Crosbyton-Southplains Railroad
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad |
| Founded | April 6, 1910 |
| Founder | Julian M. Bassett, Roger M. Bassett, William D. Petzel, Joseph C. Johnson, Avery Coonley, John S. Coonley, Prentiss L. Coonley |
| Defunct | 1948 |
| Fate | Sold off after merger of Panhandle and Santa Fe Railroad into Santa Fe Railway |
| Headquarters | Crosbyton, Texas (until 1916), then Lubbock, Texas , United States |
Area served | Texas (Crosbyton to Lubbock) |
Key people | E. P. Ripley (AT&SF President, board member after 1915) |
| Products | Rail transport services |
| Parent | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (from 1915) |
The Crosbyton-South Plains Railroad, which was also referred to as the South Plains and Santa Fe Railroad, operated a rail line connecting Crosbyton, Texas and Lubbock, Texas from 1910 until 1948.
History
Incorporated on April 6, 1910, with an initial funding of $150,000, the first board of directors comprised Julian M. Bassett, Roger M. Bassett, William D. Petzel, and Joseph C. Johnson from Crosbyton; Avery Coonley from Riverside, Illinois; along with John S. and Prentiss L. Coonley of Chicago. The company intended to construct two routes totaling 120 miles: one linking Crosbyton to Lubbock and the other connecting Crosbyton to Plainview. Ultimately, only the Crosbyton-to-Lubbock segment was finished by early 1911, featuring 38.4 miles of mainline track plus an additional 5.2 miles of yard and siding tracks. The inaugural journey occurred on April 10, 1911, serving communities such as Ralls, Texas, Lorenzo, Texas, and Idalou, Texas. At its operational height, the railroad maintained a single steam locomotive alongside two passenger cars and two freight cars.
In 1912, the Railroad Commission required the establishment of a depot facility in Ralls.
On August 1, 1915, ownership transferred to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF), which rebranded it as the South Plains and Santa Fe Railroad in August 1916 and shifted the company’s headquarters to Lubbock. The board at that time included AT&SF President E. P. Ripley.
Beginning July 1, 1917, the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railroad leased this line along with other AT&SF properties. The railroad continued operations until 1948 when Panhandle merged into the Santa Fe Railway; following this merger, the South Plains assets were sold off, marking the end of the original railroad’s activities.
In January 1990, the line was purchased by the Crosbyton Railroad but ceased functioning within a year due to lack of sufficient demand.
Currently, some traces remain near Lubbock—the mainline track still connects to Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway routes—although most of the original infrastructure has vanished.