Tunnel of the Fredericksburg & Northern Railway
Comfort, Kendall County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1913 area residents raised money to build a railroad linking Fredericksburg to San Antonio. The 920-foot tunnel beneath this hill increased the cost by $134,000 and required five months of hard labor. It opened a faster trade route for area merchants and farmers. Each time passenger trains entered the tunnel, small rocks, loosened by engine exhaust, were removed from the track and the windows closed to keep out coal smoke. The railroad operated until 1942 when the trackage was sold for scrap. (1978)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1913 residents of the Texas Hill Country raised their own money to connect Fredericksburg to San Antonio by rail, and the 920-foot tunnel bored beneath this hill was the project's costliest, most grueling stretch. Passengers learned to close their windows against coal smoke as trains rumbled through, while crews cleared rock shaken loose by engine exhaust. The line carried farmers' and merchants' goods until 1942, when its track was pulled up and sold for scrap.
Why it matters
The tunnel captures the ambition of rural communities that financed their own railroads to escape isolation, and its scrapping marks the mid-century decline of branch-line rail across America.
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