Ebenezer Allen of
Galveston, Texas obtained the charter to establish a railroad company on March 11, 1848. Other investors included
Paul Bremond,
Thomas William House, Sr.,
William J. Hutchins,
Francis Moore, Benjamin A. Shepherd, James H. Stevens,
William Marsh Rice, and William Van Alstyne. A series of meetings about the establishment of the company took place in
Chappell Hill and
Houston. In 1852, the Galveston and Red River Railway (G&RR) company became active.
gauge railroad began in early 1856. By July 26 tracks had reached the point, at
Cypress. The railroad company name was changed from G&RR to H&TC on September 1, 1856. By April 22, 1861, railroad construction had reached the point at
Millican. The construction was halted because of the
Civil War. In 1867, with the war over, construction resumed. The H&TC Railroad continued to operate independently until 1927, when it was leased to the
Texas and New Orleans Railroad, a subsidiary of the
Southern Pacific Railroad.
U.S. Route 75 was built on the H&TC
right of way northeasterly from Downtown Dallas to Elsworth Avenue. This highway locally is called North Central Expressway in homage of the Houston & Texas CENTRAL line.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit purchased the track from Elsworth Avenue to
Plano in 2012 for commuter-train service. North of Plano's
Parker Road Station, the abandoned right-of-way continues to
McKinney, Texas. ==See also==