Georgetown Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Georgetown Railroad is a short-line railroad headquartered in Georgetown, Texas
.
. The first board of directors consisted of Emzy Taylor, Moses E. Steele, Thomas B. Hughes, J. H. Rucker, Duncan G. Smith, and John J. Dimmitt, all of Williamson County, and David Love. The headquarters was in Georgetown.
The proceeds of the first stock offering was about $50,000, and the end of 1878, the GRR had connected Georgetown to Round Rock. Soon, the railroad found itself in difficult financial straits and was sold in foreclosure on August 5, 1879. The International-Great Northern Railroad
purchased the Georgetown and operations merged with that company in 1882. The branch was operated by the I-GN and its successors until 1959, when it was sold to the new Georgetown Railroad Company.
This company was incorporated on July 25, 1958, and it acquired eight miles of the Georgetown branch of the Missouri Pacific Railroad
which was a successor to the I-GN.
On June 3, 1991, the Georgetown Railroad acquired that portion of the Belton Railroad east of Interstate 35
at Belton
and began operating this line as its Belton Subdivision.
Although its consists include ammonium nitrate, lumber
, and grain
, the major industry on the Georgetown Railroad is the large quarry of the Texas Crushed Stone Company, located west of Georgetown.
Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown is a city and also the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States with a population of 47,400 at the 2010 census. Southwestern University, founded in 1840, is the oldest university in Texas and is located in Georgetown, about 1/2 mile east of the historic square...
.
History
The original Georgetown Railroad Company was chartered on May 31, 1878, with a commitment to build a railroad the approximately 10 mile distance between Georgetown and Round RockRound Rock, Texas
Round Rock is a city in Travis and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the metropolitan area. The 2010 census places the population at 99,887....
. The first board of directors consisted of Emzy Taylor, Moses E. Steele, Thomas B. Hughes, J. H. Rucker, Duncan G. Smith, and John J. Dimmitt, all of Williamson County, and David Love. The headquarters was in Georgetown.
The proceeds of the first stock offering was about $50,000, and the end of 1878, the GRR had connected Georgetown to Round Rock. Soon, the railroad found itself in difficult financial straits and was sold in foreclosure on August 5, 1879. The International-Great Northern Railroad
International-Great Northern Railroad
The International – Great Northern Railroad was a railroad that operated in the U.S. state of Texas. It was created on September 30, 1873, when International Railroad and Houston and Great Northern Railroad merged....
purchased the Georgetown and operations merged with that company in 1882. The branch was operated by the I-GN and its successors until 1959, when it was sold to the new Georgetown Railroad Company.
This company was incorporated on July 25, 1958, and it acquired eight miles of the Georgetown branch of the Missouri Pacific Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
which was a successor to the I-GN.
On June 3, 1991, the Georgetown Railroad acquired that portion of the Belton Railroad east of Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
at Belton
Belton, Texas
Belton is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bell County.Belton is part of the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area.-Geography:...
and began operating this line as its Belton Subdivision.
Operations
GRR operates two non-connected lines:- The "Granger Branch", a 24.3 mile line from an interchange with Union Pacific at Kerr, Texas through Georgetown to an interchange with Union Pacific at Granger, TexasGranger, TexasGranger is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,299 at the 2000 census; it was 1,331 in the 2005 census estimate. Granger was the site for the filming of the 2010 remake of the movie True Grit.-Geography:...
(the line was previously owned by Missouri Pacific) - The "Belton Branch", a 5.9 mile line from Belton, TexasBelton, TexasBelton is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bell County.Belton is part of the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area.-Geography:...
to an interchange with Union Pacific at Smith, Texas (the line was previously owned by Missouri-Kansas-Texas)
Although its consists include ammonium nitrate, lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
, and grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, the major industry on the Georgetown Railroad is the large quarry of the Texas Crushed Stone Company, located west of Georgetown.