BROWNSVILLE FLYER COULD AND SO COULD RAMIREZ CLAN

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

By the 1940s, most people in Brownsville and the Valley were familiar with the “Rattler” that made its way through the Valley on its way north. Many had seen and heard a train, but not everyone had were fortune to ride in one. That is, until the “Flyer” came to town.

Remember when you were a kid and your parents took you to the “Charro Days” carnival and it was then that you took your first little train ride. I am sure that at first you feared the unknown, but after seeing your parents on the sidelines waving at every turn, it was the ride of your life.

When Brownsville resident, Jose Ramirez, took his children on their first miniature train ride in 1947—the idea to built one that would permanently stay in Brownsville.

Ramirez and his two sons wasted no time in drawing plans, and with the aid of the Delta Machine Company, where the Ramirez’ were employed, they used their spare time to create a two-car deluxe streamliner miniature train, the “Flyer.”

After months of work, it was time to test the little engine. The train was entirely built by the Ramirez family, with the exception of the motor and the bell. “It took us a year to build the Flyer,” said Ramirez. And no, it was not suitable to climb a steep hill but rather to go in a circle as it pulled and pulled for as long as could.

After conducting several test runs, the home made train made the grade. “The little engine that could” was in operation and a huge success during the 1948 Charro Days Carnival. 

“It went over big,” said Ramirez. “The rail line was a 100 by 50 feet egg-shape yard— we didn’t  have enough room for all the children that wanted a ride.”

It was a family affair, as Rafael and Enrique served as engineers and Jose and his wife sold tickets. The “Flyer” became so popular that it inherited several names such as, “The Flying Express,” “The Super Chief,” “The Rio Grande Special” and others. The kids of then didn’t have to wait for the Charro Days carnival to come around for their next train ride—as “The Flyer,” located at Third and Southeast Elizabeth, made its daily runs year around.

The Ramirez Railroad Station became a permanent fixture and a favorite evening entertainment for the children of the city. The prices to ride the Express were nine cents for children, 12 cents for adults and/or three children’s tickets for 25 cents.

It was not an electric or steam engine that moved at blazing speeds, but a 10 horsepower gasoline motor that took only a couple of minutes to take you around the track. It was a ride that no child could resist—for most, I’m sure, was too short.

“The Little Rattler” rang its bell, a signal to “hold on”, as it traveled toward its next destination.
On a daily basis, it left every five minutes from its station on Elizabeth Street from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. and on Sundays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

A newspaper reporter wrote then, “Whenever you have an evening to spare, drop over and take a look at the “Flyer.” It’s a beautiful piece of work.”

Just like the tale, “The Little Engine That Could,” that continues to inspire children and adults—“The Flyer,” as a form of entertainment, it too had the same impact in creating lasting smiles to the generation of then.

The Ramirez family thought they could and they did!