Aggieland Rail Scene

Heading to Plano

2012-01-20T10:28:00.003-06:00

Well the Plano Show weekend is upon us again. Weather here is warm and it's expected to stay this way throughout the weekend. Yay! Overcast skies lower the chances of shooting anything interesting along the way but I'm taking the camera all the same. I'll probably focus more in show pictures and maybe people pix this year anyway.

I don't have anything on the "acquire" list for the show and I'm not taking a presentation for the annual slide/digital extravaganza. Maybe next year given all the UP steam that is scheduled to come through the region.

Finishing Up the Valley Drive

2012-01-16T22:07:00.000-06:00

The Valley was decently busy but I wanted to keep moving northward. There was a train in the siding at Tatsie but no headlight was visible and thus I assumed it was dead waiting for a crew. Way off in the distance I find something colorful moving in the plowed cotton fields. Knowing there are no roads where I can see it must be a train.

As I get closer the object get better clarity and they are stack container cars slowly moving south. Ah, let's see if I can make it to the north end of Tatsie and get into position but this is going to be close. The cars are moving real slow so I expect that the train is probably stopping at Tatsie.

I was essentially right but the train only stopped and then started again. I did quickly find a position and take a shot as the head end power got moving past the signal at Tatsie.

The interesting this here is not any of the power but rather the containers in the train. Orange color really stands out and in this case the colorful containers are all Haypag-Lloyd. This is a German company (kinda surprised by that).

By now the ever increasing cloud cover has mostly taken over the previously clear/partly cloudy sky. Gaaah. Onward to Valley Jct. Nothing going on here and not really much in the yard either. Last stop is Hearne.

A train from the Ennis side was arriving in Hearne just as I was. The job had a CN unit in the lead which was a little different. The train had some work to do in Hearne and I gave up on it after a clip or two of video at a crossing. Time to head for the house.

A Trip Through the Valley

2012-01-15T21:13:00.002-06:00

The forecast called for clouds blowing in on Sunday but things still looked good by late morning. After getting some tasks completed around the house I decided to take a trip out to the Brazos Valley and see what's new. I started my trip on the west end of the valley out by Varisco. Nothing moving at Varisco but it didn't take long to find something moving around.

With the winter season firmly in place the fields are barren and it is easy to spot moving objects at a distance. The first rail job was an autorack train out of Mumford and heading toward the climb out of the valley. My only chance on this guy was to take one of the oil field service roads and try to get chose but the timely is going to be difficult.

Southbound out of Mumford heading for Bryan

I got close but not really into position although honestly there really wasn't a good position with all the trees and such along the right of way. You do the best you can. The Norfolk Southern power is common place around here including in the lead position.

Next up was back to the blacktop and a drive on into Mumford itself. Mumford was quite and so I headed down to the east end. I don't recall seeing this "No Parking" sign before.

Do Not Block Crossings at Mumford

Finding a No Parking sign is pretty common around the country but how about a No Parking sign for trains? That's essentially what we have here. Looks like the farmers have complained enough to get the UP to put up a Do Not Block Crossings sign for their trains. Huh, now there's something you don't see everyday. Hmm, the signals at the double crossovers at Mumford are lit but nothing is cleared through.

Westbound approaching Mumford from Tatsie

Up the gravel road toward Tatsie and a headlight appears in the distance as well as a train stopped in the siding at Tatsie. Yep, one's on the way from Tatsie on the old MP main. The train is a general manifest with a large grouping of covered hopper and tank cars.

Ok, the afternoon is doing good but the clouds are now chasing me from behind and they are winning. There won't be a lot more direct sun time.

Christmas Light Display

2012-01-14T12:32:00.001-06:00

I found this Christmas light display here in town. How much stuff can you cram into a yard?

A Pair at Old Main in College Station, TX

2012-01-13T22:30:00.003-06:00

I had some work to do at the Old Main intersection on the way home from work on Friday and stopped here just after dusk. The UP was kind and as I pulled up the signal at the south end of double track showed green over red for a northbounder. Good deal and with the signal lit the train is already close.

The first job was a normal manifest but if you not a switcher from Houston is tucked in there as the last unit in the consist. Behind him came the Navasota sub local coming back from Stoneham with the usual string of tank cars.

Big things are coming to the grade crossing and area in general. The university is getting their next tunnel project underway and this it where it will be.

Information on the new tunnel construction

20th Century Limited - 1930's & 40's American Express Passenger Train

2012-01-12T22:14:00.000-06:00

Missed the Local

2012-01-11T20:19:00.002-06:00

As I was heading home last night I noticed a train on Main 1 at the south end and something coming south up Main 2. Ok, might try another nighttime video of it. I move on ahead and get settled in a MickeyD's parking lot. Nothing. No sounds, no horn nothing. Enough of this, I'm outta here! While exiting the lot I hear him and the lights and gates go off. Oh well, out of position this time. The local is rolling slow for some reason so getting ahead will be easy.

It was easy but there was just any location with enough ambient light to do anything. The whole episode ended with me taking a crummy video where the lens had a coating of something on it which slightly fogged the resulting video. Aaaaah, dump it and try again next time!

HO scale / M-Rails / ATSF Canyon meet

2012-01-10T22:09:00.001-06:00

Southern Pacific Photos from the 70s

2012-01-09T16:06:00.000-06:00

This Southern Pacific site was announced on the SP list. Some good informational photos there from an era I very much enjoy.

HO scale / M-Rails / SP CabForwards Action (BW version)

2012-01-08T10:07:00.000-06:00

HO scale / M-Rails / SP CabForwards Action (Color version)

2012-01-07T10:06:00.000-06:00

HO scale / M-Rails / Hot Spots

2012-01-06T22:08:00.000-06:00

Meet at the End of Double Track

2012-01-05T16:33:00.000-06:00

Work to me out along the Union Pacific Navasota sub corridor again this afternoon and was presented with a meet at the south end of double track.

Nothing special / spectacular here just a little more material for a daily post plus getting to play around with the video recording functions of my smartphone. All in all not too bad for a phone.

