Before OPEC took center stage, one state agency in Texas was widely believed to set oil prices for the world. The Texas Railroad Commission (TRC) evolved from its founding in 1891 to a multi-divisional regulatory commission that oversaw not only railroads but also a number of other industries central to the modern American economy: petroleum production, natural gas utilities, and motor carriers (buses and trucks). William R. Childs's unprecedented study of the TRC from its founding until the mid-twentieth century extends our knowledge of commission-style regulation. It focuses on the interplay between business and regulators, between state and national regulatory commissions, and among the three branches of government through a process of "pragmatic federalism." Drawing on extensive primary research, Childs demonstrates that the alleged power of regulatory commissions has been more constrained than most observers have recognized. As he shows, the myth of power was devised by the agency itself as part of building a civil religion of Texas oil. Together, the myth and the civil religion enabled the TRC to convince Texas oil operators to follow production controls and thus stabilized the American oil industry by the 1940s. The result of this fascinating study is a more nuanced understanding of federalism and of regulation, the forces shaping it, and its outcomes.

A comprehensive, colorful look at the Missouri-Kansas-Texas "Katy" Railroad's route linking Parsons, Kansas with Sedalia, Missouri and St. Louis, Missouri. Also included are lines to El Dorado Springs; Moberly; Columbia; and Kansas City. With a special emphasis on the 1970s and 1980s, the book features more than 350 train photographs; detailed maps; and interviews with former employees. A town-by-town rundown highlights points of interest along the corridor, most of which became the Katy Trail State Park.

As Toyota scouted the nation in 2002 for a new plant location, a San Antonio site?s proximity to two rail lines clinched the decision. It was the city?s greatest economic breakthrough in recent years. Of even greater effect was arrival of the first railroad a century and a quarter earlier, launching the region?s first major growth.These are among the landmark events outlined in The Railroads of San Antonio and South Central Texas, the first general interest book to sort out the regional operations and impact of seven rail lines: the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio/Southern Pacific; International & Great Northern/Missouri Pacific; San Antonio & Aransas Pass; San Antonio & Gulf Shore/San Antonio & Gulf; Missouri?Kansas?Texas; Artesian Belt/San Antonio Southern; and the San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf. There is a closing chapter on Amtrak and the Union Pacific.Written by Hugh Hemphill, longtime director of the Texas Transportation Museum in San Antonio, this lavishly-illustrated book is vital to understanding the evolution of an important link in the nation?s transportation system.Included are five appendices that codify data, ranging from an index of towns and the railroads serving them to a listing of surviving depots to a summary of regional railroad museums and tourist railroads.

Story of the founding of the Houston, East and West Texas Railroad, its symbiotic relationship with forests and the lumber industry and its role in the development of East Texas.

Midnight train rides, head-on freight collisions—there is never a dull moment when it comes to trains. Take a look at America's biggest railroads and meet the thunderous personalities who operate them. In Last Train to Texas, author Fred W. Frailey examines the workings behind the railroad industry and captures incredible true stories along the way. Discover how men like William "Pisser Bill" F. Thompson swerve from financial ruin, bad merger deals, and cutthroat competition, all while racking up enough notoriety to inspire a poem titled "Ode to a Jerk." Bold, savvy, and ready for a friendly brawl, the only thing louder and more thrilling than these men are the trains that they handle. Come along with Frailey as he travels the world, one railroad at a time. Whether it's riding the Canadian Pacific Railway through a blizzard, witnessing a container train burglary in the Abo Canyon, or commemorating a poem to Limerick Junction in Dublin, Ireland, Frailey's journeys are rife with excitement and the occasional mishap. Filled with humorous anecdotes and thoughtful insights into the railroading industry, Last Train to Texas is an adventure in every sense of the word.

The single most important domestic source of oil and gas is managed by the Texas Railroad Commission. As a result, the Commission has for decades exerted a profound influence on United States and world energy policy. This influence may even increase with the recent decision to remove price controls on oil and gas. Commission decisions determine where and when oil and gas wells are drilled, how much can be produced from them, and how the products can be transported. Since the 1930s the Commission has heavily influenced both the supply and the price of petroleum in the rest of the country simply because Texas provides such a large proportion of the United States' petroleum. As might be expected with the management of resources worth billions of dollars, the Railroad Commission has been an arena of intense political maneuvering. David Prindle examines in detail seven policymaking episodes, covering five decades of the Commission's history. He recounts the economic and political cleavages arising from clashes of interest, the efforts of individuals and organizations to exert influence, the motives and methods underlying the policy choices of the Commissioners, and the political and economic consequences of those choices, both for Texas and for the rest of the country. This detailed look at the Railroad Commission and the politics of petroleum in Texas will be of interest to the general public and all those involved in the oil and gas industry. Scholars and students in the field of policy studies, especially energy policy, will find this book to be an invaluable guide to an important sector of the American petroleum industry.

The Southern Pacific Railroad and its predecessors served Texas from 1853 to 1996. Stretching from El Paso to the Louisiana border and from the Rio Grande Valley to the Red River, Southern Pacific opened up vast areas of the state to settlement by transporting people, building materials, and livestock. The railroad fueled Texass economy by moving oil, timber, agricultural commodities, coal, automobiles, petrochemicals, cement, steel, consumer goods, and myriad other products. It hauled the marble that built the state capitol in Austin and the materials to build the massive seawall in Galveston. Southern Pacific also played an important role in developing the ports of Beaumont, Galveston, Houston, and Corpus Christi. This book is a photographic record of Southern Pacific in eastern Texas during the 50-year period following World War II to the 1996 merger with the Union Pacific Railroad.