Dear Joe,

Lately, my computer been overheating, and also limited funding
kept me from traveling to Dallas, Austin, San Antonio or Houston.
I don't know what its like on east coast, or in North West, or
your current location, Texas is a country unto itself. The local
library is limited (mom and pop) and closest university would be John
Tarleton in Stephenville which is 40 miles north west of where I
stay. I appreciate the help, and I haven't had a chance to read
"EVERY" thread on here, the issue I face is, making room to model a
railroad of the era, and obtain the items to make it work. Have you
checked the prices lately on Model Railroad Magazine, or some of the
artistic brass locomotives, and to find the era in which to model?
In all due respect, most model kits are expensive, and very time
consuming. At least modeling the 1920's or 30's. The railroad itself
was taken over many times. From 1909 till 1920's it went from one
family to Stephenville Texas North and South, then went to St Louis
Southwestern, then went to Cotton Belt until the line itself was
dismantled from Stephenville to Gatesville to Waco. I refer to the
maps between Stephenville to Alexander, to Carlton, to Spurlin, all
the way to Hamilton, as well as the line from Hamilton, to Aleman,
to Ireland, to Levita, to Gatesville, and from Gatesville all the
way to Waco. Most of the R.O.W. is on private land, and also over
grown with brush, and mesquite tree's which is quite an abundance,
grows fast and hard to remove without bulldozing. It's finding the
local support of the folx here to gather the information, photo's
and other documents of the time frame, as well as photos of the
businesses that existed then, and where it is today. Most of the
structures and track since removed left empty plots of land, and
now houses and residential and small businesses exist where if there
was any track any remnants or remains of such structures are long
gone, and all that is "LEFT" is dismantled R.O.W. on some pieces of
land. My 'friend' Myron has sections of R.O.W. where the main line
and a spur/siding once traveled. Not sure if it was another station
or not. There once was a WYE that was off to the west of U.S. 281
and went west to Comanche till the I.C.C. shut down that line, and
converted the R.O.W. into a State Highway 36 from the little town of
Lamkin all the way to Comanche. Much of the road itself is wide,
with gentle railroad grade curves and already leveled as if the track
were still there. As you drive on S.H. 36, just south east of the
town of Comanche a dirt road cuts to the left going N.W. to a plant
along the existing railroad. Chances are, that is the remains of the
old access to the track to Hamilton. Comanche county road crews did
use the dismantled railroad grade R.O.W. as State Highway 36 from the
1930's to present day. As far as the rest of the R.O.W. in Hamilton
it is all but obscured by time. Most of the "old timers" are dead, or
in nursing homes, its an uphill battle. I appreciate the help and
kindness, just that model railroading and information gathering from
the local folx is very difficult, since the court house burned 2 or 3
times since 1858 when the first court house burned down. In 1992, I
visited the Assistant D.A's office where any records were kept and
the clerk told me, the records go back to 1933 "AFTER" the railroad
had pulled out, and that any court records showing debts and any
liens were destroyed by the fire, as well as court documents to
show how bad the financial status of the railroad company was in.
It appeared the locals of the mid to late 1930's protested the need
for a railroad, and A.G. Thompson who was like BOSS HOGG of Hazzard
County, fought the railroad companies with an iron fist. Hamilton
did have a booming Cotton operation and when the railroad company
moved in, the locals in Hamilton fought back hard. Roads were bad,
the automobile and early trucking was still new, but if it could
move cotton bales to market faster than rail then that was the case.
Based on roumers, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th hand information the local
business tycoons fought any form of progress that came to Hamilton.

The railroad itself lost money, floods of the Leon River, from
time to time, 2nd hand cheaply made rails and worn out locomotives
with ragged rail cars hampered efforts, The Gates family of the
early 1900's lost their shirt and lost everything on their first
gamble, and sold to another company that didn't make it rich but
broke even. Eventually since the residents fought to keep the rails
because they were Germans who loved trains, the business idiots of
the time lost money on cotton. the Boevil came to Hamilton county
and destroyed the cotton crop. To this day, as you leave Hamilton
county to Comanche, Comanche has a big sign warning about Bowevil
infestation of $5,000 a day or something. I guess things went
organically toxic for businesses to do anything but move on to a
county that accepted them. To this day, Hamilton county hasn't even
grown beyond the population of 2,000 people. No Wal-Mart, Starbucks,
No Sears, No JcPenney, No Walgreens, mainly small home town folx. No
big businesses just local. Oh well.. financial support will have to
come when Hashem, or some nice Jewish banker can spot me a few
million, billion bucks to build a decent Railroad Museum to show
a map of the R.O.W. and have an articulated model railroad to show
an era specific time when the railroad ran through Hamilton, and to
show the businesses, yards and also have an H.O. Scale bench or shelf
railroad showing in scale miles and track of Waco, Gatesville,
Hamilton, and Stephvenville with the Comanche connection to show in
proper scale and detail perfection what life was like between 1925 to
1930. The shape of the roads, the size of the towns of where the now
defunct, dismantled R.O.W. exist (as well as the existing R.O.W. now
stands.) as well any branch connection to Dublin, TX.