Too bad these impromptu shots are always on the wrong side for good sun. :(

HO scale / M-Rails / Southwest Chief

2012-01-04T22:08:00.000-06:00

BNSF Ethanol

2012-01-03T17:30:00.002-06:00

This is the second time in recent memory when I have witnessed an ethanol train with full BNSF power southbound on the Navasota sub at College Station. Here's a video from this afternoon while I was doing some work along the rail corridor. What's up with the BNSF trains on this line?

Subsequent information from some folks point to this actually being a crude oil train from the BNSF and handed to the UP in the Kansas City area for the trip to the coast.

UP150 // Great Big Rollin' Railroad

2012-01-02T12:15:00.001-06:00

Union Pacific Railroad is kicking off their 150 year celebration and their website is online!

UP150 // Great Big Rollin' Railroad

SP Train 71 "The Coast Mail" passes the Surf Local.

2012-01-01T15:25:00.000-06:00

SP flanger - Snow Service 1982

2011-12-31T15:23:00.001-06:00

Local Freight passes the Smoky - 1956

2011-12-30T15:22:00.001-06:00

Three in, three out.

2011-12-30T09:40:00.000-06:00

Southbounder at Mickey D's

2011-12-29T20:39:00.002-06:00

While out shopping and running errands I heard the distinctive sounds of a train in College Station. Since I was not that far from the tracks I decided to drive by and see if the train was either meeting another or there was another closely following. I got lucky and a second train showed up. Yay me.

Rail makes a comeback in moving oil around the US

2011-12-28T12:11:00.001-06:00

http://www.platts.com/weblog/oilblog/2011/07/28/rail_makes.html

Southern Pacific Steam When It Was King

2011-12-27T10:08:00.000-06:00

Southern Pacific When Steam was King

2011-12-26T09:59:00.000-06:00

Southern Pacific Railfan Delight

2011-12-25T21:50:00.000-06:00

Michael Palmieri's Illinois Central Photo Archive

2011-12-24T21:48:00.000-06:00

Michael Palmieri's Illinois Central photo archive

The Beast

2011-12-23T12:56:00.002-06:00

Playing around with the U50 model and my camera.

Rocks Meets the Local

2011-12-22T23:25:00.002-06:00

I had a little bit of field work to do on my way home on Wednesday evening. As it so happened a northbound WRRC empty rock train was making its way through College Station and here you see it passing the campus.

The rock train had a pretty good speed up and cleared quickly. As I passed over the crossing behind the train I noticed a faint headlight over to the right of the departing rock train which would indicate a train at the far south end of double track and waiting to meet the rock job.

I headed down to George Bush Drive and got busy with my field work with the plan on being done before the southbound train in the hole arrived. Success, the task work was finished just in time to pull the smartphone out and grab the southbounder at George Bush Dr.

The southbound turned out to be the Navasota sub local with the usual group of tank cars for the repair facility at Stoneham. Yes, the video is not top quality but I've included it partly, if not mostly, so you can hear the airhorn on unpatched Cotton Belt GP60 which was leading the local.

SP Aircraft Carrier Pulls into Port

2011-12-21T21:50:00.002-06:00

What? An aircraft carrier you say? Well, not quite but it seems to be near that size. My Southern Pacific GE U50 model arrived and I took it out for inspection.

These locomotives were not the prettiest ones to operate on the SP and in fact they only purchased 3. The Union Pacific liked them more and came back for an additional order after their initial group. The truck arrangement is interesting as well as the big open screened areas. The car body is very bland although the rear is rather strange.

I'll compare my model to this shots in a future post.

Ron Hawkins's GM&O / IC / ICG Photo Album

2011-12-20T09:35:00.003-06:00

An album of IC, GMO and ICG pictures from the 70s

Train Conductor Falls to His Death in Grimes County

2011-12-19T16:03:00.000-06:00

Train Conductor Falls to His Death in Grimes County

Amtrak Hits Truck in Hutto

2011-12-18T13:13:00.002-06:00

Amtrak train hits 18-wheeler in Hutto | KXAN.com

Illinois Central Gulf Photo Archive

2011-12-17T12:42:00.000-06:00

Great ICG photo archive!

ICG - Illinois Central Gulf Locomotive Roster - Railroad Picture Archives.NET

Some examples:

Holiday Wishes

2011-12-16T09:25:00.001-06:00

From the TTI communications group

Navasota Sub Local Heading Home

2011-12-15T21:39:00.002-06:00

I happened to see the returning Navasota Sub local today while out working in the field. Behind him came a freight with UP 1983, the Western Pacific heritage locomotive, 3rd out in consist.

SP Freight Drag

2011-12-14T22:21:00.000-06:00

Eight (plus 1) Locomotives

2011-12-13T21:21:00.001-06:00

OKC Train Show 2011 Haul

2011-12-12T21:44:00.002-06:00

Over the years I've cut back on my buying at the shows only because I have so much stuff and need to concentrate more on getting the new layout going rather than dragging more rolling stock and such home. This year was no different with only a couple purchases.

Oklahoma City Train Show 2011 purchase haul

Although the above is all I brought home there was other things that I negotiated for but eventually decided to pass on. The Illinois Central book is actually quite good with lots of color pictures. I don't have many IC books thus this one found an immediate home. I've fallen out of the book fold and don't even keep up with what is out new and what has been published in the last 10 years. I see this one is part of a multi volume set. I'll keep my eye out for others.

The SP steam paperback is on 2-8-0 locomotives of which I have a couple models. The true goal was to find some good pictures of Texas lines (T&NO) Consolidations and indeed there were a couple ... but only a couple. The vast majority was Pacific lines locomotives, and this was expected. Ah well, the price was right and it is a good picture reference.

