Finally, a railroad was built to Longview, twenty-five miles to the north. Later a railroad was constructed from Timpson to Carthage, which was eight miles southeast of Old Beckville. In 1884 the railroad at Longview was extended to a sawmill near Tatum, about nine miles northwest of town. The businessmen of Old Beckville began to talk about the advantages of being near a railroad. They realized that a track connecting these two lines would pass through, or near, their community on the Grand Bluff-Douglas Road.

Excitement ran high as the prospects of having a railroad through this area began to look favorable. The landowners on the proposed route through Old Beckville asked such high prices for their property that the railroad company refused to pay the price. It had been assumed that the railroad had to be straight.

Mr. Joe Biggs and Cy Marshall owned joining tracks of land about a mile and a half northwest of Old Beckville. When Mr. Briggs realized the plans for a railroad might not materialize due to the unreasonable price demanded for the right-of-way, he began to think of another plan. He bought Cy Marshall’s land and laid off a town site on the combined acreage, offered a right-of-way for the railroad, and every other block in the town site to the railroad company if the line passed through that location. This would involve putting a big curve in the roadbed. The railroad company accepted the offer and the track was laid. It was finished in early 1887. The first train came through the new town site in February 1887.

When the merchants of Old Beckville found out the train would miss their village, they began to plan to move nearer the new railway line. It was not long until Old Beckville was deserted. The railroad brought prosperity to the new town of Beckville and continues to serve the area in 1983.