{"nrhp_refnum":"77001442","name":"Quitaque Railway Tunnel","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"10 mi. SW of Quitaque","address_restricted":false,"city":"Quitaque","county":"Floyd County","state":"TX","lat":34.24292964400007,"lon":-101.12190096799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-09-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A railway tunnel about 10 miles southwest of Quitaque, Floyd County, Texas, cut through a finger of the Caprock Escarpment in lower Quitaque Creek Canyon. It was built for the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad and finished in 1930.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as one of the few remaining functioning railroad tunnels in Texas. It was bored almost 500 feet through sandstone by immigrant crews, which is considered unusual. It was also restored after a major 1973 derailment collapse and returned to service in 1975.","narrative":"Cut through a jutting finger of the Caprock Escarpment in lower Quitaque Creek Canyon, this railway tunnel lies about 10 miles southwest of Quitaque in Floyd County, Texas. Workers, including Irish and Swedish immigrants, drilled and blasted nearly 500 feet of sandstone, and mules pulled small mining cars to haul away the rubble. The Fort Worth and Denver Railroad planned a branch from Estelline to Lubbock in 1927 to ship agricultural products, and the tunnel and line entered use in 1930. A second tunnel nearby collapsed in 1968 after a derailment. In 1973 a ninety-three car freight train derailed inside this one and caused a major collapse. Rather than open the whole tunnel to the sky, the railroad cleared it, laid heavier rails and installed new wooden bracing, shortening it slightly. Service resumed in early 1975. Trains still run through twice daily, and it is described as one of the few remaining railroad tunnels in Texas.","period_of_significance":"1927","architect_builder":"Fort Worth and Denver Railroad","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"In use by Fort Worth and Denver trains, twice daily between Childress and Lubbock; restored and well maintained, with condition rated excellent and altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.609818-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/9719/40971964/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/77001442.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971964","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quitaque_Railway_Tunnel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55887798"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/floyd-county/quitaque-railway-tunnel-77001442/"}