There was a vendor selling a small batch of HO scale brass mainly steam. He was a UP modeler and thus the collection followed that interest. I did note a Missouri Pacific 4-6-2 in the group and the price was attractive but we couldn't arrive at an agreeable price between us. My price point was low since there was not really much direct interest in the road or locomotive but it did look decent, was by a good importer (Pacific Fast Mail) and was a Texas region railroad. Oh well, someone else with more MP love can enjoy it more than me.

Another vendor was trying to clear out a Bachmann N-scale Amtrak Acela set and did some good price dropping with a couple in front of me. After the couple left the vendor went back and looked up the item for current pricing. When I inquired on the set he upped his price and decided to hold firm. Ok, since my only interest was using the set as a Christmas tree table decoration it was easy to pass up.

Good old Russ has an Exact Rail depressed center flat car that he was willing to sell at a respectable price. The problem is that I could not remember if I had previously purchased one of these or not.

Exact Rail 48' Depressed Center Flat Car

Let's see ... another vendor had a somewhat interesting paperback on Southern Rwy freight cars and possibly locomotives. The production quality was average to poor but there were a lot of interesting pictures of Southern Rwy equipment. We negotiated, got close, but I never completed the deal. I did buy a freight car from him but can't remember exactly what it was at this sitting. I think it was perhaps a GM&O cement hopper.

One of the Oklahoma region railroad museums had a table of display, information and a few odds and ends for sale. One item I spotted was an old Roundhouse steam engine kit, an SP 0-6-0. It was cheap and looked to have all the parts in the original packaging. I bought it and will likely give it to a friend who enjoys working on these metal based kits.

That was it. I've been looking on eBay for an SP U50 at a great price. So far I have bid on 2 and lost both at the very end of the auction. Oh well, another one is always coming along!

Meet the Juice

2011-12-11T23:09:00.000-06:00

The business meeting in Sugar Land went just fine and the location was actually quite close to the Sunset Route mainline. During the meeting I heard at least 2 trains pass and possibly a third. Given the recent traffic I didn't expect much for my trip back home, at least not in the Sugar Land area.

Of course I was wrong. While driving on Alt90 toward "downtown" I happen to catch the telltale signs of locomotive headlights in my rear view mirror. Ok, things happen quick around here so lets find a place to pull over and see what's coming.

I pull in around the sugar plant and immediately notice that the train, westbound train for the record, is lined into the siding at Sugar Land. Ok, another slow speed runby but hey, the train is now just a couple crossings away.

Ah, the juice train! Note the Tropicana cars on the head end. Also you will note a funny horn on this train. Actually not ... the horn is on the side of the road and the train's horn is silent. These automated horns were installed as part of a noise abatement program in Sugar Land.

After the Juice passes I decide to check on some email and such while parked. In just a few minutes I hear the horns start up and an eastbound shows up. Ok, so the Juice meets one here at Sugar Land. Let's get back on the road and see if I can catch him again at speed.

As I get nearer to the head end of the Juice another set of headlights appear as the second eastbound begins passing Juice. Ok, in a Sugar Land for 2. Ah, light is fading and I want to get on toward home.

Another set of headlights appear just east of the Brazos River bridge in Rosenberg. This time it's a short KCS autorack train. Juice in at Sugar Land for 3!

After a brief stop for fuel in Rosenberg I headed out and up the ATSF toward Bellville. Yep, NOTHING ... not a thing stopped or moving. Such is common for me on this segment of the BNSF.

Christmas at the Creek

2011-12-10T23:05:00.003-06:00

This is not a railroad oriented post but more of a camera performance study. I stopped by College Station's Christmas at the Creek (formerly Christmas in the Park) this year to use the Canon on some night photography. The setting was not real conducive for photography but I did grab a few shots of the stage and then some video.

I'll post a few examples here when I get them processed and uploaded.

Local dance studio students

It was hard to do a full set as people kept walking by or talking so I just clipped a short segment. The video worked out alright given my distance and it being hand held.

Down to Sugar Land

2011-12-09T22:35:00.002-06:00

Around noon I headed down to Sugar Land for a project meeting. The rails were fairly busy in all places except the BNSF (as typical for me). First up I passed a northbound UP grain hopper train between Millican and Wellborn. Oh goody, got to see one on the drive down to Hwy 6.

South of Millican I came up upon a southbound tank train, probably an ethanol job. The two had just met at the Millican siding. The ethanol train was moving briskly ... probably 50 mph or so. OK, the train is moving right along so I decide to get ahead and get a quick video with my phone.

Well ... the 50mph didn't last and I was already concerned when I turned onto the driveway at the south side of the Navasota River. Looking down the tangent, there was NO headlight to be seen. Hmmm ... odd indeed. In a couple of minutes the headlight slowly appeared announcing the train's drastic cut in speed. I waited him out to get the video but it is much less dramatic without the expect high train speed. Oh well.

Odds and Ends from the OKC Show

2011-12-08T23:08:00.002-06:00

And finally some odds and ends from around the show.

Harley Tucker's NP passenger train with F unit closeup

UP's Desert Storm SD40-2 in large scale

Oklahoma City Table Tennis Club - Setup in a _Mall_

A scratch built Japanese WWII submarine model

Manufacturers Booth Stuff at the OKC Show

2011-12-07T22:51:00.002-06:00

Various odds and ends from around the manufacturers booth area.

The Concor booth showing MP45s and a Burlington Zephyr

Athearn's new GP9s

Athearn ACe's

Athearn's new SP bay window caboose

Tsunami Sound from SoundTraxx

Vendor Stuff at the OKC Show

2011-12-06T22:08:00.004-06:00

A few shots from around the show focusing on vendor items.

John Winfield Print

Interesting old model airplane kit - 50's era

Decorative MKT "lamp"

Railroad china vendor

DRGW Narrow Gauge in OKC

2011-12-05T23:25:00.004-06:00

Here's a video of a DRGW narrow gauge train on one of the modular layouts at the show.

Now for a few stills.

I really like narrow gauge when it is modeled in the larger scales.

Uintah Railway at OKC

2011-12-04T22:39:00.004-06:00

A Uintah Railway train was running on the narrow gauge layout and I played around with it using the Canon T2i video.

