Alexander Acheson, obituary c. December 1926
[Dallas Morning News]
 
 
 
 
  Source: "Death Claims A. M. Acheson", Dallas Morning News, December 30, 1926, p. 2.
 
     
     
 

Death Claims A. M. Acheson
Official of Trinity & Sabine Railroad Dies at His Dallas Home.

 
     
 

A. M. Acheson, 68, vice president and chief engineer of the Waco, Beaumont, Trinity & Sabine Railroad died at his home, 3820 Congress Avenue, early Wednesday morning. For many years he had been identified with railway development in Texas and other States.

Funeral services will be held at 10 o'clock at the residence. Dr. T.O. Perrin, pastor of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, will officiate. A special interurban car will bear the body to Denison for burial. Brief services will be held at the Fairview Cemetery in Denison. The car will leave Dallas about 11:45 a. m. and will reach Denison about 2:30 pm.

Mr. Acheson was born at Washington, Pa. on July 20, 1858, the son of a family in which were many notable men. His parents were Scotch-Irish Presbyterian, both his father and mother being natives of Pennsylvania. He was educated in the public schools and Washington and Jefferson College.

In 1880 he entered the railway service as a rodman for the Lake Erie & Western. From 1881 until 1883 he was a levelman for the New York, West Shore & Buffalo. Both of these properties are now part of the New York Central lines. In 1883 he became a transitman for the Pennsylvania System, continuing in this capacity for two years. Then he was engaged in surveys for projected railroads for two years, at the end of which time he became assistant engineer for the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba. After two years service in this position he became assistant engineer at Denison and Dallas for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas of Texas and after holding that position for eleven years he became resident engineer for the M-K-T of Texas in Dallas. His marriage to Miss Alice Brown Hanna of Denison was soleminized in 1894.

In 1906 he became dividison superintendent for the Katy. He served in that capacity for three years and then was made chief engineer fo then was made chief engineer of the M-K-T of Texas. In 1913 he was made chief engineer of operation for the Katy system and the following year became chief engineer of the system. From 1915 to 1923 he was divison superintendant for the Katy at Trinity. Upon the sale of the East Texas properties of the Katy and their formation into the Waco, Beaumont, Trinity & Sabine Railroad, he became chief engineer of that line.

As an engineer for the Katy and W.B.T. & S. Railway Mr. Acheson was instrumental in much constructive work, especially the Katy yards at Denison, Dallas and the Belle Mead yards at Waco and the main line from Smithville to Houston. He was on the locating committee of the Dallas Union Terminal. Mr. Atcheson was long convinced of the need for another line from North and Central Texas to East Texas and completed several such surveys both for the Katy and W.B.T. & S.

At the time of his death Mr. Atcheson was Republican county chairman for Trinity County. He was a Presbyterian, a Mason and a member of Phi Kappa Psi college fraternity. He was a charter member of Pentagon Lodge no. 1089, A.F. & A.M.

Surviving are his wife, two sons, A. M. Atcheson Jr. and Sam H. Acheson; a brother, Val C. Acheson; five sisters, Misses, Margaret, Grace, Nellie and Mary Acheson of Washington, Pa.; and Mrs. Madeline Rich of Oil City, Pa.

 
     
     
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Text and images were digitized and proofread from the original source documents by Murry Hammond. Contact Murry for all corrections and contributions of new material.