The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway was an important Texas transportation artery. Nicknamed the “Boll Weevil” for special trains that roared down its tracks carrying men to Boll Weevil Conferences during turn-of-the-century alarm over pests attacking cotton and the economy, it was also called the “Turnip and Bean Vine.” The T. and B.V. was founded by investor-statesman Col. Edward M. House, known for his national political power as an advisor to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. House’s associates included Frank Andrews, formerly Assistant Attorney General of Texas; Robert H. Baker, a statesman and insurance executive; and Benjamin F. Yoakum, a lifetime railroad man and agriculturist. Built from 1902 to 1907 from Houston to Cleburne, and aided by special trackage arrangements, the road became a short-cut hauler from Galveston to Fort Worth and Dallas. It introduced diesel passenger streamliners to Texas and belonged to the Burlington-Rock Island complex during most of its first 60 years of service. Texas reached a peak of 17,078 miles of railroads in 1933. Trains still held respected roles in freight hauling, but the era when families regulated their clocks by the passage of the “Boll Weevil” or another train largely passed into warmly cherished history.