I don't know a thing about the prototype Uintah Railway but this locomotive and train sure looked nice. From the modeling I take it the operation was miming based.

Freemo at the OKC Train Show

2011-12-03T23:34:00.003-06:00

This year we visited a Freemo layout setup in a comotose mall on I35 at I240. The layout was built from numerous groups from around the region with many from out of state. This is the first time I heard that they were setup but others told me they have done this a time or two before.

As always with Freemo there was a lot of quality work on display.

Oklahoma City Train Show Time

2011-12-02T21:29:00.006-06:00

It the first weekend in December so it's OKC Train Show time! As usual I departed after noon for the drive up to OKC. This year Kocher couldn't make it so the plans got altered a bit. I teamed up with Bob Holzweiss who was going up to man the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society (RL&HS) booth along with a few other volunteers.

The trip was uneventful and somewhat wet in sections. We listened to the Aggie head football coach Mike Sherman's exit speech on my phone and stopped in Ft. Worth to pick up some special Rahr brew.

Now, on to the show!!

UP 1989 in Aggieland

2011-11-17T07:30:00.000-06:00

UP 1989 piloted the 2011 version of the UP Safety Train. I didn't ride it this year instead choosing to find it later in the afternoon for some photos. The rail traffic was busy this year and the Navasota and Bryan sub dispatcher really had to weave the train around other traffic. Compounding the issue, a MNPEW ran out of fuel on the Bryan sub and the Safety Train had to give up one of its locomotives to rescue the stranded MNPEW. This left the Safety Train without a locomotive on each end and thus hampering the "shuttle" operation plan (engine on each end).

Road construction along Wellborn Rd at University Dr complicated matters and I was actually happy the train pulled down to Bush Jct to discharge passengers (school children) and to wait for an opening in traffic. I was hoping for a shot off the west side parking garage roof but that just did not come about.

UP Safety Train 2011 in Aggieland

2011-11-16T12:05:00.000-06:00

The UP Safety Train has been working the system for the last few weeks and today it came to Aggieland. I delayed my departure for work by a few minutes in order to catch it on the drive in. Timing was perfect and as I paralleled the Navasota sub I could see the passenger special's headlights in my rear view mirror.

The first section is the train passing south College Station and the second is it moving down Main 2 after picking up the first group of passengers for the day.

Tom Marsh - Stand and Deliver

2011-11-10T23:52:00.000-06:00

Yep, stand and deliver a slide show! Lots of interesting slides from the 70s.

Flatonia Station and Tower

2011-11-09T21:44:00.003-06:00

Tom Marsh showed a slide at the Texas Eagle Chapter NRHS annual symposium featuring a train in front of the old Flatonia station and good old Tower 3. I don't remember the station, it was gone by the time I made it to Flatonia.

Tom Marsh Photo

Given the position of the tower and control rods, Tom was west of the diamond looking east. The train in the picture is on the Houston line and headed toward San Antonio.

Texas Eagle Chapter NRHS Annual Railroad Symposium 2011

2011-11-08T22:27:00.002-06:00

Sit back and enjoy a few minutes from this year's speakers. More info and pictures available here: https://www.facebook.com/TxEagleNRHS

UP: Union Pacific Railroad Unveils Autoflex Convertible Rail Car Production Model

2011-11-04T11:50:00.000-05:00

UP: Union Pacific Railroad Unveils Autoflex Convertible Rail Car Production Model

The Hollys are Out

2011-11-03T21:37:00.000-05:00

My Yaupan Holly is producing its "fruit", more like berries, early this season. It seems to me that they normally berry up around Christmas ... but maybe I'm wrong.

On Its Way to Floydada

2011-11-02T23:29:00.000-05:00

The QA&P train is out of Roaring Springs and heading toward its terminus at Floydada.

Crossing the South Pease River

2011-11-01T23:24:00.000-05:00

The Quanah Acme and Pacific train is out of Narcisso and crossing the South Pease River on its way to Roaring Springs, TX.

Westward Out of Paducah

2011-10-31T23:20:00.000-05:00

Leaving Paducah heading for Roaring Springs, TX on the Quanah Acme and Pacific layout.

Arriving in Paducah

2011-10-30T23:17:00.000-05:00

The QA&P train moves through Paducah Texas on the Quanah Acme and Pacific layout.

Through the Truss and Over the Pease River

2011-10-29T23:03:00.002-05:00

QA&P train flys over the Pease River between Acme and Paducah, TX.

The Bridges at Acme

2011-10-28T23:59:00.002-05:00

A Quanah Acme and Pacific freight passes over their bridge over the creek at Acme. The CB&Q bridge is seen in the background.

Departing Quanah for Acme

2011-10-27T23:58:00.001-05:00

A train departs the yard at Quanah and heads toward Acme.

Seaboard-Coast Line Modeler

2011-10-26T10:14:00.002-05:00

Seaboard-Coast Line Modeler

I found this SCL modeler's site online
and wanted to share.

They are posting publication quality magazines free on the site. Now I'm
not an SCL modeler but I do have some interest in railroading and equipment
from that part of the country because I saw it so much growing up in
Victoria. SCL and Seaboard System is not well covered in the hobby press
and I was a bit shocked to stumble across this site and especially shocked
to see their modeling magazine downloadable without a subscription fee.

Passing Through the Yard at Quanah

2011-10-25T23:55:00.002-05:00

A short Quanah, Acme and Pacific train pulls through the QA&P yard in Quanah.

Leaving Paducah, TX on the QA&P Model Railroad

2011-10-24T22:37:00.001-05:00

A freight train leaves Paducah, Texas and passes a field being harvested on the edge of town. Next stop is Roaring Springs!

Downtown Quanah Texas in HO

2011-10-23T22:25:00.002-05:00

Here's a view looking down a street in an HO scale model of Quanah, TX in the late 40's.