Ok I am getting hungry, thank you all for your concern...

Shalom,

Micha'el D. Lucas
76531

--- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "Joe Bartolini" <jbart@...>
wrote:
>
> Haven't read every posting in this thread, but according to the Union List
> of Sanborn & Other Fire Insurance Maps for Texas there is coverage for
> Hamilton. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/sanbul_TX_A.html#h
> Anyway if you check out the Union List there is some info on how to obtain
> copies of the coverage you seek. OH yea this is the Union List for Hamilton
> Texas:
>
> 1925 (1939 revision) - 9 sheets
> U.S. Census Bureau, Jeffersonville, IN (also microform)
>
> Somehow someone at the Map Library at USC digitized and posted online the
> complete coverage, including unpublished map sheets, of the whole state (in
> addition to historic USGS Topo coverage and Soil Survey maps. Are you sure
> some institution in Texas hasn't done this for instate coverage?
>
> Joe
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
> lawnmowermantx
> Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:23 PM
> To: abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Abandoned Railroads of the US] San Born Maps?
>
> Dear Group,
>
> Uhm...... well...... I think I better lay this puppy down, and move on.
> So much for model railroading Hamilton, TX in its hey day.... I feel like
> that guy trying to get a quote for auto insurance, and had blew the whole
> day on hold, all night long, (Old Progressive commercial of a guy trying to
> get a quote, and it sequenced him till he was frazzled on the wall, "just
> trying to get a quote..") all for a quote on auto insurance! Uhm, since I'm
> on a tighter than a lycra, leather, spandex, bike short, full body bustier
> budget, I better forget the whole thing, flush my dreams down the toilet,
> and invest in Playboy, Penthouse or Hustler Magazines! :) So much for model
> railroading, since the prices on the locomotives, wiring, DCC and other
> bells and whistles plus the constant critics would drive me nuts.. :) Can't
> go wrong on a 44dd 32 36! :) HEE HEE! Or classic Dolly Parton. :)
>
> Now I know how Yosemity Sam felt when he went up against Bugs Bunny train
> to train, "I'm not stopping my train Rabbit!!" "Well I'm not stopping mine!"
> replied Bugs.. till Bugz pulled a lever and his train sprang up, as Yosemity
> Sam's train went right through till the sign said.. "End Of Line" and the
> little train rolled off the track!
> Ughghgh... I feel sick.... :( *snif* So much for model railroading and I'll
> bet, any remains of the old Cotton Belt, and or St Louis Southwestern which
> took over the old Stephenville Texas North and South are just but a
> memory... Road bed remains still exist in little sections, on a road trip
> from work, a new land owner had already bulldozed a big section of track
> east of Aleman along Farm To Market Road 932, where the R.O.W. crosses the
> road just before it crosses the whole R.O.W. is flattened... The R.O.W.
> picks up on the other side, and continues till it goes in to Aleman, and
> from Aleman on to Hamilton portions of it are bulldozed, till it picks up
> West of Farm To Market 1241 to Ohio, Blue Ridge, and Purmela the R.O.W. goes
> on towards town, appearing to hold its shape, though eroded with the
> elements and mesquite trees.
>
> I appreciate all the assistance and concern about this. I hope to get
> permission and take photos of the R.O.W. I know one friend has a section of
> the Main Line R.O.W. that once held the trestle and he has a siding section.
> At one time, his land may been some depot or business of where cattle cars,
> sheep or cotton bales may been loaded.
> With out any maps of say 1909 to 1933, to show who and what may have been,
> its anyone's guess. Before long the Depots may be the only surviving
> structures. I had some wonderlust to go Train Depot sight seeing and look at
> some other R.O.W. long since abandoned.
>
> When the A.T.S.F. pulled up in 1959 to the late 70's I feel it had left a
> scar that heals in time. The only thing to remember any form of history are
> the locals, historical plaques and perhaps some kind soul who digs up the
> history and properly reports with good accuracy the real history that
> happened. So when the land or structures are disturbed, and ghosts start
> showing up, at least the Paranormal Teams will have some information to fall
> back on. :)
>
> Shalom Rav,
>
> Micha'el D. Lucas
> 76531
>
> --- In abandonedrailroadsoftheus@yahoogroups.com, "wcorvi" <wcorvi@>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> > You pretty much need to sign your life away to see them, and if you want
> copies....bring a fat checkbook along.
> > >
> > > Needless, I did not get much besides a mild heart attack on that visit.
> >
> > I set my digital camera on a tripod and get reasonable copies for free.
> This is mostly because the maps are too delicate to close into a copy
> machine.
> >
> > Andy
> >
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
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