Fort Worth and Denver Railway

Fort Worth and Denver Railway is a defunct railroad in the United States. The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway Company was chartered on May 26, 1873. The company would later change its name to the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway Company on August 7, 1951.

Construction of the railroad started on 1881 after Grenville M. Dodge became interested in the project. The Fort Worth and Denver City and the Denver and New Orleans Railroad Company agreed to connect at the Texas-New Mexico border in 1881. Railroad service between Fort Worth and Denver City began on April 1, 1888. Fort Worth and Denver Railroad would later be acquired by the Colorado and Southern Railroad. The Fort Worth and Denver Railroad was the first rail line to penetrate the northwest part of Texas, which influenced the growth of Texas cities such as Wichita Falls, Childress, and Amarillo.

Burlington Northern Railroad acquired Fort Worth and Denver Railway after the merger between it and Colorado and Southern Railroad on December 31, 1981. The Fort Worth and Denver Railroad's rail lines were merged into Burlington Northern Railroad in 1982. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acquired 64 miles of right-of-way from the abandoned Fort Worth and Denver Railroad's lines between Estelline and South Plains to create the Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway's hike and bike trail.

References

• Fort Worth and Denver Railway Company from the Handbook of Texas Online. URL accessed on April 3, 2006.