Baylor Game Tailgate

2011-10-16T22:26:00.000-05:00

The Baylor Bears came to Aggieland today for the annual "Battle of the Brazos" football game. This year Baylor has a star quarterback but not much of a defense to help out. Anyway, the gang decided to tailgate the game and we setup in Spence Park.

Ever Wonder About the World's Largest Peanut?

2011-10-12T20:16:00.001-05:00

Naa, me neither but I did find it ... apparently.

Bastrop Wildfires Aftermath

2011-10-11T23:30:00.001-05:00

I stopped along Highway 21 on my way back from Laredo and took a few pictures of the aftermath of the Bastrop wildfires in the lost pines area and along the edge of Bastrop State Park.

New Rock Loop Near Gardendale

2011-10-10T21:59:00.002-05:00

As reporter in previous posts here the Gardendale Texas area is becoming a behive of activity for the blossoming Eagle Ford Shale oil and gas formation. It seems that each trip down here finds new business popping up left and right along IH35 in the brush country wilderness.

This time, I run across a new loop of train and not one but two loaded rock trains in the brand new facility. The operation is owned by Martin Marietta and just opened the day before I saw it.

View Larger Map

Remember the place is brand new so the satellite view shows an empty field. Trust me, it is no longer an empty field.

BNSF Offers da Cash

2011-10-03T20:24:00.001-05:00

KBTX.com Mobile

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Wellborn tunnel to unite Main and West Campus - The Battalion - Texas A&M

2011-09-21T10:30:00.000-05:00

Wellborn tunnel to unite Main and West Campus - The Battalion - Texas A&M

The tunnel will go under the Navasota sub just as the tunnel at Joe Routt / John Kimbrough did. This will create a slow order for trains running right through campus ... again.

What we prayed for, one more oil boom » Corpus Christi Caller-Times

2011-09-20T10:19:00.000-05:00

What we prayed for, one more oil boom » Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Hempstead commuter rail needs downtown connection - Houston Chronicle

2011-09-20T10:12:00.000-05:00

Hempstead commuter rail needs downtown connection - Houston Chronicle

Mandatory evacuation ordered due to large fire - KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, Sports

2011-09-16T14:18:00.001-05:00

Mandatory evacuation ordered due to large fire - KFDA - NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, Sports

Breaking News: large fire - 12th, Arthur | Amarillo Globe-News

2011-09-16T14:18:00.000-05:00

Breaking News: large fire - 12th, Arthur | Amarillo Globe-News

Fire prompts mandatory evacuation near downtown Amarillo : News : ConnectAmarillo.com

2011-09-16T14:17:00.000-05:00

Fire prompts mandatory evacuation near downtown Amarillo : News : ConnectAmarillo.com

BNSF Launches Exclusive Website for Rail Advocates - MarketWatch

2011-09-13T23:38:00.001-05:00

BNSF Launches Exclusive Website for Rail Advocates - MarketWatch

This looks interesting. Has anyone looked over there yet? I'm not a member of the site so I have no clue.

https://www.friendsofbnsf.com/

Train Collides with 18-wheeler Trailer South of Wellborn

2011-09-12T06:57:00.001-05:00

Train Collides with 18-wheeler Trailer South of Wellborn

There was a grade crossing accident in the area on this past Saturday morning. The incident involved a truck pulling a backhoe loaded on a lowboy trailer. The trailer got high centered on the railroad tracks at the Staub Rd grade crossing near Wellborn. The truck driver notified his dispatcher but unfortunately a train was too close to get alerted.

A person on a local forum posted some pictures. I'm reposting a couple of them here.

Trying the Kolaches

2011-09-11T11:21:00.002-05:00

The only thing I bought yesterday at the Caldwell Kolache Festival was kolaches. I choose to mix and match a bunch of flavors rather than getting a lot of one kind. Probably the most interesting was the chocolate and the peach.

This morning breakfast included some Independence coffee, eggs with a helping of hot Hatch chilis and a couple kolaches. Good stuff all around. Today a lemon and a chocolate one got devoured. Yum.

Caldwell Kolache Festival

2011-09-10T23:34:00.003-05:00

Today was the annual Kolache Festival in Caldwell. It's been years since I've gone and a trip down to Caldwell seemed like a good event for the day. The drive down was uneventful with no rail action seen or photographed. Although Caldwell has 2 railroads in town the festival is not held near either line. I took the point and shoot along and took a few pictures and a video or two.

Without a Doubt

2011-09-09T23:52:00.004-05:00

"Without a doubt the best BBQ in town". Pretty strong words but reports point toward truth in their statement. Didn't get to try any and they were not open when I stopped for the picture but it sure smelled good!

BNSF in the Lot

2011-09-08T21:28:00.002-05:00

Short post for today. On my way out the parking lot at lunch I happened to look over at this pickup truck and the orange markings caught my eye.

Seeing a basic white pickup in our lot is an everyday occurrence but you don't see a BNSF truck in the lot very often.

On the Way Home

2011-09-07T22:58:00.005-05:00

The trip home from work took me alongside the Navasota sub this evening. As I crossed the tracks on campus I didn't notice anything special. After turning to parallel the tracks my rearview mirror said something different.

Headlights were shining bright on a locomotive pointing southward and located on main 2 near the edge of campus. I quickly thought about finding a parking spot and waiting but I wanted to keep moving. A half mile down the line and here comes a northbound.

I'm stuck at a traffic signal so here comes the phone came shooting through the windshield.

Looks like this northbound job is meeting the guy I saw in the rearview. The sub seems pretty busy these days.

There's a Spirit

2011-09-04T14:17:00.002-05:00

I was poking around the web and ran across this spirit promotional / motivational video made by Texas A&M. I past similar videos they have always tried to have a clip of something railroad included. It looks like they have done the same with this one.

If you look close at about 1:30 min/secs into the video you will see a steam train slowly moving alongside a station.

Now, I have nothing really solid to go on but I am going to surmise that the shot is of a 1930s-1940s passenger train either arriving or departing from the station adjacent to the A&M College of Texas. I curious if this is an I&GN train or a Southern Pacific? The clip is so short it is hard to tell.

