Wichita Valley Chapter -
National Railway Historical Society
About
Who Are We?
Wichita Valley National Railway Historical Society (NRHS), is an organization dedicated to preserving railroad history. Our chapter is focused on bringing people together to exchange ideas, information, participate in group activities, discover ways to support the preservation and restoration of our history, and simply enjoy the lore of railroading.
Our Mission
Our mission is to preserve the railroad history of North Central and West Texas including portions of Southwestern Oklahoma, through a family of five affiliated shortlines coined 'The Wichita Valley Lines'. These affiliated lines were constructed in stages between 1890 to 1922 primarily financed by the Colorado & Southern Railway ultimately operating as feeder lines for the Fort Worth & Denver Railway. Trackage totaled 266.5 miles from Waurika, Oklahoma to Wichita Falls, Texas onward to Abilene, Texas connecting many communities in between. Most of these lines operated independently until the Fall of 1942. Our mission is to preserve the related artifacts, information and resources linked to that history.
Chapter Objectives
Our objective is to provide a complete history of railroads and their importance to towns along the Wichita Valley lines by offering insight into why this is important for you to know. Learning about our history and understanding the value that railroads may have played in your family is a focus of our chapter. Our aim is to provide an appreciation for the value of trains then and now. Our Chapter Territory includes the following rail lines in the following eleven (11) county areas:
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- Wichita Falls, in Wichita County
- Holliday, Mankins, Dundee, in Archer County
- Seymour, Bomarton in Baylor County
- Weinert, Haskell, in Haskell County
- Stamford, Anson in Jones County
- Abilene in Taylor County
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Additionally, to include the two Branchlines of the Wichita Valley Railroad:
1.) The Wichita Falls to Waurika, Oklahoma line that included Wichita Falls in Wichita County, onto Dean, Petrolia and Byers in Clay County Texas, ending in Waurika, Oklahoma in Jefferson County.
2.) Then Stamford, onto Sagerton, Aspermont and Peacock communities in Stonewall County forward to Jayton in Kent County and ending in Spur, Texas in Dickens County.
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Respectively each town is a location along the various shortlines of the Wichita Valley Lines.
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This Chapter will assist all railroad, researchers, historians, groups and museums along the
Wichita Valley Lines and surrounding areas to:
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1) Provide researchers and historians a one stop spot to access historical items, ephemera, photographs, information, documents, lists, maps, oral histories, stories, articles, local resources and more
2.) Offer historically accurate data for restoration and preservation of railroad rolling stock via established connections and research, including restoration to original paint schemes
3.) Lend guidance to gain financial support for restoration and thus preservation of local depots and railroad related buildings and equipment
4.) Active engagement in documenting today's railroading, teaching Operation Lifesaver railroad safety courses and advocating for train travel across the United States
5.) Planned Excursions to experience rail travel, destinations, museums, and fun events
6.) Further commitment to education and immersive experiences for high schoolers including annual scholarships to RailCamp, USA.
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.