Ain't no cause to be sad
When you come this way
If railroads make you quite glad
You'll like this stray
And you'll have a waymark to ri-ide
You'll have a waymark to ri-i-ide
You'll have a waymark to ride
The depot's right there.
Sign says it's Smithville's own
But I read fine print
Was actually trucked in from the East
Losing West Point's imprint.
But it's still a waymark to ri-ide.
It's still a waymark to ri-i-ide.
It's still a waymark to ride
You'll find it right there....
This vintage M-K-T line depot sits in Smithville's "Railroad Park" -- the location of their Railroad Museum & Depot at the intersection of First and Main Streets in historic downtown. [Look for the giant gingerbread man.] Turns out, though this depot looks like it grew in place, signs and everything, it's actually the depot from West Point, just up the road. Ah well!
Preserved as a museum, it sits amid the rolling stock and remembers the days with Smithville was the hub of a bustling railroad mini-empire.
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Further reading:
Smithville Chamber of Commerce (
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MUSEUM - Railroad Museum & Depot
At intersection of First and Main Streets 512-237-2313
Filled with items from the grand railroad past of Smithville, a town with a railway turnaround, the museum also has replicas of the first railroad depot in Smithville. There are items from the MKT days and Union Pacific.
The Museum is adjacent to the Chamber Office & Visitors Center and is usually open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 5 p.m.
And, a train depot to the right of the building was restored and shows a glimpse of a time long past.
Blue Eyes & Bluebonnets 'Hollywood Stars and Smithville, Texas'
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The first railroad depot was built in Smithville in 1887 and burned a few years later. In 1893, the MKT completed its tracks linking Houston with Smithville. The second Smithville depot was built in 1895 at the “Y” in the tracks further west. The large Railroad YMCA building was on this site from 1899 to 1926. The Smithville Railroad Park was developed on land donated by the railroad and contains the Chamber of Commerce building, a gazebo and the Railroad Museum, a small depot moved from West Point, TX.
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Texas Handbook On-Line:
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A 1909 newspaper account described Smithville, headquarters for three divisions of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas line, as having a population of 3,500 and railroad shops, a roundhouse, and "a fine Y.M.C.A. building."
Texas Escapes - Smithville:
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It’s fair to say that Smithville might well be one of the more insignificant towns between Austin and Houston if it wasn’t for the railroad. After the Missouri, Kansas and Texas (KATY) railroad acquired the old Taylor, Bastrop and Houston line in the early 1890s, the Katy built significant yards in Smithville, as well as a huge passenger depot and a two-story Railroad YMCA.
The railroad even dictated the layout of the town. Hotels and the YMCA were located conveniently near the tracks while the railroad’s engineers clustered together in two story homes near the river – as far as they could get from the noise and grime of the roundhouse and yards.
Smithville was the scene of the 1911 boiler explosion - perhaps the largest railroad disaster outside of collisions or derailments.
The railroading history of the town is preserved today in Smithville’s Railroad Museum (which shares space with the Smithville Chamber) in James Long Park at the southern end of Main Street.
Beside the museum, which houses photos, and artifacts, an outdoor section includes an old depot (moved in from West Point, Texas) and several cabooses as well as a vintage section car.
Unlike most "railroad" towns, Smithville's main street (First) doesn't run parallel to the tracks.
In addition, the railroad hasn't completely left. Repair facilities still work on cars, although not to the degree of days past. If you start at the Railroad Historical Park and walk North you'll pass the commercial district, The Smithville Times, City Hall, the Library, the Post Office, residences and eventually you’ll come to a rest area overlooking the Colorado River.
About the M-K-T & Smithville
Texas Transportation Museum
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...Gould's monopoly was dismantled and the M-K-T was "finally" chartered in 1891 as the Missouri-Katy-Texas Railway Company of Texas, more commonly known as the Katy of Texas. It acquired all of the parent companies holdings in Texas except the I & GN railroad which regained full independence, though it remained close to the Missouri Pacific and would be purchased by it in 1924. By 1887 the MKT had reached San Marcos from Lockhart. San Marcos remained the southern tip of the MKT for over a decade. As the I & GN was leased to the MKT, there was no need to build another line to San Antonio and it concentrated on building east towards Houston, via Smithville. Through car service to San Antonio was being advertised at this time. Even after 1886, relations with the I & GN were such that the MKT did not proceed with its own line. When the MKT applied to take over the Sherman Shreveport & Southern Railway Company, which was owed by the parent MKT but run independently of the MKT of Texas, the Texas Railroad Commission said it would not approve the merger until the MKT built a line of its own to San Antonio. THE TRC wanted to see more competition on this important route. The MKT of Texas complied and its own line to San Antonio was completed in 1901.
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Read up on the M-K-T!
The KATY Railroad Historical Society (
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Wikipedia (
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American Rails 'The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, The Katy' (
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About the nearby Giant Gingerbread Man (which I forgot to photograph, dang!)
This monument was created by using the actual mold that was used to bake our record-breaking gingerbread man in 2006. It stands 20 feet tall by 10 feet wide. The actual cookie weighed 1,308 lbs and 8 oz.
source: wikipedia (
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