Texas' oldest living railroad has Galveston roots, too. The Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad was chartered in 1853 and operated between Houston and Galveston. At first the rail line started at Virginia Point, on the north shore of Galveston Bay, and ran to Houston. The GH&H had to ferry passengers and freight across Galveston Bay before connecting with the dry land portion of the line. Galveston built a 10,000-foot railroad trestle across the bay in 1857, and GH&H ran the first train over the bridge in 1860.

During the Civil War, the GH&H carried Confederate troops and munitions to the Island to break a Union blockade. A flat car with cannon rolled along the wharf tracks, lobbing cannonballs at ships in the harbor, and a new era began - - it became the first railroad to wage war. The GH&H was purchased by the Missouri-Kansas-Texas in 1883.

The GH&H is still with us, sort of. Just 46 miles of track from Galveston to Houston, paralleling State Highway 3, and the GH&H yards, remain. The track was jointly operated by the Missouri-Kansas-Texas (Katy) and the Missouri Pacific (MP) railroads until they were acquired by the Union Pacific; UP now operates GH&H, whose charter remains in effect. The GH&H freight station and warehouse, built in 1904, still stands on 33rd Street where it intersects with Mechanic.

Despite those early railroads, people still associate Galveston with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, because of the Santa Fe's strong presence here. The Santa Fe connection sprang from Galveston's competition with Houston. Houstonians occasionally put embargoes on goods shipped through Houston on the pretext of protecting its citizens from Yellow Fever epidemics. Because Houston had such valuable rail connections, Galveston commerce was halted during those periods.

Galveston founded its own railroad in 1873, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe. The GC&SF headed northwest, skirting Houston. These tracks parallel State Highway 6. Fuel, water and crew stops were built along its route and that is how cities like Moody, Sealy, Somerville, Rosenberg, Kempner, Temple, and others were founded and named after prominent Galvestonians. History of the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe

Meanwhile the AT&SF was building west from the Great Lakes and saw the GC&SF as a way to tie in Texas and the Gulf Coast. They began a long and fruitful marriage in 1886. In 1911 the Santa Fe began building the 10-story art deco building at 25th and Strand that now houses the Railroad Museum, and the Island was the Santa Fe's Gulf Coast headquarters until 1965. Santa Fe Historical and Modeling Society

Over the years Galveston has been served my many other railroads:

International and Great Northern: The I&GN, chartered in 1873, made its first run to Galveston in 1879. At one time it leased the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railroad. It became part of the Missouri Pacific in the early 1880's.

Missouri Pacific: The MP obtained access to Galveston via its acquisition of the I&GN. MP was merged with the Union Pacific in 1982. WWW.MOPAC.ORG

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific: The Rock Island first arrived in 1892. The Rock Island's own tracks terminated in Houston and it had track rights from Houston to Galveston over the ATSF's rails. When the RI ceased operations in 1980, the Burlington Northern took over the Rock Island's Dallas-Houston-Galveston service. Rock Island HISTORICAL SOCIETY WEB PAGE

Missouri-Kansas-Texas: The Katy's was the first line to enter Texas from the north. Part ownership of the GH&H gave access to Galveston and the first train arrived in Galveston in 1893. Union Pacific acquired the Katy in 1988. KATY RAILROAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY WEB PAGE.

Southern Pacific: SP is a combination of several early railroads serving Galveston, including the Texas & New Orleans, the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio, and the Galveston, Houston and Northern, in addition to the GC&SF. The SP was acquired by Union Pacific in 1996. Southern Pacific TECHNICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY WEB PAGE

Gulf and Interstate: The G&I was built in 1894 and operated between Beaumont and the southern tip of Bolivar Peninsula. It encountered financial trouble and suffered hurricane damage in the 1900 storm. The Santa Fe bought and managed the G&I until 1934. During its operation, the Santa Fe put cars from Galveston or Beaumont onto barges and pulled them by tugboat across Bolivar Roads. The raised roadbed of the G&I can still be seen along Highway 87 on Bolivar Peninsula, and along Highway 124 from High Island to Winnie.

Galveston and Western Railway: The G&W was a 13-mile, narrow gauge, railroad that operated entirely on Galveston Island. It ferried passengers from the Port of Galveston to the west Island beaches. Its excursion train, "Little Susie," carried families on open flat cars to the area now known as Pirate's Beach for Sunday picnics. The railroad also played a crucial role in carrying workers, rock, and steam cranes during the construction of the Galveston Seawall after the 1900 Storm.

Galveston-Houston Electric: The Galveston-Houston Interurban line operated from 1911 to 1936, with plush cars drawing power from overhead cables. Fastest in the country in 1925 and 1926, the Interurbans made the trip from downtown Houston in just 50 minutes, every hour from 6 a.m. until midnight. The Houston Lighting and Power Company's tall steel transmission towers now stand on the former right-of-way of the Interurban line. For more information on the Galveston-Houston Electric, consult "Galveston-Houston Electric Railway" by Herb Woods, printed in 1982, available for sale at the Railroad Museum gift shop.

Union Pacific: The UP gained its first access to Galveston when it acquired the Missouri Pacific in 1981. It later acquired the M-K-T (1988) and the Southern Pacific (1996). Union Pacific WEB PAGE

Burlington Northern-Santa Fe: The BN gained access to Galveston when it purchased part of the Rock Island line. BN and ATSF lines merged in 1995. Burlington Northern-Santa Fe WEB PAGE

At one time Galveston Island had three interlocking towers. Interlocking towers were placed where the tracks of different railroads converged. Towers were manned 24 hours a day by three shifts of tower operators. The operators controlled the flow of rail traffic by using large levers to throw switch points to direct a train onto a particular track. Towers were mostly given numbers as they were erected. The Texas Railroad Commission assigned the numbers. For a complete list of interlocking tower numbers and locations please visit the Railspot interlocking tower web page

Tower A was at 36th Street. It controlled rail traffic in and around the various yards. This was the only tower bearing a letter designation. For photos and more information on this tower and its location visit the Railspot interlocking tower web site

Tower 38 was at 50th Street and controlled trains to and from the ATSF depot and its yard, and GH&H transfer traffic to the ATSF and SP yards. For a photo and more information on this tower and its location visit the Railspot page

Tower 96 was at the Island end of the railroad causeway across Galveston Bay where the GH&H, GC&SA and SP tracks converged to a single track across the causeway. For photos and more information visit the Railspot page

Besides these three towers, two others controlled the flow of traffic on and off the island.

Tower 97 is in the center of the railroad causeway and is the last functioning interlocking tower in the State of Texas (all others have been torn down or preserved as historical artifacts). The tower operator controls the switches at either end of the causeway and lowers and raises the bascule bridge so trains can pass to and from the island. For more information please visit the Railspot web page

Tower 98 was on the mainland side of the railroad causeway bridge where the GH&H, GC&SF and SP converged onto the single track across the causeway. For photos and more information please visit the Railspot web page