After the Civil War, interest was again placed on a southern transcontinental railroad. The Texas and Pacific Railway company undertook the project of railroad construction in Texas. From 1873 to 1881 the Texas and Pacific constructed 972 miles of track from Longview to Abilene, reaching nearby Cisco in 1880.
Although this railroad connected the state from east to west, there was a lack of railway transportation from Houston north. The Texas Central Railway was chartered in 1879 to remedy this deficiency. Beginning at Ross Station north of Waco, the tracks were laid through Walnut Springs, Hico, Dublin, DeLeon, Cisco and Albany in December of 1881. Although the plan was to extend the line north, financial difficulties made Albany the terminus, or end of the line, for 19 years.
Cattle, sheep and cash crops, such as cotton, dominated the local economy until the emergence of the oil industry in the early 1920s.The arrival of the Texas Central Railway made Albany a shipping point in West Texas for cattle, buffalo bones, building stone, and cotton. As the end of the rail line, Albany experienced a long period of growth and prosperity.
The railroad brought many opportunities to rural Texas communities. Crates of oranges, apples, bananas and fresh oysters were now seen on a regular basis in small towns. Mail could be sent and received faster with the U.S. Mail railroad car that passed through Albany at least once a day. Faster passenger transportation, regardless of the weather and in relative comfort, was now available for travel to nearby towns, or farther.
In 1900, the railroad started to build again, extending the line from Albany to Stamford, and then to Rotan. In 1910, the Texas Central Railway was acquired by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company (MKT, or KATY), although it continued to operate as a separate entity. The railroad expanded and served the people of West Texas until rail service was reduced due to the rapid growth of highway transportation. In 1967, the line was discontinued, thus ending 85 years of service to Albany.
-Molly Sauder, Archivist and Librarian