Eagle Ford Crude Terminal

2011-08-31T23:29:00.004-05:00

The Gardendale Railroad is currently the operating railroad for the Eagle Ford Logistics facility. When I was there they were unloading massive amounts of pipeline pipe, operating and crude oil transfer station, and I saw what appeared to be a frac sand complex under construction. There were many more yard tracks added since my last trip (was it in May?).

Additional "Eyebrow" Tank Car Pictures

2011-08-30T19:39:00.002-05:00

A few questions were raised on Railspot within the discussion of these tank cars and I am adding a few pictures here to hopefully help solve the mystery of what the light blue "eyebrow" on the tank cars signify.

Click on the picture to get to a higher resolution version.

These tank cars are all placarded code 1993. Also note that there are some brand new cars and some older cars ... a mix of cars not all new - not all old.

New Gardendale, TX

2011-08-29T13:25:00.003-05:00

If you've been a consistent reader here you will remember that I talked about Gardendale before. The last time I was here a thundershower just blew through and everything was wet. Today the weather is hot and dry. I wanted to take a better look around so I drove and and stopped at the Gardendale Railroad yard office.

I found an employee who was just getting out of a company pickup truck and I introduced myself and explained my intentions. He was very nice and said "sure, nothing is moving around right now" and I headed into the facility. The first thing that hit me was the big UP power parked on one of the leads.

The next thing that hit me was the sheer number of tracks and tank cars that were here! Wow, this place has really grown since my last visit.

Alright, this place is just crying out for a more detailed look about.

Artesia Wells Encounter

2011-08-28T23:26:00.003-05:00

The worked ended in Brownsville on Wednesday of the week and then it began again on Thursday in Laredo. Wednesday evening was the drive up along the Rio Grande from Brownsville to Laredo. Although there is railroad for some of the way there is nothing to see. Most of the railroad runs along older roads and even then there is just not that much activity down here. The most interesting thing seen on the drive up was a couple of lightning storms in the far distance over in Mexico. The light show was entertaining.

Thursday was work all day outside and although I did some some action there was no time to do anything with it. Trains were seen heading north at FM1472 / Mines Road. In years past I had a train detector system here that would alert motorist that the crossing was blocked and how long it had been blocked. A new overpass for Mines Road eliminated the need for the system and it was removed.

Ok, Friday is travel day. I took the exit of IH35 for Loop20 and then took the frontage road up along Milo and to Port Laredo. There was a good train in the siding at Milo but the light was not working and there was some brush in the way. The power was all from other railroads, CSX, NS, etc on this job.

There was more activity at Port Laredo but nothing really photographable. I did stop and take a picture of UP's safety message on a roadside billboard.

A keen observer will notice that there are no railroad markings on that blue engine pictured in the grade crossing accident. No railroad wants their logo on a locomotive that has hit a car even for a publicity picture. Perhaps the reason is that the image can be used by railroads nationwide?

Northward from Laredo the first action is seen at Callaghan where it looked like a pair of trains were swapping power. Hmm, kind of an odd movement. Farther north is Encinal, the Border Patrol's inspection facility and then on toward Gardendale. The terrain out here is flat with only a couple gentle rises. At the top of one rise I notice at lot of vehicles ahead of me at the exit to Artesia Wells and a UP stack train slowly pulling southward.

View Larger Map

As I get to the grade crossing at Artesia Wells I notice DPS vehicles, a lot of people and a slowly moving train southward through the intersection. Hmm, now that I think of it the lead locomotive on that train looked odd. Instead of waiting for the crossing to clear I head down the frontage road to catch up with the head end. Oh yeah, I was right, there is something funny about the lead locomotive.

After the locomotive shots I head back to the grade crossing. By now the train has pulled far enough south to clear the crossing and it is seeing roadway traffic again. I cross and then park in an adjacent gravel parking lot. Oddly enough, there was a food truck setting up shop for the lunch "run".

It looks like a frac sand truck got hit at the crossing. Fortunately the damage does not appear that "severe". Hopefully the driver was not hurt.

I find this whole event to be ironic given that I stopped back there at Port Laredo to take a shot or two of the UP grade crossing safety billboard. This issue, more oil field trucks and vehicles on the area roads, is a direct outgrowth from the Eagle Ford Shale business. An observer can see numerous new businesses popping up along IH35 to service this new oil boom.

Another Interlude - Another Car Show

2011-08-27T11:57:00.000-05:00

Yep, another break from ... well ... the Rio Grande trip, the UP 1983 in Brazosland, and railroading in general. Yes, another car show .. haha.

Ok, last Saturday morning I saw a newspaper blurb about a car show for charity in Bryan. I like car shows because of all the color which means I always take the camera. Get the friends on the horn, get a plan and off I go to Bryan to see the goods.

I'm not a gearhead so there won't be any commentary. What you are getting is straightforward photos and that's it. LOL.

Oh, so you want some railroad content huh? Ok, to follow up on the UP 1983 post right below this one, I read that the WP heritage hung around Cooks Point for a long time and finally died at ...... Dimebox. Yep, Hearne to Dimebox on a crew. What a deal. The train was still there today (Saturday) and Patrick Phelan was not on its trail. He followed the Sunset Route all the way to Flatonia from San Antonio. No train ... onward to Muldoon and West Point ... no train. Finally he drives all the way to Dimebox and the train is still tied down in the siding.

UP 1983 on AMQLDR at Hearne

2011-08-26T22:55:00.003-05:00

The UP 1983 WP heritage locomotive came calling to Hearne again today. With a heads up the night before and some useful intel in the morning, I headed up to Hearne to catch the WP unit in afternoon sun. My timing was very good. When I arrived at Seger I could see the WP unit coming at me and barely had time to get the point and shoot camera out for some run by video.

I never had a chance to setup at Seger but I'm not really upset either. I paced the train into town and got ahead for a shot at the interlocking with the Hearne Sub.

The train slipped by the Hearne depot and headed down to the far west end of town. I thought the train might do some block swapping here at Hearne but no dice. The crew tied the train down and left in the limo.

