THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.  THERE'S MUCH MORE TO COME!

Hearne's arrow-shaped, turn-of-the-century train depot will formally open Nov./Dec. 2009.  Plan your outings or school trips starting early 2010 or join us for "Christmas At The Depot."  Enjoy Robertson County's relaxed, slower pace.  We look forward to seeing you at the crossroads!

Resources	Descriptions
About This Site
About the Hearne Depot	Building it, using it, moving it, restoring it, & furnishing it
1901	What was happening around the world in 1901 when the Hearne passenger depot was built?
Agriculture	How the railroads helped to get local agricultural products to distant markets
Calendar Of Events In Robertson County
Chamber Of Commerce Websites	Hearne, Calvert, Bremond, & Franklin
Contribute To The Depot	It is easy to help with on-going efforts at the Hearne Depot -- contribute railroad memorabilia, make a monetary donation, volunteer to serve as a depot docent.  Call 979.279.2351 TODAY!
Depot Grounds	To give visitors glimpses of Hearne during the 1940s & 1950s, old neon signs & streetlights will be installed adjacent to the depot parking lot.  A new Hearne tradition of celebrating "Christmas at the Depot" will begin in 2009 with the lighting of a Christmas tree & the lighting of refurbished neon signs from Hearne's City Cafe & Chatmas Theater.
Depots Of Robertson County	With all of the railroads coming through, there were several passenger & freight depots in Robertson County -- Benchley, Bremond, Calvert, Franklin, Hearne, Mumford, New Baden, & Valley Junction.
Drummers	Who were drummers & why did they ride the rails?
Early Hearne & Mumford Railroad Photos	Photographs to left & right & on row below were contributed by Norman Lowell McCarver, Jr. Photographs to left & right are from History Of Robertson County by John Walter Baker, pp. 273 & 315.
Fallen Flags	Several fallen flags (railroad companies that are no longer in existence due to bankruptcy, acquisition, consolidation, or merger) have operated in Robertson County over the past 140+ years.
G.A.T.X.	Union Pacific Railroad engine pulling GATX tank cars. Hearne is still a busy rail center.  GATX Rail specializes in providing a full range of services for repairing, cleaning, painting, and lining railcars.  One of its three North American service centers is located in Hearne.  Positioned between two Union Pacific main lines, the Hearne facility is situated on 141 acres and has 8.9 miles of trackage.  Its 210,000 square foot repair area can accommodate up to 400 cars.
Ghost Railroads	Three sets of railroad tracks have been eliminated in Robertson County.
Ghost Towns, Vanished Communities, or Uninhabited Places With Names Along Robertson County Rail Lines	Englewood, Hammond, Lake, Nashville, Seger, Sutton, Tatsie
Hearne Depot Photos & Sketches
Hearne On The Brazos	This book, by Norman Lowell McCarver Sr. & Norman Lowell McCarver Jr., has references to several Robertson County railroads throughout.  The following chapters specifically deal with the following:   Houston & Texas Central Railway   International & Great Northern Railroad Hearne & Brazos Valley Railway Old Railroad Stories Pacific Fruit Express
Hearne Streets	Why do none of the cross streets along West Davis Street not match up?
Hobos	People who helped themselves to free rides on the rails.
How Railroaders Communicated	Telegraphy, signs, their own language
Importance Of Local Railroads & Hearne Depot	View the historical context of Robertson County's railroads & Hearne's passenger depot.
Interlockers	The Hearne Depot still has its manual interlocker console which controlled the passage of trains through Hearne's interlocker.
Local History & Genealogy Website	www.robertsoncounty.info
Local Highways
Mail Bags	The "high-speeder" at the Hearne Depot & how railroads handled mail.
Maps Of Historic Railroad Routes Through Robertson County	1860 Robertson County Railroad Map [ View Full Map ] 1867 Robertson County Railroad Map [ View Full Map ] 1871 Robertson County Railroad Map [ View Full Map ] 1872 Robertson County Railroad Map [ View Full Map ] 1883 Robertson County Railroad Map [ View Full Map ] 1883 Robertson County Railroad Map [ View Full Map ] These Maps Are From The U.S. Library Of Congress American Memory Railroad Maps Collection
Meal Trains	From cigar stands & lunch counters to dining cars, passengers often got hungry while travelling.
Orphan Trains
Pacific Fruit Express
Passenger Trains That Came Through Robertson County	In the 1940s & 1950s, three Southern Pacific passenger trains came through Hearne but only two of them stopped.  These included the Sunbeam Express, the Hustler, & the Owl.  During the same time period, Missouri Pacific had three trains daily which stopped in Hearne.  These were the Texas Eagle, the Sunshine Special, & the Southerner.  Another train carried passengers between Bremond & Waco.
Places To Stay In Robertson County	Who are you sleeping with in the Brazos Valley?  View information on all hotels, motels, inns, bed & breakfasts, bed & baths in Robertson County.
Railfanners
Railroad Bridges & Structural Features
Railroad Building Timeline
Railroad Crossing Guards
Railroad Hotels & Boarding Houses	Major towns along the rail lines offered accommodations for railroad men & traveling salesmen
Railroad Promotional Materials
Railroad Roundhouse
Railroad Telephone Booth
Railroads Passed Them By	Owensville, Port Sullivan, Sterling, Wheelock
Relevant Railroad Links
Retail Products	How the railroads helped to bring previously unavailable & hard to get items to local consumers
Role Of Railroads In Settling Robertson County
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps	Look at 104 Sanborn Digital Fire Insurance Maps of Robertson County's four major towns from the late 1800s through the early 1940s to view railroads, rail spurs, & the evolution of these towns.
Section Crews, Section Houses, & Hand Cars	Section Crews, Section Houses, & Hand Cars
Steam To Diesel Locomotives
Texas Robertson County Trail	The Robertson County Historical Commission is developing an historic trail of places to see, which includes Hearne's WWII POW Camp & Museum; Bremond's Polish & Local History Museum; Calvert's Katy Hamman-Stricker Library; Franklin's Carnegie Library; Franklin's Robertson County Courthouse & Jail; historic places & cemeteries throughout the county.
Time	Railroad men could lose their jobs if their time pieces weren't correct.  A fast or slow watch could delay a schedule or wreck a train.
Union Pacific	Union Pacific now owns & operates all of the railroads in Robertson County.
Wootan Wells Spa Resort & Its Mule Train	The Wootan Wells Ghost Mule Train operated between the Wootan Wells spa/resort and Wootan Wells Station (near where highways 6 and 14 branch).  The location of Wootan Wells itself is marked by the red cross on Wootan Wells Ghost Mule Train TopoZone Map.  For additional information, go to Wootan Wells Collection.