Texas Transportation Company
| Reporting mark | TXTC |
|---|---|
| Locale | San Antonio, Texas, United States |
| Dates of operation | 1897–2001 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 600 V DC, overhead trolley wire |
| Headquarters | San Antonio, Texas |
The Texas Transportation Company (reporting mark TXTC) was an electrified, Class III, short-line railroad in San Antonio, Texas, that operated from 1897 until 2001. It served the Pearl Brewery and several other businesses, moving carloads between those businesses and the Southern Pacific yard. Service ended on June 30, 2000, shortly before the Pabst Brewing Company closed the Pearl Brewery, in early 2001.
The Texas Transportation Company was founded in 1887 as a private company. It was chartered on September 24, 1897. It served more than 20 customers at its peak, including the Lone Star Brewing Company and the Pearl Brewery. Gross annual operating revenue in 1956 was $80,000. It was designated a Common Carrier in 1932.
By 1990, the 1.1-mile (1.8 km) line was one of only three "trolley freight" railroads still in operation in the United States, along with Iowa Traction Railroad and the East Troy Electric Railroad, but by that time, the Pearl Brewery was its sole remaining regular customer. Another customer, Samuel's Glass Company, called on TXTC to move a load of finished plate glass from its spur on Newell Street only "once in a great while". The railroad was operating on Mondays to Fridays as of 1990, with runs taking place at 6 a.m., 10 a.m. and, if needed, 2 p.m. The line included street running along Jones Street.
Little remains of the rails around the area as of 2015 following a huge renovation of the area in which apartments were built and many older buildings where knocked down. The line engine no. 2 is on abruptly ends at both directions. The northeast side ends at a road while the southwest is otherwise buried under a building but continues to reappear at roads and disappear buried under buildings until it reaches a river where what appears to be a rail bridge once was. Older rail lines and crossings can be seen around the area but also abruptly end. It is also unknown where engine no. 1 is located.
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