My intel indicated that a crew was called and should be enroute in 15 to 30 minutes so I decided to hang around a bit. The only shade in the vicinity was in the cemetery and I chose a nice big tree to park under to wait on the crew. The temperature was approaching 100+ degrees but the shade was enough to keep me cool.

As expected a new crew showed up and quickly got the autorack train underway. The dispatcher held the train for a few minutes at Tatsie and then the green signals popped up and he was off westbound. My plan was to get him after he made the turn onto the Giddings Sub at Mumford. I haven't taken this shot in years.

I wanted more sun on the side and this was one way to get it. Decent enough. The train was moving briskly with a speed clocked around 60mph so I decided to head directly for my overhead shooting spot just short of Caldwell, TX. I get to the spot but the train doesn't.

The dispatcher had a different plan and the AMQLDR had a red over yellow signal at the east end of Cooks Point. The train held back from the signal to stay off crossings. Unfortunately here is where the train sat for the next couple of hours. After waiting at least an hour I gave up and headed back towards home.

Although the shots around Hearne and Mumford are okay the real treat would have been the overhead shot on the gentle curve near Caldwell. Oh well, it was not meant to be on this day.

Working the Brownsville

2011-08-25T23:10:00.002-05:00

Southward from Sinton I go. Nothing moving around Odem and thus no need to stop. The track come back alongside the highway toward Robstown and stay beyond Kingsville. This line is not very busy and today was no exception. Nothing moving all the way to Harlingen. The road follows for long stretches but the rail traffic was just not there. Again, not a surprise.

The work was in Brownsville and after a full day of it on Tuesday we headed to South Padre for a seafood meal. SH48 is the road to take out of Brownsville. There is a split in SH48 at the top end of the port area. SH48 angles off to the left and goes over the railroad. A quick glace to my right reveals the Brownsville and Rio Grande International's yard ... or one of their yards.

View Larger Map

Remember back a few posts I talked about these tank cars with the blue stripe?

There were a bunch of these tank cars in this yard. So ... I'm guessing that one of the plants either there at the port or in the general vicinity must be taking these cars. Again I ask, is there something special about these? Is the special item the service the tank car is in or is it an appliance on the car itself?

Looking at this map I see that Old SH48 goes into the port area. I'll have to go exploring on it next time. I've very briefly looked around here before but mainly to try to get some photos of the BRG switchers.

Onward, SH48 follows the BRG line down to their shop. There were a couple engines sitting outside but nothing really accessible and I was needing to get down to Port Isabel / South Padre so no stopping here.

Might as well throw in a couple of non-rail pictures to round out the post.

Scintillating Sinton

2011-08-24T22:58:00.003-05:00

The last post from the Valley trip was of a string of tank cars with blue end tops. A couple of people commented that the tops indicate rotary couplers like those on coal service gondolas. While I can see the similarity with end marking I do not see the logic in needing rotary couplers on a tank car. Why would you need or want to turn a tank car on it top?

So, the train at Woodsboro didn't seem to be ready to go anywhere fast and I needed to get some miles clicked off. Down the road from Woodsboro I headed. Not much scenery out here with the typical coastal plain. I take the exit at the south side of Sinton and backtrack to see what was sitting at the top end of the little yard there.

There wasn't much parked but I did snap a couple shots of a KCS train. The lead unit was a nice Belle so the short side trip was worth it.

3 on 1 Meet at Millican

2011-08-23T21:38:00.000-05:00

Taking a break from the Rio Grande posts let's move the clock back to the weekend before the trip. I had spent most of the day on Sunday August 7 inside getting ready for the week ahead (travel and all). By early evening I was ready for a change. Time to grab the camera and go for a little drive around the general area and enjoy the 100+F temperatures. After being out for 15 minutes or so the though struck me to check in on the local ATCS system and see what was going on. The system showed that UP was setting up a meet at Millican which was in the general direction of where I was / was heading. Fine, something to check out.

On arriving in Millican I find a northbound job holding clear of the south end signal. The train was essentially right alongside American Plant Food and in pretty much full head on nose light. Within a couple of minutes the southbound shows up and heads into the siding at Millican. The northbound at American Plant Food begins to move forward and I head for the north end of Millican siding.

The northbounder works it way down the main track and finally begins to accelerate once a full and clear view of the north end signal is had. As you can tell from the video, getting a precise vision of the signal is hard since you are looking directly into the sun. This northbound is mostly grain cars and probably empty. The train continues accelerating and by mid train has a good speed up.

Hmm, looking at the ATCS setup for the area shows another northbound lined up at Millican. Looks like there was another train stopped behind this first one. I decide to essentially hold my location and wait. If I move down to the next dirt driveway crossing I can get a decent view of the southbound DPU in the hole. Ok, good enough reason to move.

In a few more minutes this second northbound comes easing down the main track and past my camera. Ha, this time it appears to be an ethanol train. Being northbound, let's call this one an empty.

Since the light was rapidly slipping away I decide to pace the guy as best I can. He's got a decent lead on me but we'll get ahead of him. First a little pacing in an open area and then a run by at speed at the entrance to the Duck Haven Subdivision. By the time he gets to Wellborn the light is gone and I decide to just bag it.

Tim to get some gas and head home. I pull in at a station in the Rock Prairie/Wellborn Rd area and get the deed done. Before I head home one last check on the ATCS to see how the trains are progressing north of Bryan. To my surprise yet another northbound is going through Millican making 3 that the guy in the siding saw. It's a quick trip from Millican to Wellborn so I stick around to see the last one. By now it is full on dark and I just enjoy it as it passed.

So ... the completion of another impromptu run about the neighborhood. This time I stumbled upon a 3 on 1 meet at Millican. I'll take it!

