The Denison, Bonham and New Orleans Railroad (DB&NO) was a standard gauge US shortline railroad located in North Texas. It was nicknamed "Nellie".^[1] The DB&NO operated from Bonham Junction on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway (MK&T) east of Denison, Texas, to a connection with the Texas and Pacific Railway in Bonham, Texas. The DB&NO was initially operated and later leased by the MK&T, but was spun off in 1923 as part of that company's reorganization. It was purchased in 1925 by a group of Bonham citizens and ceased operations in 1928.

The Denison, Bonham and New Orleans Railroad Company (DB&NO) was chartered on January, 24, 1901, to build from Denison Texas, to Bonham and Wolfe City, using the right-of-way and partially completed roadbed of the Denison, Bonham and New Orleans Railway. This company had been chartered on January 19, 1887, to build a line from Denison Junction to Charleston in Delta County, Texas, and had initiated construction in the Denison area, but folded in 1888 before laying track.^[1][2][3] Capital stock of the new company was $100,000 (equivalent to $3,870,000 in 2025).^[1]

The DB&NO Railroad was backed by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway of Texas^[a] (MK&T) and was built by an MK&T subsidiary which was paid in DB&NO stocks and bonds.^[2] The MK&T already had a terminal in Denison and a line extending east to Greenville. Instead of using the entire 1887 grade into Denison, a junction was built on the MK&T about 5 miles (8 km) east of Denison and a new grade about 2 miles (3 km) long was built eastward to a point on the partially completed 1887 grade, thereby reducing the length of the DB&NO and its construction cost. The new junction was named Bonham Junction but became known as "Bona".^[3]

In 1901, 24 miles (39 km) of track between Bonham Junction and Bonham was completed, and the MK&T began operating the line.^[1][2] Stations were located at Ambrose and Ravenna.^[1] The main line was never extended to Wolfe City. On January 27, 1907, the company's charter was amended to include a proposed branch line from Ravenna to Gilmer, Texas, but it was never built.^[2] In 1910, the unused 1887 grade into Denison was sold to the Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway of Texas^[a] (MO&G); the old alignment met the DB&NO about 2 miles (3 km) southwest of Carpenter's Bluff, where the MO&G would build a bridge over the Red River to connect to the MO&G system north of the river in Oklahoma. A junction was built where the new MO&G alignment curved away to the north; as a condition of the sale, the DB&NO obtained trackage rights over the MO&G into Denison, but it is unknown whether this privilege was ever exercised.^[3] On May 1, 1914, the MK&T leased the DB&NO outright.^[2]

On April 1, 1923, the MK&T reorganized and spun off the DB&NO along with six other Texas subsidiaries; MK&T operations ceased and the DB&NO went into receivership.^[1][4] On February 6, 1925,^[1] the DB&NO was purchased out of receivership by a group of Bonham citizens for $75,000 (equivalent to $1,377,000 in 2025), consisting of $5,000 in cash and the remainder as a promissory note.^[5] The new owners obtained two locomotives and one freight car, hauling corn, cotton, cottonseed meal, watermelons, potatoes, and peanuts.^[1] The owners were only able to pay back $17,000 of the promissory note, and operations ceased permanently when the Interstate Commerce Commission approved the line's abandonment on November 30, 1928.^[1][5]

• Reed, S.G. (1941). A History of the Texas Railroads (2nd ed.). Houston, Texas: St. Clair Publishing Company.

• The Truman Area Community Network – Corporate History: Missouri Kansas & Texas Railway – Denison, Bonham and New Orleans Railroad Company "This corporate history does not include the reorganization of 1923 and subsequent corporate changes."
• Herald Democrat, 2006-07-30 Historical events in Grayson County, as recorded in “History of Grayson County Texas by Grayson County Frontier Village”: “Ambrose, Texas History,” by Mrs. Tony Pace and Mrs. Ruth Whitlock