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Index to the Annual Reports of Railroad Companies, 1859-1867, 1873-1885, 1890-1996

Initially, railroad companies submitted annual reports to the Texas Comptroller's Office. Upon creation of the Railroad Commission of Texas in 1891, the reports were submitted to the Railroad Commission. Reports continued to be submitted to the Comptroller's Office as well through 1894. Each report details the company's organization, operation, and financial condition.

The index includes the name of the railroad company submitting the report and the date of the report. In addition, the column labeled "Annotations" includes any Railroad Commission annotation from the front cover of the report that exceeded or modified the printed matter on the binding -- frequently the number of copies received. The annotation on class of railroad (1st, 2nd, 3rd) are noted from approximately 1922-1942; "Terminal" defines the type of company reporting. Federal and Corporate reports were required for one or two years, and the two identical entries are differentiated by the submission type. In 1916, the report period changed, and one report is the "June" and the other is the "December" report. Again, the designation differentiates the reports for the same railroad for the same year period. "Lessor" appears on the upper right hand corner of a number of smaller railroads that later were taken over by and reported through larger lines. Unless the name of the railroad included the "lessor of xxxx railroad" the only place where the "lessor" status could be determined was from the corner of the cover notation. Various reports have "for the period of" information where the report covers a time frame different from the normal reporting period. Call numbers for the reports are another item in the index entries. The "#" column signifies the alphabetical rank for a year for a company and "Form" reports the type of form used.

For more information about the Railroad Commission of Texas and the annual reporting process for railroad companies see the complete finding aid.