I got to ride the Texas Eagle in the late 60's with my Mom and younger brother and sister from Troup, Tx. through Palestine to Houston to visit my cousins. We had lunch in the Dining car. I think the trip started about 7 or 7:30 and got to Houston at about 4 or 5 o'clock. One of the memories that stuck was how the toilet dumped directly on the tracks. I wish I had access to a camera. I was in the rest room in Troup when the train pulled into the tiny station so I did not get to see what type of locomotive pulled our train, but at least I can say I road a passenger train.🥰
Great video! When the Texas Triangle trains (notice the plural) were instigated probably in the late 1930s, the endpoint cities (Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio) formed a triangle, hence the name of the trains. A train left each endpoint city late at night, where they arrived in Valley Junction at about the same time in the wee hours of the night. The trains then exchanged cars with each other. So for instance, the train from Houston sent a coach and sleeper to Fort Worth as well as a coach and sleeper to San Antonio. My research into these trains has not confirmed the following, but it is logical that each train crew returned to their originating station after swapping cars in Valley Junction. That way, the railroad did not have the expense of providing motel or hotel accommodations at the end of their runs, plus the crews were all back at their homes the next morning. What I have just described only lasted for a few years. The cars between Houston and San Antonio were the first to be eliminated, but the remaining consists were still called the Texas Triangle for a while. Also, the Fort Worth endpoint was sometimes extended to Dallas, and some cars bound for San Antonio went on to Corpus Christi or Mexico. You can probably imagine that three trains meeting in Valley Junction could be kind of a hectic situation. It was further complicated by a mainline passenger train from Palestine passing through Valley Junction on its way to San Antonio at the same time all that commotion was going on. Throw in a freight train or two, and you could have a real mess on your hands. While Valley Junction is a single track junction today, back then it was double track on all four quadrants (i.e., the route to Fort Worth, the route to Palestine not involved in the Triangle, the route to Houston, and the route to San Antonio). The Missouri Pacific (as far as I have been able to determine) was the only railroad in the country that could field such a triangular set of trains, or at least was the only railroad to do so. The trains did not have to go fast. They left very late at night from the endpoints, and arrived very early the next morning at these same endpoints. The Texas Triangle as I have described it can be verified by consulting the September 1937 Official Guide of the Railways.
This was cool. I live in Carinteria Calif. They tore down our Southern Pacific station. Total waste. Amtrak still stops here. It was a classic. Very sad. Santa Barbara Still has their original station. Very nice mission style. Thank you.
I realize that I have several mistakes in my program that day. Like the Pioneer which ran from Houston to Brownsville, not Beaumont. I apologize for these goofs.
My first train trip 70s Grenada MS to Chicago IL my mom me sister lil brother
I ❤❤ train sense
Watched and enjoyed every minute of the full 2 hours. Thank you.
Great presentation! Can't wait for the T&P book!
I got to ride the Texas Eagle in the late 60's with my Mom and younger brother and sister from Troup, Tx. through Palestine to Houston to visit my cousins. We had lunch in the Dining car. I think the trip started about 7 or 7:30 and got to Houston at about 4 or 5 o'clock. One of the memories that stuck was how the toilet dumped directly on the tracks. I wish I had access to a camera. I was in the rest room in Troup when the train pulled into the tiny station so I did not get to see what type of locomotive pulled our train, but at least I can say I road a passenger train.🥰
Great video! When the Texas Triangle trains (notice the plural) were instigated probably in the late 1930s, the endpoint cities (Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio) formed a triangle, hence the name of the trains. A train left each endpoint city late at night, where they arrived in Valley Junction at about the same time in the wee hours of the night. The trains then exchanged cars with each other. So for instance, the train from Houston sent a coach and sleeper to Fort Worth as well as a coach and sleeper to San Antonio. My research into these trains has not confirmed the following, but it is logical that each train crew returned to their originating station after swapping cars in Valley Junction. That way, the railroad did not have the expense of providing motel or hotel accommodations at the end of their runs, plus the crews were all back at their homes the next morning. What I have just described only lasted for a few years. The cars between Houston and San Antonio were the first to be eliminated, but the remaining consists were still called the Texas Triangle for a while. Also, the Fort Worth endpoint was sometimes extended to Dallas, and some cars bound for San Antonio went on to Corpus Christi or Mexico. You can probably imagine that three trains meeting in Valley Junction could be kind of a hectic situation. It was further complicated by a mainline passenger train from Palestine passing through Valley Junction on its way to San Antonio at the same time all that commotion was going on. Throw in a freight train or two, and you could have a real mess on your hands. While Valley Junction is a single track junction today, back then it was double track on all four quadrants (i.e., the route to Fort Worth, the route to Palestine not involved in the Triangle, the route to Houston, and the route to San Antonio). The Missouri Pacific (as far as I have been able to determine) was the only railroad in the country that could field such a triangular set of trains, or at least was the only railroad to do so. The trains did not have to go fast. They left very late at night from the endpoints, and arrived very early the next morning at these same endpoints. The Texas Triangle as I have described it can be verified by consulting the September 1937 Official Guide of the Railways.
This was cool.
I live in Carinteria Calif.
They tore down our Southern Pacific station. Total waste. Amtrak still stops here. It was a classic. Very sad. Santa Barbara Still has their original station. Very nice mission style. Thank you.
Nice! We model a few of the scenes you showed in Austin :)
I realize that I have several mistakes in my program that day. Like the Pioneer which ran from Houston to Brownsville, not Beaumont. I apologize for these goofs.
No worries. When under the pressure of lights, cameras and a live audience, mistakes occur.
Given the prodigious detail and you never looked at notes, no problem.
@@tomk9820 you're right.
We need a train from Allen that go across the metro