Railroad Commission of Texas. Transportation Division:

An Inventory of Correspondence and Reports at the Texas State Archives, 1888-1948 (bulk 1894-[ca. 1935])

Rail Division History

The Railroad Commission of Texas had its origin in the demands of the shipping public in the late 1880s that 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 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.

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 to the agency 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.

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Scope and Contents of the Records

This series consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence of the Railroad Commission of Texas, of the Transportation Division (formerly the Main and Transportation Division, later the Rail Division), dating from 1888 to 1948, primarily between 1894 and the mid-1930s. Other materials present include applications; orders of the Commission; finance dockets; engineers' reports; reports and resolutions of railroad company directors or stockholders; lists of stockholders; petitions; deeds and leases; construction contracts; copies of bylaws, charters, and mortgages; newspaper clippings; and a few plats and maps of railroad property and railway lines. Most letters are between the Railroad Commission and officials of various railroad companies (directors, engineers, and others). Topics include the registration and issuance of bonds, extensions of track and other construction, property valuations, and the consolidation or merger of railroad companies. Many of the older documents (pre-1920s), are copies used as documentation in applications of one kind or another.

To prepare this preliminary inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.

This finding aid describes a single series of the Railroad Commission of Texas records. See Railroad Commission of Texas: An Overview of Records for more records series.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None.

Restrictions on Use

None.

Technical Requirements

None.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Accession Information

Accession number: 1991/008

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Transportation and Gas Utilities Division of the Railroad Commission on September 20, 1990.

Processing Information

Processed by Laura K. Saegert, April 1991

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Detailed Description of the Records

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