by Barbara J. Wood
TRAINS
The Davy Crockett Train
*The Davy Crockett Train ... [A brief discussion of passenger operations on the San Antonio & Aransas Pass, based on SAP timetables in various Official Guide issues by Bill Roberts]
In 1911, The San Antonio & Aransas Pass provides the same basic daytime service as it did twenty years earlier, except that Kerrville-San Antonio service is a separate train. All four day trains continue to cluster in Yoakum, the first arriving at 1:20 P.M. and the last leaving at 2:10 P.M.
Passengers between San Antonio and Corpus Christi have a choice of either morning or afternoon departures for the six-hour trip.
Pullman service is provided between San Antonio, Houston and Corpus Christi on the Davy Crockett, called "The Train That Is Always On Time." Its average speed is a restful twenty-four miles per hour. San Antonio travelers headed for Corpus Christi sleep on a siding at Kenedy from 12:30 A.M. to 5:00 A.M. until the westbound train from Houston arrives, drops off its Corpus Christi sleeping car, and hurries on to San Antonio. The cars from San Antonio and Houston are then coupled and hauled to Corpus Christi for arrival at 9:00 A.M.
The timetable notes obligingly that passengers on the Waco line can make better time to and from San Antonio by traveling by way of the GH&SA's Sunset Route for the Flatonia-San Antonio portion of their trip.
In 1913, the SAP adds parlor car service between San Antonio and Corpus Christi and adds Pullman service on night trains between Waco and Corpus Christi.
The Davy Crockett also carries a San Antonio-Brownsville Pullman that travels beyond Corpus Christi on the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Railway. At this time the Houston-Brownsville StLB&M is a part of the St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco), which is controlled by Benjamin F. Yoakum. By coincidence, Yoakum had been the SAP's Traffic Manager when the SAP built its line from Kenedy to Houston in 1887-1888. The town of Yoakum is named for him.
Elsewhere, in a move that would have a big impact on the SAP, the San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf Railroad (SAU&G) lays about 200 miles of track south and west of San Antonio, terminating at Carrizzo Springs and at Uvalde. Its Official Guide entry contains the note: "Under construction to the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of 135 miles additional."
In 1923, Pullman service continues between San Antonio and Corpus Christi. Also, the SAP continues to run a day train and a night train between San Antonio and Houston, connecting with Corpus Christi trains at Kenedy, but the timetable omits any reference to Pullman service, and the name Davy Crockett is gone from the Official Guide. The SAP uses a rail bus built by Four Wheel Drive Auto Co. on the Kerrville branch. Despite these apparent cutbacks, the SAP operates service on all lines.
The SP runs day and night trains between Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio on SAP Giddings-Flatonia tracks, 38 miles.
By now the SAU&G, even though broke and in receivership, is competing between San Antonio and Corpus Christi with the SAP. It has taken over from the SAP the San Antonio-Brownsville Pullman service via the StLB&M. In addition, while the SAP timetable no longer promotes parlor cars on the two day trains between San Antonio and Corpus Christi, the SAU&G does provide parlor car service on the single day train that it ran between the two cities.
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Courtesy / San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway Passenger Operations
by Bill Roberts
In 1911, The San Antonio & Aransas Pass provides the same basic daytime service as it did twenty years earlier, except that Kerrville-San Antonio service is a separate train. All four day trains continue to cluster in Yoakum, the first arriving at 1:20 P.M. and the last leaving at 2:10 P.M.
Passengers between San Antonio and Corpus Christi have a choice of either morning or afternoon departures for the six-hour trip.
Pullman service is provided between San Antonio, Houston and Corpus Christi on the Davy Crockett, called "The Train That Is Always On Time." Its average speed is a restful twenty-four miles per hour. San Antonio travelers headed for Corpus Christi sleep on a siding at Kenedy from 12:30 A.M. to 5:00 A.M. until the westbound train from Houston arrives, drops off its Corpus Christi sleeping car, and hurries on to San Antonio. The cars from San Antonio and Houston are then coupled and hauled to Corpus Christi for arrival at 9:00 A.M.
The timetable notes obligingly that passengers on the Waco line can make better time to and from San Antonio by traveling by way of the GH&SA's Sunset Route for the Flatonia-San Antonio portion of their trip.
In 1913, the SAP adds parlor car service between San Antonio and Corpus Christi and adds Pullman service on night trains between Waco and Corpus Christi.
The Davy Crockett also carries a San Antonio-Brownsville Pullman that travels beyond Corpus Christi on the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Railway. At this time the Houston-Brownsville StLB&M is a part of the St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco), which is controlled by Benjamin F. Yoakum. By coincidence, Yoakum had been the SAP's Traffic Manager when the SAP built its line from Kenedy to Houston in 1887-1888. The town of Yoakum is named for him.
Elsewhere, in a move that would have a big impact on the SAP, the San Antonio, Uvalde & Gulf Railroad (SAU&G) lays about 200 miles of track south and west of San Antonio, terminating at Carrizzo Springs and at Uvalde. Its Official Guide entry contains the note: "Under construction to the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of 135 miles additional."
In 1923, Pullman service continues between San Antonio and Corpus Christi. Also, the SAP continues to run a day train and a night train between San Antonio and Houston, connecting with Corpus Christi trains at Kenedy, but the timetable omits any reference to Pullman service, and the name Davy Crockett is gone from the Official Guide. The SAP uses a rail bus built by Four Wheel Drive Auto Co. on the Kerrville branch. Despite these apparent cutbacks, the SAP operates service on all lines.
The SP runs day and night trains between Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio on SAP Giddings-Flatonia tracks, 38 miles.
By now the SAU&G, even though broke and in receivership, is competing between San Antonio and Corpus Christi with the SAP. It has taken over from the SAP the San Antonio-Brownsville Pullman service via the StLB&M. In addition, while the SAP timetable no longer promotes parlor cars on the two day trains between San Antonio and Corpus Christi, the SAU&G does provide parlor car service on the single day train that it ran between the two cities.
***********************
Courtesy / San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railway Passenger Operations
by Bill Roberts
Pride & Joy
Pride & Joy ....... of the rails between San Antonio & Corpus Christi was the train named after a popular frontiersman..... A tad more info on "The Davy Crockett Train" courtesy of txtransportationmuseum.org.
The last train of the day was the road's pride and joy, "The Davy Crockett" which carried standard sleeping cars for Houston and was advertised as the ""train that is always on time". No wonder since it maintained an average speed of 24 miles per hour. By splitting off cars at Kenedy, the "Davy Crockett" also became the night train to Corpus Christi, carrying a string of three tourist sleeping cars south of Kenedy: one from Houston, one from San Antonio, and a third from San Antonio to Rockport. The next morning's stop at Gregory, (8:05 a.m.) was important not only to separate the Rockport car, but also to provide breakfast for the passengers. The S.A.P. never operated a dining car.
The last train of the day was the road's pride and joy, "The Davy Crockett" which carried standard sleeping cars for Houston and was advertised as the ""train that is always on time". No wonder since it maintained an average speed of 24 miles per hour. By splitting off cars at Kenedy, the "Davy Crockett" also became the night train to Corpus Christi, carrying a string of three tourist sleeping cars south of Kenedy: one from Houston, one from San Antonio, and a third from San Antonio to Rockport. The next morning's stop at Gregory, (8:05 a.m.) was important not only to separate the Rockport car, but also to provide breakfast for the passengers. The S.A.P. never operated a dining car.