(The following story by Leigh Ann Powers appeared at thecountywide.com on December 3, 2008)
COUNTYWIDE, Tx – The sound of freight trains rumbling down the tracks may soon return to Karnes County.
David Brown, president and CEO of San Antonio Aransas Pass Railroad, gave a presentation to the city council of Karnes City at their November 25 meeting concerning his plans to revive freight operations on the defunct railway. Brown hopes to reactivate the San Antonio/Aransas Pass railroad in 2009.
The rail system currently ends in Elmendorf. Brown plans to eventually reconnect the railway through to Beeville in order to connect with the Kansas City Southern line.
“We would basically become a short line transferring traffic between Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific, allowing any of the industries along this line to have the ability to have freight service to not just one but two interstate railroads.”
Brown says that his plan is to be back in Karnes County by around 2011. Those plans, however, depend heavily on several factors including federal government and EPA approval.
His plans will also be affected by how the railroad is received in the cities and towns between the current end in Elmendorf and Karnes County.
“We’re coming here as long as all the communities and everything along the way falls in place. So far it seems to be,” Brown said.
Rebuilding the track will be a major operation.
“Every mile has to be reestablished, every mile has to be regraded, bridges have to be rebuilt,” Brown said.
Brown plans to purchase the right-of-way from Union Pacific and rebuild the rails.
Mayor Don Tymrak questioned why Union Pacific was not interested in reopening the railway if there was potential for profit. Brown explained that railroads operate under somewhat different principles than normal retail operations.
“Union Pacific makes more money running long trains from point A to Point B,” said Brown. “For a short line railroad, it is profitable.”
According to Brown, the five major railroads are trying to encourage the development of short line railroads throughout the country to do the labor intensive work of “switching,” thus saving money for the larger railroad.
“Think of it as the franchisee for a major corporation,” said Brown.
Some potential exists for commuter or tourism railroad, but “the bread and butter for keeping the rails active in this day and age has to be the freight” said Brown.
Gary Rodriguez, president and CEO of the San Antonio Railroad Heritage Museum (SARHM), informed the council about some of the tourism potential along the railroad.
SARHM is currently in the process of renovating the old Southern Pacific 794 steam engine currently located at Sunset Station in San Antonio. The museum needs somewhere to run it after restoration. The museum cooperated with the city of Elmendorf to rebuild the old Elmendorf depot and set up the Elmendorf Heritage Museum in return for the right to use the depot as a stop for the steam engine.
Rodriguez also hopes to acquire SP 794 the last remaining steam engine from the San Antonio/Aransas Pass Railroad. The locomotive is currently located in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
“This would be a serious tourist attraction,” Rodriguez said. “There are a lot of people who would like to see it and would like to see it back in Texas.”
Rodriguez said that he would like to see stops at every town along the way where the steam locomotive could pull off onto a siding and allow tourists to stop and see the town. Another possibility might be a dinner train.
“We’re just really looking to work with the community and help you out, promoting the history that was once here,” Rodriguez said.
The railroad could work with the local community on issues such as minimizing horn noise, according to Rodriguez.
In other business, the council also held a public hearing on the construction of improvements to the city water system. The city has obtained rights to a potable water well and plans to construct an additional water line to tie the well into the existing system, thus increasing the city water supply. No members of the public spoke at the hearing. The city will proceed with the project.
City officials also scheduled a public hearing for January 27 concerning the consolidation of the Karnes City Housing Authority with the Kenedy Housing Authority.