Texas Promotional Film Commissioned by Santa Fe in the 50s

2011-08-22T12:16:00.001-05:00

Here's a State of Texas promotional film commissioned by the Santa Fe Railroad.

http://www.texasarchive.org/library/index.php?title=Texas_-_The_Big_State

WP Heritage On the Austin Sub

2011-08-21T23:51:00.003-05:00

Reports surfaced in the morning the the UP 1983, the Western Pacific heritage locomotive, was on a northbound intermodal train from Mexico to Chicagoland. The train was the ZLDYC which is a stacks and such train that originates in Laredo, TX and terminates at Yard Center, IL (Chicago). This is a daily train and usually arrives in the Hearne area in the evening. Today was going to be no different.

The train was out of San Antonio around mid morning or so and off on its run up the Austin Sub to Hearne for the next crew change. Other reported seeing the train around Austin before 6pm and through Round Rock at 6:10PM. The Austin sub is mostly one way running and this train was going with the current of traffic. It should be an unimpeded trip to Hearne.

I head out with the target of getting to Hearne around 7PM. That target is met and at 7PM I see an inbound train off the Ennis sub changing crews in the middle of Hearne yard and blocking all the crossings on the north end. I decide to head south along the UP Austin sub in hopes of intercepting the train before the light goes away.

Nothing as far as Milano and this is as far as I'm going. After Milano the tracks get into the trees too much. Luckily within about a minute of my arrival at the UP tracks in Milano the UP signal pops green for a northbound UP movement over the BNSF diamond. Permissive signals here mean the train is close so I get into position.

The train arrives very soon and I'm all happy. Uh-oh. There is only one locomotive for power on this job. Either there was a power swap at Taylor or this was not ZLDYC. The train turns out to be all autoracks which signals that this is not ZLDYC. Darn, more waiting and more dipping of the sun.

It takes another 10-15 minutes but my ears pick up some distant air horn blowing for a crossing. Yep, here comes another UP job northbound. I scramble back into position and this time it is the ZLDYC. We're going with video for this shot because the 1983 is second out and I should be able to get some good horn and track/switch frog sounds.

ZLDYC makes good time on its last 20 miles to the crew change at Hearne. I did some pacing and the job was running at 60mph through Gause. Unfortunately the autorack train ahead had not yet departed from its crew change at the Little Brazos River. With the train ahead, the ZLDYC had to hold back at "Gin Spur" or just short of Valley Junction. This is a bad spot with no access and brush lined. There went any chance of a still shot of the 1983. Oh well, there is always next time.

In The Hole at Woodsboro

2011-08-20T21:07:00.002-05:00

Refugio is the county seat for Refugio County but my brief drive around what appeared to be the old downtown area did not yield an obvious courthouse structure. With the time getting late I decided to push on toward Corpus Christi.

The next spot down the line is Woodsboro and here I found a southbound UP job in the hole (siding). The train in general was unremarkable but a large block of tank cars caught my eye.

Can you guess what caught my eye? Take a look at the tops of the tank car ends. They all have a blue stripe/marker. Hmmm, I wonder what that is? They all had it. Anyone know what this designates?

We'll revisit tank cars like these in a future post. For now, I'm still curious what the blue marker means.

On Towards Refugio

2011-08-19T23:43:00.001-05:00

Time to leave Victoria for the coastal plains. There's not much heading down US77 toward Corpus Christi so a fillup is in order while in Victoria. With the tank topped off it was time to hit the road southbound. There's no railroad until US77 nears the San Antonio River at the county line.

Inari was quiet and thus no need for any photographs. It looked like the oil field activity was alive and well on the O'Connor ranch with a couple newly upgraded gravel roads. In years past I remember a tall radio tower with large microwave antennas attached. The antennas were the type used by the phone company. I guess they finally deactivated the microwave link.

The only railroad items of interest I encountered was some significant rail construction activity going on at the north edge of Refugio.

View Larger Map

At first look the new construction looked to be a grain elevator and a rail spur. After further thought, I'm also thinking this may be a site for a Eagle Ford Shale transload facility. Remember I mentioned the new activity seen up on the O'Connor ranch? Based on other reach on the Eagle Ford, this formation is going gangbusters and what appeared to be a grain elevator may well be a frac sand facility.

There's wasn't easy road access or I would have taken a closer look around. A search on the Internet revealed some business activity between Kinder Morgan and WATCO which mentions the Eagle Ford Shale but does not give specifics. Also, I found some WATCO job postings with the location as Refugio, TX. To my knowledge, there is no reason for WATCO employees to be in Refugio .... unless they are starting some new operation there.

This little ditty has caught my attention as well as the Eagle Ford Shale in general. You'll see more about it in future posts.

--- Update ---

Me thinks this is what I saw. I found an article in the Victoria Advocate announcing the construction of a new frac sand facility with 22 silos and rail access.

http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2010/oct/12/jo_resources_plant_101310_114480/?business&local-business

Dow Safety Train

2011-08-18T12:34:00.002-05:00

As blogged earlier Union Pacific had the Dow Safety Train in town Tuesday and Wednesday. They chose the old Colorado Materials yard to park the train and it is an excellent place to get photographs. You've seen the UP 1996 and now we'll see some of the cars in the train.

The flat car hosts several tank car hatch covers and I'm going to surmise that it is a mobile classroom on how the hatches work and how to handle a damaged hatch or spill around the hatch.

Click the image to go to the website

SP 319 Lives On

2011-08-17T17:24:00.000-05:00

On my way in to work this morning a northbound UP train was stopped on the far south side of town waiting for something ahead. The signal was flashing yellow which indicated that the absolute signal at the south end of Bryan was stop. The train was sitting outside of town to stay off crossings is my guess.

SP 319 leading a grain empty in south College Station, TX

So the interesting thing was the lead unit, SP 319. Southern Pacific locomotives in mostly untouched paint are getting less plentiful and here sat one in decent light. There really was no "awesome" shot to be had but I pulled out the Canon anyway just to say I saw it.

This evening that same Canon will go after the UP1996, SP heritage, in downtown Bryan. I used the point and shoot yesterday and today I brought along the big iron. Let's hope it is still in a good position in downtown this evening.