Paris and Great Northern Railroad

1918 map of the railroad

Overview
Headquarters| Paris, Texas
Locale| Texas
Dates of operation| 1888–1928
Successor| St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway Company
Technical
Track gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Paris and Great Northern Railroad (“P&GN”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (“SLSF”),[1] was incorporated July 28, 1881 for the purpose of building a railroad from Paris, Texas to a connection with the SLSF at the Red River.[2] Work commenced in February 1886, and the line—which included a bridge over the Red River—was placed in operation in January 1888.[1] The mainline stretched 16.210 miles, the railroad also having 8.337 miles of yard tracks and sidings, for 24.547 miles total.[1] The line was operated directly by the SLSF until September 1, 1902, after which the P&GN operated it, except during World War I when it was operated by the United States Railroad Administration.[1] On June 1, 1928, the railway was merged into another SLSF entity, the St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway Company (“SLSF&T”).[2]

The P&GN was a participant, along with an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway subsidiary, in the Union Station which opened in 1912 in Paris, Texas.[1][3] That station, under the name of the Santa Fe-Frisco Depot, is now on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Lamar County, Texas. Passenger service out of the station continued on the line until 1956.[3]

The SLSF&T was itself merged into the SLSF on January 1, 1964, and the SLSF was merged into the Burlington Northern Railway Company—now the BNSF—on November 21, 1980.[4] On July 22, 1987, the Kiamichi Railroad acquired the trackage as part of its Hugo, Oklahoma to Paris, Texas line.[5] The purchase included the depot, which was donated to the City of Paris for restoration.[3] The depot now houses the Valley of the Caddo Museum & Cultural Center.[6][7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "Valuation Docket 409, Paris and Great Northern Railroad Company, Interstate Commerce Commission Reports, June-July 1932, pp. 793-805". Interstate Commerce Commission. 1933. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
2. ^ a b "Paris and Great Northern Railroad". Texas State Historical Association Handbook of Texas. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
3. ^ a b c "Union Station-Paris, Texas". Waymarking.com. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
4. ^ "St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway". Texas State Historical Association Handbook of Texas. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
5. ^ "Kiamichi Railroad". Texas State Historical Association Handbook of Texas. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
6. ^ "Valley of the Caddo Museum & Cultural Center". TheParisNews.com. 28 July 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
7. ^ "Valley of the Caddo Museum & Cultural Center". M. Ben, Clio: Your Guide to History, October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2021.

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