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New York, Texas and Mexican Railway

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Map of Southern Texas showing a railroad route between Brownsville and Richmond in red
Telfener's 1881 map of the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway

The New York, Texas and Mexican Railway Company was a railroad business chartered in 1880 to connect New York City with Mexico City with the initial tracks laid in Texas (1880-1905).[1] Known colloquially as The Macaroni Line,[2] it was established by Joseph Telfener, an Italian engineer and financier.[3][4]

The company issued stock and sought land grants but violated an agreement on its starting point. State law was subsequently changed to eliminate land grants to railroad and canal builders and the railroad passed to Telfener's brother-in-law. In 1905 it was merged with Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway Company.[1]

John W. Mackay helped finance the project. He and Telfener named its first six stations (Mackay, Telferner(sic), Hungerford, Edna, Inez, and Louise) after themselves and their family members. A historical marker in Hungerford commemorates the line.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b TSHA | New York, Texas and Mexican Railway. www.tshaonline.org.
  2. ^ The History of a South Texas Railroad and the Italian Count Who Built It. Texas History Trust (Video). Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  3. ^ New York, Texas and Mexican Railway Company. "A Guide to the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway Company Records". legacy.lib.utexas.edu.
  4. ^ Rayburn, John C. (1964). "Count Joseph Telfener and the New York, Texas, and Mexican Railway Company". The Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 68 (1): 29–42 – via JSTOR.
  5. ^ "Texas Historical Marker - New York, Texas & Mexican Railroad". www.stxmaps.com.