Once Upon a Texas Train

The film opens with a train robbery in Texas, but a group of Texas Rangers waits and stops the robbers. The Rangers' intervention marks their ongoing vendetta against John Henry Lee. This event sets the stage for a pursuit that spans twenty years.

John Henry Lee is released on parole for good behavior after two decades behind bars. His freedom collapses quickly into a new crime when he and his brother Charlie decide to pull off a bank robbery. The Del Rio heist nets them a fortune of 20 million dollars in gold.

On the same day as his parole, John Henry and Charlie pull off the Del Rio bank robbery to steal the gold. The heist directly challenges Captain Oren Hayes, who arrested John before and seeks revenge. The heist replays the old feud with higher stakes.

Captain Oren Hayes vows revenge and begins chasing the old gang with a squad of retired Texas Rangers. He threads the plan by recruiting them through telegrams, using the code-word Brazos to signal action. The team is made up of veterans whose skills pale in comparison to their heyday.

The telegrams reach each Ranger, including Jason Fitch who is nearly blind at night but can ride during the day. A bicycle courier delivers Jason's message, and George and Nash receive theirs as the code-word Brazos appears. The dispatch sets a three-day countdown to their rendevous.

The film juxtaposes the aging outlaws with their outdated skills. Kelly Sutton struggles with liquor, Nitro Jones cannot blow things up properly, Charlie Lee drives carelessly, and Fargo Parker has trouble cocking his rifle. These flaws foreshadow the challenge of facing a younger threat.

A group led by Cotton devises a plan to seize the money and holds the elderly outlaws hostage to avoid trace. They meet Bates and Meg Boley and Cotton's flirtation adds tension to the pursuit. The tension intensifies as both sides race toward a tense showdown.

After learning the railroad line heists have left no trace, John Henry decides to take the money back toward Del Rio. This move ropes the young and old factions into a single pursuit. The decision heightens the stakes and draws both crews together into a desert town confrontation.

John Henry enlists Oren Hayes for a reluctant stand-off against Cotton's crew. The plan is to turn the battle into a showdown that pits experience against youth. Tension mounts as the two sides prepare for a gunfight.

In the morning, both sides align and the guns are drawn. The old outlaws and the Rangers step forward, while the young outlaws watch in disbelief. A brutal gunfight follows, ending with the capture of both the young and old outlaws.

The standoff ends with the old outlaws captured but the money likely returned. Maggie steps off the stagecoach at the Boley ranch, telling John Henry that she still loves Oren. The moment cements her choice and the final reconciliation with Oren's stubborn pride.

Oren Hayes releases the old outlaws, believing John Henry intended to return the money. The Rangers accept the verdict as the outlaws ride away toward an approaching Texas train. The film closes with a sense of uneasy peace and the distant sound of a locomotive.