The red arrow tips mark the path of the Sugar Land RR through northern Brazoria County, Texas.

The roadbed approached FM 1462 in Brazoria, Texas

There was a train depot here on the Coffee Plantation.

From 1462 south the Sugar Land train entered what is now a state of Texas prison.

From Otey, Texas the train continued southeast to Anchor, Texas.

Sign of FM 521 giving directions to the ghost town of Otey, Texas.

From Otey Texas to Anchor, Texas, where the Sugarland RR ended. Riders had to change trains to the Velasco Terminal Railroad.to continue to Angleton and Velasco.

In 1893 the Sugar Land Railroad was funded and by 1894 was completed to Duke under the direction of E. H. Cunningham. Before 1908 W. T. Eldridge purchased the Sugar Land Railroad and one of his first changes was to abandon the section of railroad from the Sienna Parkway intersection at McKeever Rd [House, Texas] to Duke. In 1891 the Texas Railroad Commission was formed and in 1894 it became an elective body. The Texas Railroad Commission records indicate the Sugar Land Railroad was completed from Sugar Land to Arcola Junction in 1894. There is not mention of the abandonment from House, Texas to Arcola Junction although a 1917 map shows the abandoned roadbed. The commission records indicate that in 1912 a line was completed from Arcola to Ratchford, Texas. I have not been able to locate Ratchford, Texas. The next entry shows the railroSo the railroad traced by this pamphlet was complete by 1916. The International and Great Northern railroad bed runs south through Arcola to Anchor , and continued south. The Sugar Land railroad joined the Velasco Terminal Railway at Anchor with it's connection to Angleton and Velasco. By 1932 the Texas Railroad Commission records indicate the abandonment of  track from Anchor Junction to House, Texas. Mentioned elsewhere is the abandonment of the four miles of  track north of Arcola. The two things I don’t know about are where Arcola was at the time of abandonment, Arcola migrated from the Arcola Sugar Mills to near Hawdon and then north to the present location.

Missouri Pacific purchased the Sugar Land RR in 1956. It ran from Sugar Land to House, to Arcola Sugar Mills, to Hawdon and to Houston, Texas. Everything south of Arcola Sugar Mills had been abandoned.

Engineer, Howard M. Grounds

Brakeman R. T. Bishop 

Brakeman Heard 

Conductor C. E. McFarland 

This is the team that ran the train on the last run of the Sugar Land Railroad to Gulf Coast Feed Mills.

 

http://www.towers.txrrhistory.com/index.htm is the link for INTERLOCKING RAILROAD TOWERS OF TEXAS

 

 

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