Dallas, Texas

Abandoned Rails of Dallas

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Photo by Greg Harrison.

Dallas Market Hall, opened in 1960, is located northwest of Dallas, Texas, just off of the Stemmons Freeway (IH 35E). When it expanded in 1963, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific built a half-mile spur from its mainline (just to the north) to the Market Hall complex for loading/unloading warehouse goods for trade shows and exhibitions. The track was used infrequently, and saw abandonment in the late 1970s. However, no effort was made to remove the abandoned tracks before the entire area was claimed by a parking garage and other parking lots, thus the trackage is still evident today.

White Rock Lake Spur: This short spur, at 1.2 miles in length, allowed the MKT to access the Dallas Waterworks pump house located adjacent to White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX.

ICC Abandonment Filings

ATCHISON, TOPEKA & SANTA FE RAILWAY
CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC RAILWAY
FORT WORTH & DENVER RAILROAD
MISSOURI-KANSAS-TEXAS RAILROAD
SAINT LOUIS & SAN FRANCISCO RAILWAY
SAINT LOUIS & SOUTHWESTERN RAILWAY
SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
TEXAS & PACIFIC RAILWAY
Docket Number: 27595 Date: 3/8/1974 Section: 5(2)
App. for auth. of each to acquire an undivided One-Eighth interest in 2.09 mi. of railroad in Dallas, Texas to be abandoned by The Union Terminal Co., and for approval of an agreement among them, permitting their continued operation over such line and all other lines over which The Union Terminal Company had Operating Rights.
Length: 2.09 miles Citation:  
SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
Docket Number: 27595 Date: 3/8/1974 Section: 5(2)
(See applic. of THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA AND SANTA FE RAILWAY COMPANY and seven others for auth. to each to acquire one-eighth interest in 2.09 mi. of rr. in Dallas, Tex. to be abandoned by The Union Terminal Co., and for approval of an agreement among them permitting their continued operation over such line, etc., and all other lines over which The Union Terminal Co. had Operating Rights, under same docket number).
Length: Unknown Citation:  

Wasn't there a scrap yard for salvage at this site before it was redeveloped? I seem to recall some of the early maps for the Industrial Properties Corporation that showed that spur and I could have sworn it predates the Market Center. I did some survey work on that property back in late 1990s. Unfortunately I do not have access to those survey records anymore.

AndyN
Fort Worth, TX
4/30/2009

[Hey Andy, thanks for the information! I could not find any further history than what I have here.  —Greg Harrison]

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With so many remnants of these spurs easily visible including the rails themselves, this looks like it was a very enjoyable trip to track and document. Thanks for the great photos!

I am curious as to why seven different railroad companies, upon the abandonment of a spur, would want to co-own the spur and seek to keep it in service as seems to be indicated by the ICC filings above. If other railroad companies had expressed their interest in this piece, wouldn't it have been offered for sale or transfer instead of being abandoned first?

Kevin M. Smith
Cicero, NY
6/30/2010

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I worked the agency at Harrys, just west of Browder Yard on the west side of the river at Dallas. There was an ATSF "industry spur" that had access to the west Dallas industries that had been a court case between the T&P/ATSF that went all the way to the supreme court which ruled in the ATSF favor.

I also worked at T&P Jct in East Dallas. East Dallas yard was on the old main so any train that went all the way to the yard had to back out to go around the "belt".

Terry Taylor
Dallas, TX
8/25/2010

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Do you have any pictures or information about Abandoned Rails of Dallas? Please . You will get credit for anything you contribute.