Index to the Annual Reports of Railroad Companies,
1859-1867, 1873-1885, 1890-1996
Initially, railroad companies submitted annual reports to the
Texas Comptroller's Office. Upon creation of the Railroad Commission
of Texas in 1891, the reports were submitted to the Railroad Commission.
Reports continued to be submitted to the Comptroller's Office as
well through 1894. Each report details the company's organization,
operation, and financial condition.
The index includes the name of the railroad company submitting
the report and the date of the report. In addition, the column labeled
"Annotations" includes any Railroad Commission annotation
from the front cover of the report that exceeded or modified the
printed matter on the binding -- frequently the number of copies
received. The annotation on class of railroad (1st, 2nd, 3rd) are
noted from approximately 1922-1942; "Terminal" defines the type
of company reporting. Federal and Corporate reports were required
for one or two years, and the two identical entries are differentiated
by the submission type. In 1916, the report period changed, and
one report is the "June" and the other is the "December" report.
Again, the designation differentiates the reports for the same railroad
for the same year period. "Lessor" appears on the upper right hand
corner of a number of smaller railroads that later were taken over
by and reported through larger lines. Unless the name of the railroad
included the "lessor of xxxx railroad" the only place where the
"lessor" status could be determined was from the corner of the cover
notation. Various reports have "for the period of" information where
the report covers a time frame different from the normal reporting
period. Call numbers for the reports are another item in the index
entries. The "#" column signifies the alphabetical rank
for a year for a company and "Form" reports the type of
form used.
For more information about the Railroad Commission of Texas and
the annual reporting process for railroad companies see the complete
finding aid.
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