Historic Jefferson Railway facts for kids
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Reporting mark | JCB |
| Locale | Jefferson, Texas |
| Dates of operation | 1985–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Length | 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) |
The Historic Jefferson Railway is a fun, narrow-gauge railroad located in Jefferson, Texas. Sometimes, people also call it the Jefferson and Cypress Bayou Railway. This special train line travels about three miles next to the beautiful Big Cypress Bayou. The track is shaped like a "dog bone," with a loop at each end connected by a single main track.
A private company called DBR Entertainment Inc. owns and operates the railway. This means it doesn't rely on money from the state or federal government. The train journey takes you through the thick piney woods of northeast Texas. Along the way, you can see interesting historical spots. These include where Texas's first artificial gas plant was, an old sawmill, and parts of a blast furnace. You'll also spot one of the few remaining Confederate powder magazines from the 1860s. This powder magazine, called Jefferson Ordnance Magazine, is so important it's listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Each train ride lasts about 45 minutes.
Contents
The Railway's Story
Building the Train Line
The city of Jefferson built this railway in 1985. They bought the train cars from a closed-down amusement park in Florida called Six Gun Territory. While the tracks were being built, the train would travel forward on the finished parts and then go backward to return to town. Once all the tracks were done, the train could use a special loop at the far end to turn around.
In the late 1980s, a pretend "western town" called "Hangtown" was built along the track. This town was used for exciting stunt shows, including many fake shoot-outs. Eventually, the city of Jefferson found it too expensive to run the railway, so they decided to sell it.
New Owners and Repairs
After the city sold it, several private owners tried to get the train running again. But because of problems like not enough maintenance, the railway completely shut down by the mid-1990s. In 1999, a local business person bought the train, tracks, and station. They wanted to keep the riverfront area from being built on. The railway stayed closed during this time, except for occasional trips to keep access rights. Sadly, "Hangtown" was left alone and eventually fell apart.
The current owners, a family group, bought the railway in early 2002. The train and tracks were in rough shape after being closed for so long. It took almost six months of hard work to get the train's locomotive boiler ready for inspection. During this time, workers replaced over 1,000 railroad ties and checked the entire track. The locomotive's boiler had some challenges, including a damaged part called a crown sheet. Also, there was no manufacturer's stamp on it. The state gave a special permit, and the boiler was stamped with an inspector watching. After the crown sheet was replaced, the State of Texas certified the locomotive as safe again.
The railway officially reopened during Labor Day weekend in 2002. The first public rides in years were very popular, with hundreds of people attending.
Nature and Views
Exploring the Bayou
About 90% of your train trip is along the Big Cypress Bayou. This means you get amazing views of the slow-moving water and thousands of tall bald cypress trees. Other trees like Magnolia, sweetgum, pine, oak, maple, redbud, and dogwood line the tracks. For most of the ride, the train travels under the thick forest canopy. Passengers in the train's open cars can truly experience the sights, smells, and sounds of the woods. During certain times of the year, an enclosed car is available for comfort.
Wildlife Sightings
Lots of different animals live on the railway property. On about 60% of the trips, passengers see white-tailed deer. You might also spot armadillos, red and gray foxes, and squirrels often. People who love watching birds especially enjoy the ride, as many different kinds of birds are active in the area.
You can also see several old ruins from the train, most of them from the mid-1800s. The only building still standing that you can see is the powder magazine, which has been fixed up and is across the river.
Train Engines
The Historic Jefferson Railway currently uses a small gasoline-powered engine called "Critter." It was built by the Plymouth Locomotive Works.
The railway originally had two 4-4-0 steam locomotives. These were built in 1964 by Crown Metal Products for the Six Gun Territory Amusement Park in Florida. They were numbered 7 and 4, and named "Robert E. Lee" and "Sam Houston." When the park closed in the early 1980s, both engines were sold to the Jefferson Railway in 1985. They kept their names and numbers. Engine No. 7, "Robert E. Lee," was the main engine used to pull the train. Engine No. 4 was kept for spare parts.
Later, Engine No. 4 was sold to Warner Bros., who displayed it at Underground Atlanta in Georgia. In 2017, Engine No. 4 was sold again to the Kirby Family Farm in Florida. Engine No. 7 was also sold to the Kirby Family Farm in 2019 and moved there the next year.
Fun Events
Spooky Train Rides
Since 2002, the Historic Jefferson Railway has hosted an annual "Runaway Fright Train." This is like a moving haunted house! Every October, scary characters and spirits appear on the railway. Their goal is to give passengers a good scare. The ride happens after dark, using ultraviolet and strobe light effects. Live actors and animatronics (robot characters) create frights, with short plays and decorations along the tracks.
In Halloween 2005, a new event called "Terror on the Bayou" started. This was a multi-themed event with a creepy cornfield maze, a haunted forest walk, and the train ride. It was still very popular in 2009. Halloween has become the railway's most popular event, with thousands of riders each week.
Another popular event is the weekly "Ghost Train of Jefferson." This is another ride in the dark, but without the sudden jump scares. A narrator tells "true" ghost stories as the train moves along with no lights. Jefferson is known as the "most haunted town in Texas," which attracts many ghost hunters. The "Ghost Train" is very popular and is the only regularly scheduled event of its kind in the United States.
Holiday Lights
From Thanksgiving through New Year's Day, the "Rail of Lights Christmas Train" and "New Years Train" light up the piney woods of East Texas. With more than 300,000 Christmas lights, the Rail of Lights has become one of the most sought-after events on the Arklatex Trail of Lights. It's also the number one attraction in Jefferson during the Christmas season.
