The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway Company was chartered on May 26, 1873. Construction started in Fort Worth building northwest through Wichita Falls in 1882 and after 453 miles reached Texline on the Texas New Mexico state line in 1888. Actually the railroad kept building and finally connected with what would become the Colorado and Southern at Folsom, NM on March 14, 1888. In the mid-70s Powder River Basin coal began flowing south to three big power plants in Texas. All of it was routed down the former C&S to Texline and then the FW&D to Fort Worth. On January 10, 1980 engine 7037 idles in the yard at Texline, while SP 8476 leads an empty train from the power plant in San Antonio north on C&S trackage. Texline was a crew change point until September 3, 2003 when BNSF inaugurated directional running on the lines between Pueblo and Amarillo. Northbound trains operate through Texline and now change crews at Trinidad. Southbound trains operate via La Junta.

Texas Index

BN 7284 meets SP 8729 at Dalhart, TX