This special 1987 episode of The Eyes of Texas focuses on railroads and the people who ride them. First, producers Bill Springer and Gary James ride the Copper Canyon Special from Lajitas to Topolobampo, located on the Mexican coast. Host Ron Stone then highlights the “Tex Mex Express”— taking border shoppers from Corpus Christi to Laredo—and the Texas State Railroad, a heritage railroad running from Rusk to Palestine. Produced by Houston's KPRC-TV from 1969 to 1993, The Eyes of Texas was a regional television program highlighting unique people, places, and events across the state. This episode aired on March 7, 1987.

Called "perhaps the most popular and revered news anchor the city [of Houston] has ever known" by the Houston Chronicle, Ron Stone was born in Hannah, Oklahoma on April 6, 1936. He began his career as a broadcaster in Ada, Oklahoma in the 1950s, working as a radio disc jockey and television news anchor. In 1961, Stone caught the attention of Houston newsman Dan Rather, who hired Stone as an anchor and reporter for KHOU-TV. In 1973, Stone moved to Houston's KPRC-TV, where he worked as a news anchor for 20 years. After retiring from television news in 1992, Stone formed his own production company, Stonefilms, Inc., with his son. In 1999, he took over hosting the regional television series The Eyes of Texas, which focused on unique people, places, and events across the state. Stone also authored several books on Texas history, including The Book of Texas Days, Disaster at Texas City, and Houston: Simply Spectacular. Stone died of cancer on May 13, 2008.

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