All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm throughout the Southwest and Midwest

  • 0
  • 1

Cowcatcher Magazine

  • Home
  • News
    • Top News
    • Class 1 Railroads
    • Short Line Railroads
    • Light Rail / Commuter
    • Model Railroading
    • Railroad in Focus
    • Up Close
    • Heritage
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Info & Updates
    • Subscribe or Renew with Paypal
    • Subscribe or Renew with Credit Card
    • Back Issues
    • Retrospectives
  • Contact Us
  • Available At

Eighth-grade class steps up with big donation to save struggling Red River Railroad Museum

December 31st, 2020

By TIM BLACKWELL/Cowcatcher Magazine

Christmas came early for the Red River Railroad Museum in Denison, TX.

Located in an office in the former Katy Depot downtown, it is a treasure trove of history, including accounts of how the railroad made its way through Indian Territory from Kansas to the bawdy little town of Red River City. Outside reside fairly well preserved relics of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad – an F unit and a couple of cabooses.

The Katy’s arrival in 1872 put Denison on the map. The railroad’s car shops, headquarters, hospital and Ray Yard sprawled across the town, providing a vital connection from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Red River Railroad Museum occupies space on the east side of the former Union Depot in downtown Denison, TX – Cowcatcher Magazine

Denison, about 100 miles north of Dallas, was the northernmost anchor in the North Texas transportation network for freight and passenger movements. By 1901 the city had grown enough to establish the first electric Interurban railway to Sherman and eventually connected Dallas and Waco.

These stories and more grace the Red River Railroad Museum. But like so many endeavors derailed by covid-19, the little museum teetered on the verge of closure in 2020.

Board discusses closing the museum

In August board members discussed dividing the collection among other museums that celebrate the Katy’s history. The volunteer staff had shrunk, and donations were desperately needed. Hours were reduced to Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 2:30 p.m.

Despite sponsorships from the North Texas Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, Markl and Sons Heating and Air Conditioning, and others, board member David Reeder told a local television station that the museum was about out of gas.

“If we do not get the funding, we do not get the volunteers, the museum will close and the items we have in the museum will be portioned out to various other railroad museums around the region,” Reeder told Fox News 12.

Then in early December a museum volunteer started a “Save the Red River Railroad Museum” online fund drive with a $50,000 goal. Seven days later, a big check arrived at the museum from the eighth-graders at Henry Scott Middle School.

The Denison High School Class of 2025 cobbled together $10,000 in hot chocolate sales and donations and handed it over (sans marshmallows). The kids raised the money through the Denison Chamber of Commerce’s annual Hot Cocoa Competition.

“We are so proud that the Scott Scholars have raised over ten thousand dollars to help save the Red River Railroad Museum,” the Chamber said in a Facebook post. “The eighth-graders from Scott Middle School have been working hard for weeks for our annual Hot Cocoa Competition and have blown everyone away with their accomplishments.”

Donation timely following depot sale

The money arrives at an opportune time. In October the depot sold to investor Marcus Patrinicola, who intends a multiuse development. The depot was built in 1914 to serve the MKT, Frisco and Houston, Texas & Central Railway (later Southern Pacific). Up to 43 passenger trains rolled through the station each day during railroading’s golden era.

While plans aren’t firm, Patrinicola, a familiar investor in town, told News 12 that casual and fine dining and entertainment venues are likely tenants.

Union Depot, built in 1914, was recently sold to a local developer who intends to turn the historic structure into a dining and entertainment venue. – Cowcatcher Magazine

The depot has held similar promises in the past from developers, only to see the plans collapse. This time the depot has one thing going for it – city leaders are aggressively marketing Denison as a destination.

Downtown has transformed into trendy shops, lofts, bars and restaurants where a good steak, wine and craft beer can be consumed and even a few axes thrown. The former Denison Hotel, which put up thousands upon thousands of visitors a block off Main Street in its prime, is getting a makeover as a boutique hotel. The 1880 Ice House, an Austin-style beer garden, opened about the time the depot sold.

As Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s Silver Line eases toward Plano, up the Highway 75 corridor north of Dallas, Denison may find itself in a prime spot. While no discussions have taken place lately about a reprised Denison-Dallas connection, it may not be out of the question down the road.

And that could bode well for the Red River Railroad Museum. Thanks, Class of 2025.

Learn more about the impact of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad on Denison, TX, in “Katy’s Gift,” published in the November/December 2017 Cowcatcher.

  • News
  • March/April 2021

  • Order Today!

    PURCHASE THE CURRENT ISSUE TODAY!

    JUST $5.95, includes shipping (U.S. only)!

     

    Allow 3-5 business days for delivery upon placement of order.

     

    ** Email us for international shipping rates**

     

  • Pressing Ahead

    The Cowtown Model Railroad Club has evolved from the former Lockheed Martin Recreation Association Railroad Activity, once Dallas/Fort Worth’s premier model railroad club. A handful of members have carried on the HO Gulf & Denver Railroad Authority, which is back in operation and sporting a new mission.

     

  • Time now for passenger rail

    Tracks are aligning for a bright future in public transportation and travel by rail with the onset of a new administration on Capitol Hill.  Funding opportunities await for returning Amtrak daily long-distance service and improving transit rail infrastructure. The key will be keeping several bills on course.

     

     

     

  • PLUS…

    The Cowcatcher’s N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad found a way to visually block the main line from Dallas to Kansas City when it comes a little too close for comfort.

     

     – Cowcatcher Magazine                                        
     

    BNSF Railway Co. (BNSF) and Wabtec’s exploration of the future of battery-electric locomotives crossed another milestone in early January with testing in revenue service between Barstow and Stockton, CA…

    …

     

    Pat Hiatte resumes his virtual travel along the nation’s rail network when passenger rail was king. He rides the Colorado Eagle from Denver to St. Louis…

     

    LGB is producing an F7A-B locomotive set in Amtrak’s original paint to celebrate the passenger line’s 50th anniversary in 2021.

     

     

    THESE STORIES AND MORE, PLUS A FULL CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS!

     

  • Product News & Review

    Rapido HO Flexi-Flo Hoppers

     

     

    Last fall, Rapido Trains released its first HO-scale replica of the ACF PD3500 Flexi-Flo covered hopper in each variation produced by American Car & Foundry. Models feature a wealth of detail.

     

    More product reviews!

     

    See product news!

     

  • Don’t Miss an Issue

    Click here to subscribe to Cowcatcher Magazine, the model railroad magazine and rail enthusiast magazine all about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm, today!
  • Back Issues

    Be sure to check out our Back Issues page for any issues you may have missed. We have expanded descriptions for issues published beginning in 2007. Click here to order.

     

    Order the January/February 2021 issue today!

     

  • Article & Photo Submissions

    We encourage readers to submit articles and photos. For details, visit our guide here .

  • Railroad in Focus

    Cowcatcher Magazine routinely features short lines and regional railroads that roam the Midwest and Southwest. Features include color photographs and maps, but an overview of operations and latest business trends.

     



    Like us on Facebook!  
  • The New Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad




    Visit the new N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad, the official model railroad of the Cowcatcher Magazine, and track progress. All aboard!
  • HMA Promotional Video

    https://youtu.be/bxrwl13N1Rc

© 2020 Cowcatcher Magazine | No content from this site may be copied or re-used without permission | 2021 Cowcatcher Magazine. Site powered by Childress Media