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TABLE OF CONTENTSScope and Contents of the Records Interstate Commerce Commission valuation reports, 1926-1927, |
Railroad Commission of Texas:An Inventory of Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports at the Texas State Archives, 1926-1927
Agency HistoryThe Railroad Commission of Texas had its origin in the demands of the shipping public in the late 1880s which insisted that railroads be subject to regulation based on public interest. An advocate for governmental regulation, Attorney General James Stephen Hogg ran for Governor in 1890 with the issue of railroad regulation as the focal point of the campaign. Hogg was elected Governor in the general election and the voters also approved an amendment to Article X, Section 2 of the Texas Constitution that empowered the Legislature to enact statutes creating regulatory agencies. These elections paved the way for the Legislature to enact on April 3, 1891 "An Act to Establish a Railroad Commission of the State of Texas," that later was placed in the Texas Revised Civil Statutes under article 6444 et seq. (House Bills 1, 3, and 58, 22nd Legislature, Regular Session). The Commission originally consisted of three members appointed by the Governor for three-year terms. Governor Hogg appointed the first three Commissioners in 1891, including John H. Reagan, who resigned as U.S. Senator from Texas to serve as the first Chairman. The Texas Constitution, Article XIX, Section 30 was amended in 1894 to provide for elective six-year overlapping terms for the Commissioners. That same year John H. Reagan was elected and served until his retirement in 1903. The Texas Railroad Commission was the first regulatory agency created in the State of Texas and originally had jurisdiction over the rates and operations of railroads, terminals, wharves and express companies. The legal focus was on intrastate passenger and freight activities. Interstate jurisdiction fell under the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission. For the first twenty-five years of its existence, the Railroad Commission was largely concerned with regulating railroads, setting rates, receiving complaints, and making investigations. As other controversies arose where the Legislature deemed that the public interest could best be served by regulation, additional duties were assigned to the Railroad Commission. The Railroad Commission's authority was broadened beginning in 1917 with the passage of the Pipeline Petroleum Law, Senate Bill 68, 35th Legislature, Regular Session, that declared pipelines to be common carriers like railroads and placed them under the Commission's jurisdiction. This was the first act to designate the Railroad Commission as the agency to administer conservation laws relating to oil and gas. The Commission's authority over railroads diminished over the latter half of the twentieth century. The Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 vested rail safety responsibilities in the Federal Railroad Administration. In 1980, the Federal Staggers Rail Act largely eliminated the Commission's responsibility for setting rates for intrastate railroads. By 1984, the Commission ceased its role in the economic regulation of the Texas rail industry. Regulatory powers over rail safety were granted in 1985 when the 69th Legislature authorized the Commission to implement a rail safety program in conjunction with the Federal Railroad Administration Act of 1970 (Senate Bill 444, 69th Legislature, Regular Session). Railroad regulation was initially overseen by the Main Office, later the Main and Transportation Division, then the Transportation Division. The division charged with rail responsibilities today is the Rail Division. This division is responsible for checking equipment and track, railroad and signal operations, and hazardous material handling; conducting investigations of accidents and complaints concerning railroads; and securing federal funds to improve branch lines and preserve rail service to rural areas. The Division enforces rules aimed at removing obstructions on railroad rights-of-way and operates a crossing safety education program. There are two main sections in this division - Rail Safety and Rail Planning. In 1999, the agency had approximately 848 FTE (full-time equivalent) employees. Legal authority for the Railroad Commission is the Texas Constitution, Art. X, Sec. 2 and Art. XVI, Sec. 30; and the Natural Resources Code, Chapter 81. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Contents of the RecordsThese records are two sets of detailed valuation reports on the construction of railroad branch lines. The reports are from a Texas railroad, the Panhandle and Santa Fe, to the Interstate Commerce Commission's (ICC) Bureau of Valuation. The first report is for a branch line from Panhandle, Texas to Borger, Texas dated October 16, 1926. A year later, October 15, 1927, another valuation report was filed for a branch line from White Deer, Texas to Skellyton, Texas. Each report gives a brief history of the railroad company and of its application with the ICC to construct the line. These reports, labeled "Bureau of Valuation Form 588," then detail the construction costs of each line including the costs of labor, materials, transportation, equipment and all improvements such as bridges, track, stations, signals, and grading. Each different construction cost is assigned to an account and the accounts are arranged numerically. An inventory of the records was conducted to provide a brief description of the contents of each box including the dates and types of materials and a notation of any filing arrangement that may be present. This finding aid describes one series of the Railroad Commission of Texas records. See Railroad Commission of Texas: An Overview of Records for more records series. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsRestrictions on AccessNone. Restrictions on UseNone. Technical RequirementsNone. Return to the Table of Contents
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Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationPreferred Citation(Identify the item), Interstate Commerce Commission valuation reports, Railroad Commission of Texas. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Accession InformationAccession number: unknown These records were received by the Railroad Commission of Texas from the Interstate Commerce Commission and transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Railroad Commission at an unknown date. Processing InformationPaul Beck, March 1987 Return to the Table of Contents Detailed Description of the Records
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