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The gallery is where you will
begin your tour. There is an eight-minute film that gives an
overview of the eight railroads that once traversed Fort Bend County.
Artifacts and photos from these railroads are exhibited there, as well
as historic photos from the area. There are some great images of
the December 1924 snowfall, and an image of a train literally blown off
the tracks by the
1900 hurricane. There are objects used by employees in the depots,
in the railyards, and along the tracks, as well as job titles and
descriptions of many long-gone occupations. We also have
photographs of nearly every depot that served Fort Bend County.
There are also buttons, badges, tools, lamps, lanterns, china and
flatware, locks and keys, brochures and timetables - and so much more.
The exhibits are educational and informative. Did you know there
weren't always time zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific)?
Before 1883, each town had it's own time based on when the sun was
thought to be directly overhead - 12:00 noon. Two towns a few
miles apart may have local times that differed by 20 minutes or more.
Today, imagine going to the airport and each airline has its own time -
how could you make connecting flights? That's exactly what it was
like going to a large union station prior to 1883 - each railroad had
its own time based on where the home office was located. Come and
see how this situation was resolved by the railroads (the U.S.
government didn't officially get on board for 35 years).
We also have a nice gift shop, where you can pick up that special item
for yourself, or the perfect gift! When you complete your gallery
tour, there's much more to see - Tower 17, the Quebec railcar, a Garden
Railroad, and the HO layout at Education Station. Have a look at the additional web
pages to get a peek.
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