FORT WORTH'S PASSENGER TRAINS

OF THE PAST

Intercity passenger trains serving Fort Worth in 1942, 1956, and 1971 immediately prior to the creation of Amtrak.

THE STATIONS

The major stations serving Fort Worth, during the golden age of passenger trains.

Santa Fe Station
1601 Jones St.
Opened 1899

Texas & Pacific Station
221 W. Lancaster Ave.
Opened 1931

Number of station tracks: 5 (?)
Interlocked switches controlled from Tower 55

Prior to the opening of the Texas & Pacific Station, Fort Worth had the Santa Fe Station, and a second station 600 yards away. Little information has been found, regarding the earlier history of major stations in Fort Worth.

SANTA FE

(Santa Fe Station)

Departures



No.  Name                  1942 Dest.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

 15  Fast Fifteen          Galveston       7:30 am
  6  Ranger                Chicago         8:00 am     6:35 am
 15  Texas Chief           Galveston                   1:00 pm     2:00 pm
 16  Texas Chief           Chicago                     2:05 pm     1:08 pm
112  Chicagoan             Oklahoma City              10:20 pm
  5  Ranger                Galveston      11:00 pm    11:20 pm
 77  Angelo                San Angelo     11:05 pm     9:20 pm
 16  Chicago Express       Newton         11:20 pm
Arrivals



No.  Name                  1942 Orig.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

 78  Angelo                San Angelo      6:10 am     5:45 am
  6  Ranger                Galveston       6:20 am     6:05 am
111  Kansas Cityan         Oklahoma City               6:30 am
 15  Fast Fifteen          Newton          6:35 am
 15  Texas Chief           Chicago                    12:50 pm     1:40 pm
 16  Chicago Express       Galveston       5:55 pm
 16  Texas Chief           Galveston                   1:50 pm    12:53 pm
  5  Ranger                Chicago        10:25 pm    10:55 pm
Passenger service initially retained by Amtrak in 1971, with the Texas Chief.

SOUTHERN PACIFIC

(Santa Fe Station)

Departures



No.  Name                  1942 Dest.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

 86                        Ennis          10:35 pm
Arrivals



No.  Name                  1942 Orig.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

 85                        Ennis           7:45 am
Passenger service discontinued in 1951.

ROCK ISLAND

(Santa Fe Station)

Departures



No.  Name                  1942 Dest.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

 17                        Dallas          6:45
 17  Texas Rocket          Houston         7:30  507   8:20 am
510  Texas Rocket          Kansas City    10:05        7:10 am
509  Texas Rocket          Dallas          7:25
 18  Twin Star Rocket      Herington      11:15  508  10:05 pm
Arrivals



No.  Name                  1942 Orig.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

 17  Twin Star Rocket      Kansas City     6:35  507   8:05 am
510  Texas Rocket          Dallas         10:05
509  Texas Rocket          Kansas City     7:25        9:00 pm
 18  Texas Rocket          Houston         9:50  508   9:55 pm
 18                        Dallas         10:55
Passenger service discontinued in 1966, last train was the Twin Star Rocket.

Trains 17-18 to and from Houston previously used the Texas & Pacific station, operating as part of joint service also provided by the Burlington Route.

Until the late 1930's, also using Union Station were St. Louis Southwestern passenger trains. Those trains were replaced with mixed trains using an outlying station, eventually at Hodge. The mixed trains were discontinued in 1958.

BURLINGTON ROUTE (FORT WORTH & DENVER)

(Texas & Pacific Station)

Departures



No.  Name                  1942 Dest.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

  1  Texas Zephyr          Dallas          7:00        6:25
  2  Texas Zephyr          Denver          3:00        2:00
  3  Sam Houston Zephyr    Houston         4:00
  7  Gulf Coast Special    Dallas          8:05        4:00
  8  Gulf Coast Special    Denver         10:35       10:45
Arrivals



No.  Name                  1942 Orig.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

  1  Texas Zephyr          Denver          6:45        6:05
  4  Sam Houston Zephyr    Houston         1:25
  2  Texas Zephyr          Dallas          2:45        1:40
  7  Gulf Coast Special    Denver          7:45        3:35
  8  Gulf Coast Special    Dallas         10:12       10:15
Passenger service discontinued in 1967, last train was the Texas Zephyr.

Previously used Union Station.

TEXAS & PACIFIC

(Texas & Pacific Station)

Departures



No.  Name                  1942 Dest.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

  6  Texas Ranger          Marshall        8:00    8   6:30 am
 32                        Texarkana       9:30
 11  Sunshine Special      El Paso         1:45    1   9:40 am
  2  Sunshine Special      St. Louis       2:35        5:05 pm
 16  Texan                 Marshall        5:05   22   4:25 pm
  4                        St. Louis       8:30        8:30 pm
  7  Southerner            El Paso        10:20       10:30 pm
Arrivals



No.  Name                  1942 Orig.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

  6  Texas Ranger          El Paso         7:25    8   6:00 am
 15  Texan                 Marshall        7:55    3   5:45 pm
  1  Sunshine Special      St. Louis      10:45        8:50 am
 11  Sunshine Special      Marshall        1:20   21   9:20 am
  2  Sunshine Special      El Paso         2:10        3:35 pm
 31                        Texarkana       2:50
  7  Southerner            Texarkana       9:45       10:00 pm
Passenger service discontinued in 1969, last train was the Texas Eagle.

After World War II, several trains were reequipped with streamlined cars, and evolved into the Texas Eagle service.

MISSOURI PACIFIC

(Texas & Pacific Station)

Departures



No.  Name                  1942 Dest.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

 17  Texas Triangle        Houston         8:30 pm
Arrivals



No.  Name                  1942 Orig.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

 18  Texas Triangle        Houston         7:00 am
Passenger service discontinued in 1950.

MISSOURI KANSAS TEXAS

(Texas & Pacific Station)

Departures



No.  Name                  1942 Dest.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

 26  Katy Flyer            Denison         8:30
 11  Texas Special         Houston        10:20   21   8:25 am
 12  Texas Special         Denison         3:20
 28  Bluebonnet            Denison         5:35        8:20 pm
 24  Katy Limited          Denison        11:00   22   6:05 pm
 25  Katy Flyer            Galveston      11:00       10:00 pm
Arrivals



No.  Name                  1942 Orig.  1942 Time  1956 Time  1971 Time

 27  Bluebonnet            Denison         7:30
 26  Katy Flyer            Galveston       7:35        6:25 am
 11  Texas Special         Denison        10:15   21   8:05 am
 23  Katy Limited          Denison        12:30
 24  Katy Limited          Houston         9:45   22   5:45 pm
 25  Katy Flyer            Denison         9:50        9:30 pm
Passenger service discontinued in 1958.

Until the late 1930's, also using Texas & Pacific station were St. Louis San Francisco passenger trains, reaching Fort Worth via trackage rights from Irving over CRI&P.

STATIONS TODAY

Amtrak used the Santa Fe Station until 2002, when it was replaced with the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center, a short distance north at 1001 Jones St.

Passenger service was discontinued at the Texas & Pacific Station in 1967. But in 2001, Trinity Railway Express began operating commuter trains between that station and Dallas.

Trinity Railway Express
Santa Fe Depot
Ashton Depot (Santa Fe Depot)
T&P_Station (Wikipedia)

Links to Web sites containing further historical information on Fort Worth stations.

MAPPING THE STATIONS AND RAILROADS

Links to locations of past and present stations and railroads, using Google Maps. Satellite views are also available.