Saturday, August 1, 2026
commerce, Texas -- The 20th & final Cotton Belt Regional Railroad Symposium will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2026, in the Main Conference Room of the Sam Rayburn Student Center on the beautiful campus of East Texas A&M University (Commerce, TX 75428).
There is no cost to attend, and all are welcome.
Registration opens at 8:19am with the programs starting at ~9:05 a.m.
This event celebrates the legacy of ALL current and "Fallen Flag" railroads and railroad "families" of the Ark-La-Miss-Tex-oma's Cotton Belt Region. (Not just the Cotton Belt Railroad.)
Featured Presenters and topics this year include:
Gerald Hook, Russellville, AR – Late 19th Century Passenger Fares and Freight Rates – Stage Coach, Wagon, and Railroad
Dr. Jim L. Gattis, Springfield, MO – Helena, Railroads, and Geography Gone Wrong
Ken E. Stavinoha, Rosenberg, TX – Presidential Tours in Texas - 1891 to 1909
Tony Wilson, Winona, TX – Cotton Belt's Unique Identity 1944 to 1949
Randy Hees, Little Rock, AR – Motor Car, The Southwest Transportation Company, and the Eagle of the Rails
William Osborn, Austin, TX – The Rise and Demise of the Cotton Belt's Western Extremity
Dennis Hogan, Frisco, TX – A Cotton Belt Tribute: Historical Images of the SLSW
The 2026 event is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend, retired Cotton Belt & UP Conductor, and long-time symposium participant, Don L. Hollis (1952-2026).
Luncheon: RSVP is required for the Luncheon Meal (only) by noon on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 via our Symposium Luncheon Reservation Request form or RSVP to Jason.Davis@etamu.edu with your name and number of meals requested. There is no charge for the meal, but a prior reservation is required.
If you have railroad-related items of interest, please bring them to display. Ample display space will be available. Note that this event is not a swap-meet or sale. The room will be available for the set-up of artifacts and displays on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m.
We plan to live-stream the event again this year on Jason's YouTube Channel for those unable to attend in person. Monitor the Symposium's Facebook group for updates and links. The proceedings will be videotaped for historic preservation and entry into the Libraries' Collections and Digital Archives.
Presented by:
TAMUC Department of Engineering & Technology
TAMUC College of Science & Engineering
TAMUC Velma K. Waters Library Special Collections
Commerce Public Library
Visit the event website at www.CottonBeltRoute.com for additional event information, schedule, directions, lodging options, luncheon reservations, sponsorship opportunities, etc.
Many of us are members of the same groups, so you may likely receive this multiple times. My apologies for the necessary duplication to reach our full audience. If you know of someone, or some group, who is interested in the rail history of any line in the Ark-La-Miss-Tex-oma region and is not likely to receive this information, please pass it along. Thanks!
If you come in early for the Symposium and would like to socialize a bit, we will have an informal dinner gathering at Lu Lu's Burgers, 803 Culver St, in Commerce, at around 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 31.
See you in Commerce at the Symposium!
