www.CottonBeltRoute.com
Preserving the Legacy of the railroads throughout Ark-La-Miss-Tex-oma's Cotton Belt Region

 

Cotton Belt Depot, Commerce, Texas
Robert McFatridge engineer | Ed Cooper photo 

The 16th Annual
Cotton Belt Regional Railroad Symposium

Saturday, October 1, 2022.

Sam Rayburn Student Center
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Commerce, Texas

The Symposium is scheduled annually for the first Saturday in October.

The formal event will be held on Saturday, with a program consisting of railroad presentations, railroadianna displays, and other activities to be announced.  Audience participation is encouraged. 

If you have items of railroad interest you would like to display, please bring them.  We have arranged for plenty of table and display space.  Please note that this is NOT a swap-meet.

An informal dinner gathering will begin at approximately 6:00pm at Lu Lu's Burgers, 803 Culver St, in Commerce, for anyone who is interested in visiting casually on Friday evening.

Luncheon

The Luncheon reservation deadline was noon on Tuesday, September 27.  You may contact Jason to be placed on the waitlist should additional meals become available.

If you made reservations and later learn that will be unable to attend the luncheon, please notify Jason so your meal(s) may be reallocated to someone else who may wish to dine at the luncheon.

Presented by

TAMUC Department of Engineering & Technology

TAMUC College of Science & Engineering

TAMUC Velma K. Waters Library Special Collections

Commerce Public Library

2022 Sponsors

Luncheon Sponsor:

A&M-Commerce College of Science & Engineering
Dr. Brent Donham, Dean

Gold Spike Sponsors:

Stephen & Marinelle Morrow

Railroad Partners, Inc.
Myron Malone, Treasurer

Additional Opportunities Available
See Sponsorship Opportunities for info.

Silver Spike Sponsors:

Opportunities Available
See Sponsorship Opportunities for info.

Bronze Spike Sponsors:

Jason Lee Davis

Additional Opportunities Available
See Sponsorship Opportunities for info.

Iron Spike Sponsors:

Opportunities Available
See Sponsorship Opportunities for info.

Sponsorship Opportunities Available...

You or your company/organization can be recognized as a Sponsor for a sympoisum event!  Multiple sponsorship levels are available.  All sponsorship contributions are tax deductable.  For more information on becoming a sponsor, please see our Sponsorship Opportunities page.  Our secure MarketPlace makes it easier than ever!!! Sponsorships are accepted anytime, but must be confirmed at least three weeks prior to the symposium to ensure inclusion in our major print materials in order to meet printing deadlines for the event.
The Symposium Committee reserves the right to decline any sponsorship application.

Symposium History

• Information and media galleries for Previous Symposium Events
  
  

Everyone Welcome

Please join us for this free, public event to document and preserve the legacy of the current and "Fallen Flag" railroads and railroad "families" of the Ark-La-Tex-oma's Cotton Belt Region, including, but not limited to, the following railroads:
Atchison, Topika, & Santa Fe (ATSF)
Blacklands (BLR)
Burlington Northern (BN)
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF)
Chaparral
Dallas, Garland, & Northeastern (DGNO)
DeQueen & Eastern (DQ&E)
East Line & Red River Narrow Gauge (EL&RR)
Ft. Worth & Denver (FW&D)
Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe (GC&SF)
Houston & Shreveport
Houston & Texas Central (H&TC)
International & Great Northern (IGN)
Kansas City, Mexico, & Orient (KCM&O)
Kansas City, Pittsburg, & Gulf
Kansas City Southern (KCS)
Kiamichi (KRR)
Louisiana & Arkansas (L&A)
Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT, The Katy)
Missouri Pacific (MoPac)
Morton, Maurice, & Baer's Ferry (MM&BF)
North East Texas Connector (NETC)
Paris & Mt. Pleasant (P&MP)
Sherman, Shreveport, & Southern (SS&S)
St. Louis, Arkansas, & Texas
St. Louis, Iron Mountain, & Southern
St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco)
St. Louis South-western (SSW, Cotton Belt Route)
St. Louis, Texas, & Arkansas
Southern Pacific (SP)
Texas Interurban
Texas Midland (TM)
Texas & New Orleans (T&NO)
Texas Northeastern (TNER)
Texas & Pacific (T&P)
Texas & St. Louis
Union Pacific (UP)
Vicksburg, Shreveport, & Pacific

St.L.S-W #517 in Commerce, Texas, circa 1953  |  C.W. Standefer photo Commerce Public Library Collection  |  used with permission

A special invitation is extended to all former and current railroad employees and their families to come and share recollections of their railroad days.  Everyone is encouraged to bring and display artifacts and historical photos depicting people, places, equipment, and rail operations.  We would appreciate the opportunity to make arrangements to scan images or photograph artifacts for historic preservation and inclusion in the Digital Library.

Anyone interested in the history and operations of railroads in the Ark-La-Tex-oma region is welcome.  This is also a reunion opportunity for members of the railroad "family."

St.L.S-W #819  |  Tony Wilson photo

Agendas

Saturday, October 1, 2022 – Sam Rayburn Student Center, Conference Rm. #213

  Program
    (Schedule subject to revision)

8:19a    Registration/Displays Open

9:10a    Welcome and Opening remarks

9:15a     Presentations

     A Portrait of a Northeast Texas
        Railroader (1881-1918)
        -  Dennis Hogan, Frisco, TX

     Update on the Anna Depot and
        MCSA 201 Restoration
        - Elden Baker, Anna, TX

     Ten Texas Teasers – Part 3
        - Dennis Hogan, Frisco, TX

~12:00p  Luncheon

~1:00p    Presentations continue

     50 Years ago in Commerce and
        Northeast Texas
        - Edwin Cooper, Shelbyville, KY

~2:00p    Wrap-up

~2:15p    Adjourn

After the activities at the student center, visit the East Texas Model Railroad Club Open House.  (Directions available at the Symposium.)

Event Participants

East Texas Model Railroad Club

other participants welcomed

For information on participation,
please contact Jason Davis

Lodging Accommodations

View Commerce Area Lodging information.

Commerce Public Library Collection | used with permission

Important Notice

As a significant purpose of this event is historic documentation, the events will be video taped and photographed extensively.  Attendees should be aware that they are subject to appearance in video clips and photographs that may appear in library archives, digital library collections, the symposium media galleries, and other vehicles of media dissemination on the Internet.  Attendance at this event signifies voluntary consent to be included in such documentation.