Train Locations

[Anonymous]

I am going to be in Texarkana and Shreveport, La in a week or so. Where will I see some rail action? The Holiday Inn Downtown, is it any good for train watching?

Thanks, Gianni

[nanaimo73]

I sure wish I could go with you.
You should see lots of UP action in Texarkana, along with some KCS and possibly BNSF as well.
The busiest line is the former Missouri Pacific heading towards Little Rock, and it carries between 60 and 100 million gross tons/mile per year. The next busiest is the former MP heading southwest at 40-60 MGT. Amtrak's Texas Eagle is on these lines as well.
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Horizontal_Route_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081442673815&ssid=132
UP also has the former SSW (SP) which carries 20-40 MGT running east-west and KCS runs north-south along the Texas-Arkansas border, also at 20-40 MGT.
Street map with Station-
http://stations.amtrak.com/amtrak/DetailedAreaMap.jsp?txtStationID=TXA&ssid=110&cid=1080080550724
Terraserver aerial shot-
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=15&X=1006&Y=9244&W=1&qs=%7ctexarkana%7c%7c
The ex MP yard is north of the SW-SP yard, stradling the border. The KCS is inside Texas to the west.
The bridge would be good for shots if it has sidewalks.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=15&X=2011&Y=18489&W=1&qs=%7ctexarkana%7c%7c
Photos-
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locThumbs.aspx?id=138864


KCS is the main player in Shreveport, and UP has a Houston-Arkansas route using KCS's bridge over the river.
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=95828
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=4&S=12&Z=15&X=538&Y=4496&W
KCS has a big yard to the west.
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=4&S=13&Z=15&X=263&Y=2249&W=1&qs=%7cshreveport+%7c%7c
http://maps.google.com/?ll=32.539288,-93.838005&spn=0.019247,0.037937&t=h
The KCS Kansas City and Dallas lines come together NW of the yard. The Houston line splits off to the south west of the bridge and the Meridian and New Orleans lines split east of the bridge.

[chad thomas]

Dale, are you really a person or a computer? Your so good at turning up information it's amazing.[;)]

[nanaimo73]

Thanks Chad. I really enjoy investigating these places, but I'd rather go there.