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Railroads Today in Tyler
Today, Tyler is served by one railroad, the Union Pacific, whose east-west trackage is active daily. The old Missouri-Pacific north-south route running from Troup to Mineola is only partially in use. The "diamond" crossing of these two railroads was at Tower 183 at the depot. Maps of the intersection of these two railroads in downtown Tyler is shown below.
| Topo Map of the Railroads in Downtown Tyler - circa 1966 |
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| Map of the Railroads in Downtown Tyler - Modern Day |
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The I&GN and the Missouri Pacific in Tyler
Early railroads in East Texas included the International Railroad which built a main line between Longview and Palestine, and the Houston and Great Northern (H&GN) which constructed a main line between Houston and Palestine.
The H&GN also completed its line through Tyler in 1873 on its route from Troup to Mineola, a 44-mile branch line between the International Railroad at Troup and the Texas & Pacific (T&P) Railroad at Mineola. The International Railroad and H&GN eventually merged to form the International & Great Northern Railroad (I&GN), which would later become part of the Missouri Pacific (MP) system in 1956. The Missouri Pacific (MoPac) would later merge into the Union Pacific Railroad.
The I&GN operated a wood frame depot located near East Erwin Street and Spring Avenue until it was demolished.
The old MoPac north-south route running from Troup to Lindale is only partially in active use today. It is abandoned southbound at Whitehouse; it still serves a concrete plant and is used to transport freon to the Trane Technologies plant just south of Tyler (see video below). To the north, it serves a couple of plants, but no longer connects to Lindale or Mineola.
| Map showing the right-of-way of the Missouri Pacific Railroad from downtown Tyler to the south towards Whitehouse and Troup |
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Video of UP 732 on the old Missouri Pacific route pulling a freon tank car destined for the Trane Plant in south Tyler, Texas
View more Tyler railroad videos on YouTube
The Cotton Belt: Its Predecessors and Merger into Union Pacific
 Cotton Belt Rouge Pocket Calendar: For up-to-date service, ship via Blue Streak Fast Freight |
After the Civil War, Tyler became a center of agriculture and trade, and residents knew a railroad was the key to economic growth. But Tyler faced economic doom by the construction of two area railroads to the north and south that were bypassing the city.
The Texas and Pacific Railway Company (T&P) was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California. This route was being built to the north of Tyler, through communities like Longview, Big Sandy and Mineola.
The Tyler Tap Railway Company was chartered on December 1, 1871, by a special act of the Twelfth Texas Legislature, to connect Tyler with the T&P in Big Sandy. It eventually merged into the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (the Cotton Belt) which later became part of the Southern Pacific which was consumed by Union Pacific.
About the Cotton Belt Route in Tyler
The Cotton Belt Depot |
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The Cotton Belt railroad depot in Tyler opened on June 2, 1905 in downtown just west of the Cotton Belt rail yard. The last passenger train in Tyler was in April, 1956, and afterwards the passenger depot was used for railway offices and storage until it was abandoned in 1977. Just to the east was located the Cotton Belt Freight Depot. On November 6, 1988 the Southern Pacific Railroad deeded the passenger depot to the City of Tyler ... the historic building was later restored and today houses the Cotton Belt Depot Museum, at 210 East Oakwood Street. |
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More Railroad Scenes Around Downtown Tyler
 Looking east from the diamond at Cotton Belt Depot Museum toward the rail yards |
 Looking west from the diamond at the Cotton Belt Depot Museum |
 The Diamond, Tower 183, at the crossing of the Cotton Belt and I&GN tracks in downtown Tyler, Texas Originally, yellow gates were located at the diamond, but were removed in later years. The base of the gates can still be seen in this photo. (Staff Photo, September, 2011) |
 Looking north towards the Cotton Belt Depot Museum on the old MoPac tracks |
 Cotton Belt Route overpass on Front Street, Tyler, Texas |
Cotton Belt Yards Over TimeThe Cotton Belt yards remain in Tyler, but have changed since 1995 |
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 The Cotton Belt yards, Tyler, Texas, aerial view, 1995 |
 The Cotton Belt yards, Tyler, Texas, aerial view, 2010 |
Cotton Belt Building
 The Cotton Belt Building which housed the general offices of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, 1517 West Front Street, Tyler, Texas |
Union Pacific 7193 in Tyler
 A westbound train being helped with Union Pacific 7193 "Distributed Power Unit" at the West Houston Street crossing, Tyler, Texas - January 27, 2022 |
The Old Cotton Belt Corridor Along Old Jacksonville Highway
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Local Tyler residents who drive south along Old Jacksonville Highway heading to Gresham, Flint, and Bullard have no doubt noticed the abandoned Cotton Belt Route right-of-way on the west side of the road.
Several segments of the rail bed are still visible. Part of the route ran from near the current location of FRESH, behind Advantage Self Storage, passed over CR 164 at the entrance to The Crossing, and then continued behind Stewart Funeral Home.
From there it ran along 164 (Mahar Road) for a distance south, and continued behind Bruno's Pizza, AAA Grass, What-a-Burger and other businesses in Gresham. Sections of the abandoned rail corridor are now used as part of Tyler's Legacy Trails.
The rail line continued on to Flint and Bullard, along a route that is still visible in places. See maps below showing the rail line route as it traversed south to Gresham from the Lufkin Junction near the Tyler Rose Stadium.
Today, active traffic on the rail line extends only to the Martin-Marietta Rail Yard, ending near Earl Campbell Parkway ... see map below.
About the Old Cotton Belt Route from Tyler to Gresham
| Lufkin Junction on the Union Pacific Railroad in Tyler, Texas, near the Tyler Rose Garden - CP CB549 |
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Map showing the St. Louis - Southwestern, Cotton Belt, right-of-way in Tyler, Texas from near the Rose Garden south to present-day Loop 323  Map showing the Cotton Belt right-of-way in Tyler from Loop 323 south to near Gresham  Map showing the current Union Pacific right-of-way in Tyler to the Martin-Marietta Rail Yard  |
For More About Tyler Railroading
Be sure to view Todd Sestero's excellent RailFan Guides of the US and Todd's Railroad Signals of the US websites for a wealth of railroading information about Tyler and other railroad sites across the United States.
Map of Tyler Railroads Today
 Todd Sestero's Railfan Guide to Tyler, Texas Created and owned by Rail Fans and Railroad Signals of the US, www.RailFanGuides.us For personal use only. Provided here with permission of the owner |
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