Big Sandy Texas

The City of Big Sandy is located in Upper East Texas in southwestern Upshur County at the intersection of U.S. Highway 80 and Texas State Highway 155. It lies 21 miles northeast of Tyler, and west of Gladewater and Longview. The City is 15 miles southwest of Gilmer, the Upshur County seat. It was established shortly after the Civil War, named after the nearby Big Sandy Creek, and in 1926 the settlement was incorporated as Big Sandy.

U.S. Highway 80 (Broadway Avenue), the main thoroughfare through town, runs across Big Sandy Lake west of downtown. The Sabine River flows just south of Big Sandy. The Big Sandy Museum is located on East Gilmer Street downtown near The Heritage Center, the Big Sandy Fire Department and the Big Sandy Community Center.

Local residents and visitors from around East Texas are big fans of Circle M Crawfish in Big Sandy, on Highway 155 just south of U.S. 80. They've been selling live and boiled crawfish for over two decades. The facility includes a restaurant, and its menu features crawfish, shrimp, alligator, boudin, along with choice steaks and other items. Live music is often featured Thursday-Saturday evenings with a family friendly atmosphere. Phone 903.636.9199.

Needlecraft has also been an important industry in Big Sandy over the years. In the late 1970s, local residents Jerry Gentry and Annie Potter began a mail-order business from their home in Big Sandy and called it Annie's Attic. The business grew rapidly into a multimillion-dollar enterprise, publishing magazines and catalogs for needlecraft enthusiasts. After the couple divorced in the early 1980s, Annie continued to preside over Annie's Attic, while Jerry launched a near-replicate business called The Needlecraft Shop, also in Big Sandy. By the 1990s, both businesses had been purchased in separate transactions by Dynamic Resource Group & (DRG), a publishing company in Berne, Indiana. DRG management moved both companies' operations to Indiana. Before doing so it established a new company, Strategic Fullfillment Group (SFG), on the southwest edge of Big Sandy. SFG, which handles mailing and subscription fulfillment for DRG and other clients, is now Big Sandy's and Upshur County's largest employer.

Because of the frequent and varied railroad traffic, Big Sandy has become a popular location for railfans. Railroad activity is even streamed on the Internet via the VirtualRailFan webcam in Big Sandy.

	City of Big Sandy Texas - Website The Big Sandy City Hall can be reached at phone 903.636.4343. City of Big Sandy Texas - Facebook Upshur County Texas Big Sandy Independent School District
Population	In 2020, Big Sandy had a population of 1,231 residents
Area Code	903
Zip Code	75755

Interactive Map of Big Sandy (courtesy of Google)

 

Railroading in Big Sandy

The settlement was first known as Big Sandy Switch because the Texas and Pacific (T&P) Railway intersected there with a narrow-gauge railroad called the Tyler Tap.

The St. Louis Southwestern Railway (The Cotton Belt Route) ran along a basic north-south orientation, from Mount Pleasant to Tyler, while the T&P ran east-west through Big Sandy from Dallas to Shreveport.

Today, up to 32 trains from the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad pass through Big Sandy daily. It lies at the intersection of the Corsicana Subdivsion, Mineola Subdivision and the Pine Bluff Subdivision. Two Amtrak Texas Eagle passenger trains pass through the city daily, the westbound train #21 in the morning and the eastbound train #22 in late afternoon. The closest stops for Amtrak are Mineola and Longview. Big Sandy is also a crew change point for the Union Pacific.

Vintage postcard of the Texas & Pacific Railway Depot in Big Sandy

 

UP Big Boy

On September 17, 2024, the city hosted a whistle stop for Union Pacific's UP 4014 "Big Boy" steam excursion as part of its "Heartland of America Tour". The event was attended by thousands from all over Texas and neighboring states, and streamed to more on the Internet via the VirtualRailFan webcam in Big Sandy.

Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the frames of the Big Boys were "hinged," or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which meant they had four wheels on the leading set of "pilot" wheels which guided the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers, and four wheels following which supported the rear of the locomotive. The massive engines normally operated between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Big Boy No. 4014 was delivered to Union Pacific in December 1941. The locomotive was retired in December 1961, having traveled 1,031,205 miles in its 20 years in service. Union Pacific reacquired No. 4014 from the RailGiants Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013, and relocated it back to Cheyenne to begin a multi-year restoration process. It returned to service in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad's Completion.

Big Boy No. 4014 arrives in Big Sandy

Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 in Texas on the Heartland of America Tour

The "helper" engine ... Union Pacific 4015, a EMD SD70M diesel for backup power and dynamic braking It is painted in a heritage livery with an anti-skid/anti-glare green nose and silver trucks, paying homage to the paint scheme on earlier E9s 949, 951, and 963B. "Under Warranty".

Map of Upper East Texas with the Location of Big Sandy

Travel Information for the Big Sandy Area

Visiting the Big Sandy area? Find the best deal, compare prices, make reservations and read what other travelers have to say about hotels, restaurants and things to do in/near Big Sandy Click here to find the best deal, compare prices, make reservations, and read what other travelers have to say about hotels in Gilmer Find the best deal, compare prices, make reservations, and read what other travelers have to say about the 34 hotel properties in Longview

Other East Texas Cities and Attractions

While visiting the Big Sandy area, you may want to take other interesting day trips in several directions:

Kaleidoscope Ranch is a breathtaking 60-acre ranch in East Texas north of Big Sandy at 1936 Silver Maple Road. The Ranch provides the perfect escape from the daily routine, allowing visitors time to reconnect with family, take photos with cute animals, and even gather your own eggs from our chickens each morning! The Ranch has four cabins currently available to rent. Included is a fully equipped kitchen with everything you need to cook and dine. Linens and towels are provided. Family room with TV, DVD player, DVDs, games, and books. While renting a cabin at the Ranch, visitors can hike with a herd of miniature donkeys, feed camels a snack, or brush the shire draft horses' flowing manes. For detailed information and reservations, phone 903.347.2747, and visit the ... Website of the Kaleidoscope Ranch and Kaleidoscope Ranch on Facebook