18th Annual Cotton Belt Regional Railroad Symposium in Commerce August 3

Saturday August 3, 2024

Commerce, Texas – The 18th annual Cotton Belt Regional Railroad Symposium will be held on Saturday, August 3, 2024 in the large conference room of the Sam Rayburn Student Center on the beautiful campus of Texas A&M University-Commerce (Commerce, TX 75428).

Registration opens at 8:19am, programs start at ~9:10am

This event celebrates the legacy of ALL current and “Fallen Flag” railroads and railroad “families” of the Ark-La-Miss-Tex-grandmothers Cotton Belt Region(Not just the Cotton Belt Railroad.)

Key speakers and topics this year include:

• Randy Hees, Little Rock, AR – St Louis Southwestern’s “local” wagons
• Dennis Hogan, Frisco, TX – Houston & Texas Central Nelleva-Mexia Cutoff
• Dennis Hogan, Frisco, TX – Ten Texas Teasers, Part 4
• Gerald Hook, Russellville, AR – Upcoming book: Mr. DeQueen and the KCS
• Ken E. Stavinoha, Rosenberg, TX – Their Rails Crossed at Wallis – A Study of the GC&SF and SA&AP Railroads in Southeast TX
• Tony Wilson, Winona, TX – The Demise of the BSM at Western Foundry

The 2024 event is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend, Symposium Planning Committee member, and musician, Thomas Bailey (1941-2024).

Participation is free and everyone is welcome.

Lunch: For the luncheon, an RSVP is required (only) by 12:00 noon on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. via our reservation site: https://secure.touchnet.com/C20206_ustores/web/store_main.jsp?STOREID=41 or RSVP to [email protected] with your name and the number of meals you would like. There is no charge for the meal thanks to the generosity of our sponsor, Dr. Andrea Graham, Dean of the College of Science & Engineering, but advance reservations are required.

If you have any interesting items related to railroads, please bring them along for display. There is ample display space available. Please remember that this event is not a swap meet or sale. Please note that as of this year, we will no longer have access to the conference room on Friday for set-up. The space will be available for display set-up on Saturday morning at 8:00 am.

We plan to live stream the event again this year on Jason’s YouTube Channel for those who cannot attend in person. Please keep an eye on the symposium Facebook group for updates and links. The proceedings will be videotaped for historical preservation and inclusion in the libraries’ collections and digital archives.

Presented by:

TAMUC Engineering & Technology Department

TAMUC College of Science and Technology

TAMUC Velma K. Waters Library Special Collections

Public Library Trade

We would like to express our gratitude to our valued sponsors:
Luncheon Sponsor: A&M Commerce College of Science & Engineering, Dr. Andrea Graham, dean
Gold Spike Sponsor: Stephen & Marinelle Morrow
Iron Spice Sponsor: Ira Glen Williams
Supporting sponsor: Bettina Zvanut

Visit the event website at www.CottonBeltRoute.com for additional information about the event, schedule, directions, lodging options, lunch reservations, sponsorship opportunities, etc.

If you know of someone or a group interested in the railroad history of a line in the Ark-La-Miss-Tex-Grandma area and are unlikely to receive this information, please pass it along. Thanks!

If you would like to present a regional railroad-related topic at a future symposium, please contact me at [email protected].

If you arrive early for the symposium and would like to socialize a bit, we will organize an informal dinner at Lu Lu’s Burgers, 803 Culver St, in Commerce, around 6:00 p.m. on Friday, August 2.

See you at Commerce at the Symposium!