Tomball Train Depot
Tomball is celebrating its Centennial and how appropriate that after relocation and renovation this was the year that the Tomball Depot was dedicated to once again rest beside the tracks. When the first freight train came to Tomball back in 1907, the town was named Peck. By the end of that year the town's name was changed to Tom Ball in honor of Thomas Henry Ball an attorney for the Trinity & Brazos Railroad who was instrumental in convincing administrators to place the line where they did.
At one time the city's spelling was even Tom Ball but somewhere in the town's history it became one word, Tomball. Tomball was primarily a German farming community before the railroad came to town. The railroad facility helped to enable the 
economic prosperity of the area. The town's growth really took off when a maintenance facility used to repair steam engines was located in Tomball. Initially it was going to go about 2 to 3 miles south of Tomball but the Tomball location was decided upon because that was the beginning of the flat land. As you go north to Zion the land starts to become hilly.
When the first freight train entered on January 27th, 1907 the terminal included the depot with a freight station, two section houses, telegraph office, water station, four stock pens and a five stall roundhouse. In March of 1907 the first passenger train passed through.
The Tomball Depot was without a home for quite a number of years. Through the generosity of Burlington Northern Railroad, Jerry Eversole Harris County Precinct #4 Commissioner and A-1 House Moving Company it was saved and moved to Burroughs Park on Feb. 2,1993. It was returned to the city in 2002. In 2005 it was placed one block south of Main Street on Elm St. close to the tracks
. This is not the exact location where it stood when it was a working depot but fairly close. Many groups were involved in the revitalization from the local citizens who fought to save it in the early 1990's to the contractors who most recently finished the revitalization.
The Depot has been refurbished both in and out. The interior restoration includes a ticket office and waiting room along with the largest room in the building that was used for baggage handling, shipping and receiving. The exterior color is painted a yellow gold color which closely resembles the original color of the depot. An exterior deck surrounds the Depot and a restored caboose from the Depot's era resides beside the Depot.
On January 27th, 2007 the Tomball Depot was re-opened and dedicated by the Tomball City Council. The celebration took place during the Centennial Day's Train Days celebration. The train Depot is serving as the official headquarters during the 2007 Tomball Centennial Celebration. The Depot is open at certain days of the week to sale Tomball Centennial keepsakes.
The city is in the process of purchasing land next to the Depot so it will be interesting to see what they have in mind for the Depot after the Centennial year celebration.
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