St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas
 | |
.svg) Cotton Belt system as of 1918 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Reporting mark | SSW |
| Locale | Texas |
| Dates of operation | 1891–Circa 1950 |
| Successor | Union Pacific Railroad |
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas (reporting mark SSW), operated the lines of its parent company, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway within the state of Texas. The St. Louis Southwestern, known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply Cotton Belt, was organized on January 15, 1891, although it had its origins in a series of short lines founded in Tyler, Texas, in 1870 that connected northeastern Texas to Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. Construction of the original Tyler Tap Railroad commenced in the Summer of 1875.
The company gained trackage rights on October 18, 1903 over the Missouri Pacific Railroad to reach East St Louis, Illinois and then used Terminal Railroad Association trackage rights into the St. Louis, Missouri, area. The St. Louis Southwestern and its subsidiaries operated a total of 1,607 miles of track in 1945; 1,555 miles of track in 1965; and 2,115 miles of track in 1981 after taking over the Rock Island's Golden State Route.
The Southern Pacific Company gained Interstate Commerce Commission approval to control the Cotton Belt system on April 14, 1932 but continued to operate it as a separate company until 1992, when the SP consolidated the Cotton Belt's operations into the parent company.
During its years of operation the revenues from operations in Texas generated more than $1 million per year, qualifying the line as a Class I railroad by the Interstate Commerce Commission. The St. Louis Southwestern Railway of Texas was folded into its corporate parent before 1950.
References
- Lewis, Robert G. Handbook of American Railroads. New York: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, 1951, pp. 197-9.