UNION PACIFIC
RAILROAD and
SMITHVILLE, TEXAS
The two words Smithville and railroads are synonymous. Smithville has been a railroad town almost since its beginning. For many years the MKT (Missouri, Kansas, Texas) also known as the KATY has been a part of the fabric of Smithville. Smithville had the largest Katy yard between Houston and Waco. With a large depot, shops, and a turntable the Katy was the major employer of Smithville. When you met someone from Smithville it was almost a sure bet that they worked for the railroad. Sometime in the 1980s the MKT was bought out by the Union Pacific Railroad, now Smithville is a UP town. The Katy may not be here any more but Smithville is still very much a railroad town. To live here you either have to like the railroad or leave town because it is so much a part of this town. I am sure that there has been volumes written about the Katy and for that matter the UP, but when I did an Internet search for both Katy and Smithville, and UP and Smithville I came up with very little. It was almost like Smithville did not exist. Smithville is not a very big town with a population of only about four thousand, with practically no industry at all. The railroad is the major employer. The downtown area that was once bustling with small businesses such as grocery, drug, dry good stores, etc. is now a hodgepodge of antique shops. There is only one grocery store, three gas stations, and a few mom and pop businesses. We have two traffic lights so the five O'clock rush hour is really not a rush at all. In spite of the lack of amenities Smithville is still a really great place to live. We are situated right on the Colorado River in the Colorado Valley about 40 miles from the State Capital of Austin. With lots of lush green grass and beautiful trees.
When I moved here I built my house on two lots only about a block from the railroad. I did this full well knowing that about twenty or so trains came by each day. When you live in Smithville, no matter where you live it will not be to far from the railroad, because the railroad and the rail yards cut right through the middle of the town. As I said above when you live here you have to like the railroad because you can't get away from it. The only way to get away is to move from town. Being in close proximity to the railroad when I built my house I not only double insulated my walls but I also used some soundproofing as well. The walls of my house are a foot thick. I can still hear the trains from inside my home but they do not disturb conversation with others in the house, nor do they ever wake me when I am sleeping.
The pictures below were taken in and around the Union Pacific Smithville yards.
|
