Techsys

I didn't know I had to manually follow this topic so I was unaware I caused any further activity.

I see TexasFreeway's assertion that the TWRR ran through Bush park and down Westheimer. I believe this is very probable.

I examined the possible path through Bush park with the historical tool in Google Earth which, in the Harris County portion, goes back to 1944 and seems to be yet obvious at that late date. I used the line tool to follow the path angle back toward Brookshire and, to my surprise, it almost perfectly met the point at which I stopped my logically-concluded route from Pattison, about 2.5 miles east of Brookshire at US 90. The two paths met in the middle, so to speak.

As for operations, however, my elder family recalled (and cussed) the train running in stories I heard as far back as the 1960's and the source of my initial curiosity. That side of my family arrived and settled in San Felipe about 1878.

According to the Texas State Historical Association (in an article contributed by Mr. George C. Werner), the railroad began operating the 42 miles between Houston and Pattison on April 23, 1877. The 10 miles from Pattison to Sealy was completed in 1882 and had, I assume, at least some type of operation. In a recent discovery, the apparent Texas Western roundhouse turntable was uncovered in Sealy  during a fence-building operation.

Note that I included links in the references above.

I've read accounts about this railroad company and I believe it's demise was simply that they chose narrow gauge. That choice caused additional costs and logistical issues because it required passengers and freight to be manually transferred to other rail companies.

I hope to get back to this soon. As it appears the western terminus for the TWRR was at Sealy, I would like find the eastern terminus and route into Houston.

Looking at my topo map again. On the left edge it shows an "old railroad grade" coming from the west into what is now downtown San Felipe, and dead-ends at FM 1458. The next trace on the map is the one I've already shown coming out the east side of the Brazos River, where part of what is now Clemons Switch Rd. is built on top of it. The topo map mysteriously shows no trace of a railroad grade between those two points, a distance of about 3 miles. Hmmm... My map is dated 1960. The trace of that grade seems to have mostly just vanished from cultivation and development.

Aerial view attached. Dashed red lines are just above where the topo map shows an old railroad grade. You can clearly see overgrowth in straight lines along those lines. The dashed blue line is where I surmise the trace of the rail grade which connects those two points must have run. There are some places along there with nice smooth curves like a rail line would have, but other places bear no trace whatsoever.

Thanks for making me take a closer look at that.

Now, 2 years later, I came across your pictures, conclusion and logic as to artifacts in the river and I believe you are correct overall.

I started my own little investigation due to family history and recollections of a railroad that supposedly went across the back of the family property.

I didn't believe it until I ran across the USGS topo map showing an "old RR bed" and realized this is why it looks like there is old rail bed running along the south side of Old Sealy Rd (on private property) near the intersection of 8th Avenue in San Felipe. It is really obvious. It also meant that it had to go east from there across former family property.

With that information, the topo map and other apparent features that seem logical and obvious, I have created a KMZ for import into Google Earth to trace what I believe is a 15-mile path from east of Brookshire to downtown Sealy. This is as far as I've gotten today and hope to amend this later.

I would also point out the "guestimated" path east of Pattison is just that. I have read material that leads me to believe the path east of Pattison may have been much more southerly and possibly paralled FM 359 (which surely didn't exist then). I believe it would make sense but I still have to check Brookshire history relative to this.

I'm attaching a JPG of the San Felipe to Brazos path and the KMZ.

Texas Western Narrow Gauge RR through San Felipe, TX.kmz