As floodwaters recede and sunny skies prevail, railroad activity in Houston and along the Southeast Texas coast is resuming. Class I railroads have restarted service across most of the network affected by Hurricane Harvey in late August, and Amtrak plans to restart its Sunset Limited by Wednesday.

Harvey halted rail traffic when it hit near Corpus Christi on Aug. 25 and barreled up the coast. The storm dumped a U.S. record 52 inches of rain in some areas, causing an estimated $75 billion in damages.

Railroads sustained flooded yards and washed-out track and bridges, forcing stoppages and delays. Traffic on Union Pacific, BNSF, Kansas City Southern, Amtrak and Houston METRORail was idle the first four or five days after the storm.

But by last Thursday, all but 50 miles of Union Pacific track in Houston had been restored, according to an update on the company’s website. Elsewhere, all BNSF subdivisions affected by the storm had opened, and KCS had most service restored.

In the wake of unprecedented flooding and damage along the Texas coast, Union Pacific and Kansas City Southern today announced combined pledges of $300,000 toward supporting Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

UP pledged $250,000 to be come from corporate and employee donations. Immediate donations of $100,000 to the American Red Cross and $50,000 to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund are being made. Additionally, Union Pacific will match contributions to its “Friend to Friend” employee support network through Sept. 30, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000.

The company, whose Southern Region division is headquartered in Houston, will also match donations made to a Disaster Relief Matching Gifts Program for Hurricane Harvey, where employees can provide funding directly to American Red Cross, Salvation Army and others.

KCS announced its charitable fund will immediately donate $50,000 to the American Red Cross. In addition, the Kansas City-based railroad will match dollar for dollar employee gifts to the American Red Cross via the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation-KCS Fund up to $25,000.

UPDATED 4:15 p.m. Aug. 28, 2017
By TOM MARSH/Cowcatcher Magazine

HOUSTON — Deteriorating conditions from Tropical Storm Harvey is causing major disruptions on the region’s rail lines three days after one of Texas’ most historic weather events blew ashore.

Widespread flooding in the greater Houston area forced the suspension of all of BNSF’s operations at Houston-area railyards and facilities, including the Pearland Intermodal and Automotive facilities, according to a service advisory posted today. Some locations have received nearly 40 inches of rain and several more inches are expected during the next 48 hours.

BNSF reported multiple washouts and high water on main lines in and around Houston, halting inbound and outbound traffic. Other area rail lines, including those with BNSF trackage rights, have also been forced out of service, the carrier said.

Almost two years to the day of its first test to evacuate equipment in case of a hurricane, a BNSF train of important Galveston Railroad Museum rolling stock headed off Galveston Island in this morning’s wee hours.

The museum’s two F7A Santa Fe “Warbonnets” and four Amtrak-ready Budd passenger cars were escorted off the island under BNSF power at 2:15 in preparation for Hurricane Harvey, which is expected to hit the Texas coast tonight. Nos. 315 and 316 and chair cars “Alonzo A. Harder” and “George H. Gould,” diner “City of Galveston” and sleeper “Donald Harper” were towed about 50 miles inland to Pearland south of Houston.

The rest of the museum, which Hurricane Ike severely damaged in 2008, was boarded up and sandbagged, Executive Directory Morris Gould said.

Earlier this week, a tropical Gulf depression became a hurricane bearing down on Corpus Christi. The National Weather Service says Harvey could reach winds of 125 mph and dump 20-30 inches of rain along the Gulf Coast late Friday and early Saturday. It could be the largest hurricane to hit the middle of the Texas coast since 2003.

Union Pacific launched a two-year celebration in May commemorating the Great Race to complete the transcontinental railroad nearly 150 years ago. Its crews built railroad tracks west of Omaha, NE, while Central Pacific constructed east of Sacramento, CA. A symbolic golden spike was driven at a ceremony when the railroads met in Promontory Summit, Utah, May 10, 1869.

“The driving of the final rail spike defined Union Pacific as the economic engine that connected people, moved goods and transformed America’s progress,” said Scott Moore, Union Pacific senior vice president/corporate relations. “We look forward to honoring the communities and railroad development that played critical roles in our country’s growth and way of life.”

Union Pacific representatives presented Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg with a commemorative golden spike in nearly the exact location where 1860s California Governor Leland Stanford broke ground for CP in Sacramento. The presentation was webcasted on Facebook Live, launching Union Pacific’s two-year celebration of the Great Race to Promontory.

The company introduced an interactive website illustrating the journey through 46 communities profoundly impacted by the railroad. The site features rare photographs and animated maps illustrating how America was built. Union Pacific also launched the following series of activities and celebrations that bring each community’s history to life:

The Western Group, a short-line railroad company based in Ogden, UT, has assumed operation of the Texas State Railroad, the company announced May 4. The Texas State Railroad Authority recently awarded Western Group the contract to operate the East Texas tourist line.

The move signals the end of Iowa Pacific Holdings’ operator agreement with TSRA.

TSRA board member Steve Presley said the agreement was signed Wednesday and Western Group kicked off operations by running a special school train. More runs are scheduled Friday through Sunday, and officials are to gather for a photo shoot Monday in Rusk.

In April, TSRA and Western Group, selected from four companies that submitted bids to run the railroad, reached a tentative agreement.