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Texas & New Orleans |
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| The charter was granted to a
predecessor road in 1856. Construction began in 1858 and the name
changed to Texas & New Orleans in 1859, with the intent of
connecting Houston and New Orleans. Construction was completed between
Houston and Orange, Texas in May 1862 (after the Confederate Government
had advanced $15,000 in February).
The route from Houston to New Orleans was a high priority one for the Confederate government and work to connect the two cities was pushed early in the war. It was dropped in the spring of 1862 with the capture of New Orleans. Even so, about 1,000 soldiers were assigned to protect and maintain the Texas & New Orleans. In order to keep the road operating, the Confederate Government advanced $208,000 in 8% Confederate bonds to the company, in exchange for a mortgage on the road and exclusive use of the road. Scheduled service was maintained until mid-1863 and sporadic service until early 1864. Despite the tradition that rails were removed to build fortifications, they were still on the beds in 1870 when the property was inspected as part of a court case. |
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| Black's Number | 100 (map) |
| Track | 111 miles of 5 foot 6 inch gauge 56# T-rail |
| Locomotives | 4; 4 named |
| Cars | 50 |
| Stations | 8 |
| Officers | Several |
| Employees | 1862 |
| Significant Documents | |