How Bruce Blalock, who owns and operates the Katy House B&B in Smithville, came to own the original and only full-size original blueprints of the San Antonio MK&T station in San Antonio is an amazing tale. A friend of his happened to be passing Katy's main offices in Denton, Texas, in 1988, when they were being ruthlessly cleared out following the sale of the railroad to the Union Pacific. Stuff Katy enthusiasts would pay dearly for today was being dropped into dumpsters via large plastic chutes installed at various upper-floor windows. Bruce's friend was able to simply walk through the chaotic scene, helping himself, almost at random, to anything he could see. One of the things he saved were these original drawings made by the architect in 1914. No other copies are known to exist. Before it was learned in a casual conversation that Bruce had them, a thorough search of historical and architectural archives in three cities yielded nothing.

In 1966, the museum acquired a lot of rolling stock from the KATY yard, not all of it ex-MKT. The Santa Fe Cafe Observation Car 1511 would have a much better fate than its sister car, #1510, which was unceremoniously scrapped. After being put in service on main lines for TTM excursions (see also the Missouri Pacific page) it was transferred to the Texas State Railroad that runs between Rusk and Palestine. Caboose 835 was also sold and has just recently re-emerged in the hands of Bruce Blalock. The Clover Glade was kept for only a few years and never made it to our "new" site. Santa Fe Business Car 404, of course, did make it here and has been with us since our earliest day at our current location. (We've been here over 30 years but started off down town at the Pearl Brewery.) The McKeever has been with us a good long time as well, after fifteen years or so at a place on Lake Placid, near Seguin. Those were strange days. The railroads were desperate to get rid of their passenger cars. What vandals and scrap yards did not get to, time and weather have and much of what is out there is not worth having.

The Missouri, Kansas and Texas in San Antonio Timeline

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1852

The Union Pacific (Southern Branch) is formed. (There is no connection with the other Union Pacific building towards California.

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1870

The railroad is re-named Missouri, Kansas & Texas

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1872

The MK&T crosses the Red River and becomes the first railroad to build into Texas, creating much improved connections with the north and decreasing the state's reliance on its sea ports.

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1880

The MK&T is leased to the Missouri Pacific (MOPAC). It is run as the Kansas-Texas Division and gains the nickname "The KT (KATY)" which sticks.

1881

Katy passengers get through car service to San Antonio when their cars are attached to International & Great Northern trains, also run by MOPAC, arriving at the I&GN station

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1887

MK&T builds tracks into San Marcos from Lockhart with connections to the north and Houston

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1891

MK&T regains its independence from MOPAC

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1901

The MK&T builds its own line into San Antonio from San Marcos. It shares Sunset Station with the Southern Pacific. The depot is renamed "Union Station"

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1915

MK&T introduces the "Texas Special as its premium fast train between San Antonio and St. Louis, Missouri.

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1917

MK&T opens its own grand station, a terminus actually, at the corner of South Flores and Durango, now called Cesar Chavez Boulevard

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1924

The Pullman McKeever enters service. It runs frequently from the Katy Station in San Antonio all the way to New York.

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1953

The last steam trains are phased out and all MK&T locomotives are diesel-electrics. The company adopts a bright red paint scheme.

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1963

Railroad enthusiasts meet with city leaders at the MK&T station to discuss the formation of a railroad museum. The Texas Transportation Museum is the result. Hopes for it to operate out of the station never come to fruition.

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1984

The "Texas Special" makes its last run.

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1965

All Katy passenger trains cease out of San Antonio. The passenger station is closed but the nearby freight depot stays open,

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1969

The MK&T passenger station, in poor condition and lacking any buyer, is torn down

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1988

The Katy is purchased outright by the Union Pacific which had merged with MOPAC in 1980. The freight depot and yard are closed, the tracks removed and the land sold.