I'm trying to remember how old I was—and how disappointed, as well—when I first realized that the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (the Frisco) never made it to San Francisco. Buried in the names of many a fallen flag are, I am sure, story after story of dreams that turned to dust and grandiose plans which never quite came true. But perhaps in no case were more such stories ever condensed into a single railroad than you will find here. The Waco, Beaumont, Trinity and Sabine Railway Company never made it to Waco. Its tracks never reached Beaumont. No train of the company ever crossed the Sabine River. And it entered Trinity over rails purchased from another company.

The W. B. T. & S. was chartered as the great railroad boom was rapidly winding down. While it received the regulatory approval to build into its namesake terminals, the necessary financing never materialized. Then came the Great Depression, which the fledgling company was unable to withstand. The company entered bankruptcy and receivership in 1930 and all hopes of expansion were soon gone.

The railway gamely struggled on for many years. In 1938, it was providing this six-day-a-week passenger service between Trinity, Livingston and Weldon. It would appear, though, that only those who were truly hard up for a ride availed themselves of this service—and we have an eloquent commentary on its quality from the few who did. It was said by the passengers of the day that "W. B. T. & S." stood for "Wobble, Bobble, Turnover and Stop!"

Read a condensed history of the W. B. T. & S. at the Handbook of Texas Online (opens in a new window).

As a teenager in the early '80s I used to go exploring—okay, trespassing—in the old Houston Union Station (now Minute Maid Park) and the now-shuttered Ben Milam Hotel across the street from it. The Ben Milam apparently had been the location of the W. B. T. & S. receiver's office before final liquidation, and the hotel had some displays telling the history of the railroad and a few of its artifacts. Everything is gone now, of course, but I do believe that I will always carry a bit of a soft spot for the old Wobble, Bobble, Turnover & Stop.