Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway
Roscoe, Nolan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific Railway was one of the country’s most successful short-line railroads. Chartered on Oct. 1, 1906, by General F. W. James and a group of Abilene businessmen, it ran from Roscoe to Snyder and Fluvanna, though in 1941 the Fluvanna line was discontinued. Once it was completed, Ed S. Hughes and H.O. Wooten took over the operation. Wooten saved it from a financial crisis by making deals with California produce shippers and with the Santa Fe and Texas & Pacific railroads to use the line as a link between them. In 1967, the company was sold to the Murchison brothers of Dallas and Roger Mize of Snyder. The deregulation of railroads in 1980 resulted in its closing in 1984. Nevertheless, it was a major factor in Roscoe’s settlement and growth. (2012)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chartered in 1906 by General F. W. James and a group of Abilene businessmen, the Roscoe, Snyder & Pacific ran from Roscoe up to Snyder and Fluvanna and became one of the nation's most successful short-line railroads. Manager H. O. Wooten pulled it through a financial crisis by brokering deals with California produce shippers and the Santa Fe and Texas & Pacific lines, turning the little road into a valuable connecting link. It carried on until railroad deregulation led to its closing in 1984, having been a driving force in Roscoe's settlement and growth.
Why it matters
It illustrates how a scrappy short-line railroad could knit a small town into the national rail network and power its growth for decades.
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Related people
- · F. W. James
- · H. O. Wooten
Themes & tags
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