was a bachelor from Georgia. He died as a result of injuries sustained from a bull. He is remembered for his generosity, thoughtfulness of others, and willingness to furbish what he could for a future generation.
There are two cemeteries in the vicinity, the Garner Cemetery and the Miller Cemetery.
SOURCE: Marshall, Ida Jo (ed.), Rockdale Centennial: A History of Rockdale, Texas, 1874-1974. Rockdale, TX: Rockdale Reporter, 1974. (p. 100-101)
Sandow is a mining community located on Farm Road 1786, about 8-miles southwest of Rockdale in southern Milam County.
At one time the site was a stop for mule drivers hauling freight from Matagorda. Freeze-Out, as the drivers named the community, had a trading post, a quarter-mile racetrack, and several saloons.
A post office opened there in 1873 and was named Millerton in honor of Emil Miller, who had given land for a school. Millerton became a voting precinct in 1874. Its post office closed in 1876, reopened in 1889, and was finally discontinued in 1891, when mail was routed through Rockdale.
Millerton had a one-teacher school for 42 students in 1903; the school was incorporated with the Rockdale Independent School District in 1949.
In 1918 the Federal Fuel Co., which owned a lignite mine at Millerton, began construction of a 6-mile railroad to connect the mine with the International and Great Northern line at Marjorie. The fuel company soon went bankrupt, however, leaving the railroad unfinished.
When the McAlester Fuel Company took over the operation in 1922, it renamed the town Sandow, after a famous strongman then being promoted by Florenz Ziegfeld.
Construction of the Rockdale, Sandow and Southern Railroad was completed in 1923. For 25 years the Sandow mine provided lignite to several plants in Texas, including the central heating plants at the University of Texas and Texas A&M University, the San Antonio Public Service plant at New Braunfels, and the Texas Power and Light plant at Trinidad.
The abundance of cheap natural gas, however, undermined the lignite industry during the 1930s and 1940s, and in 1950 the mine at Sandow closed.
In 1951, after the development of a process by which lignite could be dried and carbonized to produce a cheap fuel, the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) decided to locate a large plant near Sandow; the Sandow Power Plant used lignite to generate electricity for Alcoa. Though the new business brought a much-needed economic boost to the region, Sandow did not develop as a commercial or residential center. Most of the employees of the Alcoa plant lived and shopped in Rockdale. The Alcoa facilities were all that marked Sandow on the 1988 county highway map. No population estimates were available.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Lelia M. Batte, History of Milam County, Texas (San Antonio: Naylor, 1956); Milam County Heritage Preservation Soc., Matchless Milam: History of Milam County (Dallas: Taylor, 1984); Handbook of Texas On-Line
Going to another source, the Texas State Historical Association, we find this about Sandow:SANDOW, TEXAS. Sandow is a mining community on Farm Road 1786 eight miles southwest of Rockdale in southern Milam County. At one time the site was a stop for mule drivers hauling freight from Matagorda. Freezeout, as the drivers named the community, had a trading post, a quarter-mile racetrack, and several saloons. A post office opened there in 1873 and was named Millerton in honor of Emil Miller, who had given land for a school. Millerton became a voting precinct in 1874. Its post office closed in 1876, reopened in 1889, and was finally discontinued in 1891, when mail was routed through Rockdale. Millerton had a one-teacher school for forty-two students in 1903; the school was incorporated with the Rockdale Independent School District in 1949. In 1918 the Federal Fuel Company, which owned a lignite mine at Millerton, began construction of a six-mile railroad to connect the mine with the International and Great Northern line at Marjorie. The fuel company soon went bankrupt, however, leaving the railroad unfinished. When the McAlester Fuel Company took over the operation in 1922, it renamed the town Sandow, after a famous strongman then being promoted by Florenz Ziegfeld. Construction of the Rockdale, Sandow and Southern Railroad was completed in 1923. For twenty-five years the Sandow mine provided lignite to several plants in Texas, including the central heating plants at the University of Texas and Texas A&M University, the San Antonio Public Service plant at New Braunfels, and the Texas Power and Light plant at Trinidad. The abundance of cheap natural gas, however, undermined the lignite industry during the 1930s and 1940s, and in 1950 the mine at Sandow closed. In 1951, after the development of a process by which lignite could be dried and carbonized to produce a cheap fuel, the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) decided to locate a large plant near Sandow; the Sandow Power Plant used lignite to generate electricity for Alcoa. Though the new business brought a much-needed economic boost to the region, Sandow did not develop as a commercial or residential center. Most of the employees of the Alcoa plant lived and shopped in Rockdale. The Alcoa facilities were all that marked Sandow on the 1988 county highway map. No population estimates were available.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Lelia M. Batte, History of Milam County, Texas (San Antonio: Naylor, 1956). Milam County Heritage Preservation Society, Matchless Milam: History of Milam County (Dallas: Taylor, 1984). Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin (Rockdale, Texas).
Vivian Elizabeth Smyrl
Gause, located about 10 miles West of Hearne and 10 miles East of Milano on highway 79 has a history directly connected to the railroads. The following information was found on Texasescapes.com. Hope you enjoy...
History in a Pecan Shell
At last! A town named after the pioneering settler and not a railroad official, brakeman or track-walker. The man was William J. Gause and the year was 1872. There was a strong railroad connection, however, for Mr. Gause granted a right-of-way to the Missouri Pacific Railroad and that was responsible for the town's early and almost immediate prosperity.
Gause was a shipping point for Milam County farmers who shipped corn, cotton and cottonseed oil (ginned and processed right there in Gause). But by the 1920's, the town started into a decline as did many Texas towns.
The automobile became affordable and the problem of "keeping them down on the farm" was indeed a reality after World War I. Being only 16 miles from the county seat, made it easy for Gausians to spend their income in Cameron.
At its population high-water mark, there were 1,000 people living in Gause, although it's hard to imagine that now. The population reached its lowest point with just over 200 people in the 1970s. The population is experiencing current growth (est. 400) as many people are escaping the larger towns that their grandparents found so magnetic.
History in a Pecan Shell
At last! A town named after the pioneering settler and not a railroad official, brakeman or track-walker. The man was William J. Gause and the year was 1872. There was a strong railroad connection, however, for Mr. Gause granted a right-of-way to the Missouri Pacific Railroad and that was responsible for the town's early and almost immediate prosperity.
Gause was a shipping point for Milam County farmers who shipped corn, cotton and cottonseed oil (ginned and processed right there in Gause). But by the 1920's, the town started into a decline as did many Texas towns.
The automobile became affordable and the problem of "keeping them down on the farm" was indeed a reality after World War I. Being only 16 miles from the county seat, made it easy for Gausians to spend their income in Cameron.
At its population high-water mark, there were 1,000 people living in Gause, although it's hard to imagine that now. The population reached its lowest point with just over 200 people in the 1970s. The population is experiencing current growth (est. 400) as many people are escaping the larger towns that their grandparents found so magnetic.