Hi!
We had dinner this afternoon at a restaurant next to the UP tracks/yard in Spring, Texas and our waitress was telling us about a "huge" train of military equipment that went near her house on the UP tracks in Conroe (Texas) last week. She said the equipment appeared used and worn, and we were trying to figure out where it was coming from and going to, etc. It is possible it was on the BNSF trackage near Conroe, although she indicated it was the UP.
Personally, the last military train I saw on this line was during Desert Storm, but I sure could have missed any others.
Thanks for your input!
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
It's possible the equipment was coming back from the desert and was headed for a refurb facility. Or it belongs to a unit coming back from the desert and was headed to their home base.
Many units train at Fort Polk, LA. Might have looked old and tired only because it hadn't been spit shined before loading.
Then again, pretty much everything is painted in desert camouflage these days. Doesn't exactly cater to the "new car" look.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
It could also have been a unit returning from the National Training Center in California. They probably wouldn't wash and clean up the equipment until they were back at their home station due to a lack of water and maintenance facilities at the NTC.
The dirt and grime picked up during maneuvers at NTC could well make the equipment appear old and worn out. With all the rain California has gotten in the past month, the equipment would probably have gotten very muddy.
At the NTC they have their own epuipment for the Blue force to use against the Red force that way units are not bringing in their own. 2 Complete Brigade sets for an Amorerd unit are there. They are set up with NTCs systems that are used there. There is not to much differance between an M1A2 at the NTC or one at Ft.Knox or one that is in Iraq. That was a Stratagey for NATO also we had the equipment sittig in Europe in POMCUS statshes were all the guys would have to do is fly in climb out of the C-5 or if they were lucky the 747 charter flight if they got one of those grab the Stews behind and jump in their tank.
If it was an inbound train, the it was one of the Texas National Guard Units equipment on deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan, their equipment was on the city docks at Gate 8 all last week being loaded into ships.
If it was an outbound, (headed away from Houston) odds are they were headed to Fort Hood for training and maneuvers, or just returned from deployment.
It was on the UP, they service the staging area for the local unit here and bring in and ship out most of the units equipment.
When you refer to "dock 8", is that in Galveston or New Orleans or ??
Thanks,
Port of Houston, Gate 8 to wharf 8 and 9.through wharfs 20.
Some of the wharves are private, most are city owned or leased to stevadore companies.
Gate 8 is the entrance to the Port near Wayside off of or from Clinton, gate 7 & 6 are closed to the public, gate 5 allows access to the Volkswagon and Volvo automobile distribution dock..
If you stand at Gate 8 entrance to the Port, you can see the wharf #8&9 from Clinton drive.
http://maps.google.com/maps?source=ig&hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=gate+8+port+of+houston&fb=1&gl=us&hq=gate+8+port+of+houston&hnear=Houston,+TX&cid=0,0,3638060353934275523&ei=NtFwS_nyBsWgnQfs9tGJCw&ved=0CAoQnwIwAA&ll=29.755045,-95.289531&spn=0.00557,0.013754&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A
Gate 8 is really about 100 yards past where the link shows it to be, right where the map says Clinton drive, the Y shaped road and it is directly across from the entrance to the Port of Houston railroad yard.
Turn in, go past High Level road to the next road, called of course Low Line road, and follow the two railroad tracks that dead end out on the concrete wharf.
That is where they load and un load.
OK, who posted the gargantuan link? LOL.
Below is a SBCT (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) returning to Fort Lewis, WA or Ft Richardson, AL after a deployment. You can tell it is a deployment train from the Containers on the rear. Units shipping to the NTC in California didn't take a whole lot of Containers from my memory back when they did railhead there, not sure if they still railhead there or not.
The four wheeled rubber tired vehicles on the DODX flatcars are Strykers for carrying Infantrymen. The vehicles have C4 (Command, Control, Communications and Computers) capability which allows networking between vehicles thats used on the Battlefield today. You can Email between Vehicles while they are on the move, also has a GPS type touchscreen map system inside that can relay the vehicles grid to back to command if they come under attack and pinpoints their location on a larger screen in the Command Area. The Strykers have the same type Armor as the M1 tank, not sure if it is as resistent to rounds though. The C4 is pretty cool stuff and was supposed to be part of FCS (Future Combat Systems program) can't remember if thats still a valid program or if Secretary Gates cancelled it.
I would venture to guess that the Strykers are barged up to Alaska from Vancouver? Then pulled North on the Alaska Railroad to Fort Richardson. Not sure though. If they are going to or from Ft. Lewis then that is near Seattle, WA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g23RBKnTlz4&feature=related
You got the industrial size thread page too?
switch123You got the industrial size thread page too?
Yeah, I don't know what happened there. On other Discussion forums I have been on that happens when a long link posted previous does not wrap properly. Someone might have fixed it OR it might have been something else.
Thank you all for your insight - and for that awesome video of the BNSF military train!
Looking at the containers reminds me of my oldest son's USMC experience in the '80s. He was involved with the "secret" mobile computer installations. I saw snapshots of a few very old looking and nasty highway trailers, that you would think were destined for scrap. However, if you looked closely, you would see that the tires/running lights were in excellent shape.
Inside, it was a very modern/clean computer set-up, with an A/C unit at the front of the trailer. I can't say what they were used for, but I do know my son (USMC Sgt at the time) had a couple levels of security clearance. Anyway, that was right before Desert Storm, and these trailers were eventually piggybacked to "parts unknown".
Thanks again,
One thing that has not yet been noted are the trains of damaged equipment that are run up to the Red River Army Depot in Texarkana. If the train was going through Conroe on the UP- it would have been a northbound, since this is directional running. UP trains to Fort Hood (and Fort Riley) would have gone north on the Navasota Sub. at Spring, then via Bryan and Hearne- not up the Palestine Sub. I have seen three military trains on the Palestine Sub in the last two years- one was a BNSF train (possibly going to Fort Leonard Wood), the other two were trains bound for Texarkana with equipment going for refubishment.
Last summer I also chased an eastbound military train on the BNSF Conroe Sub which was running from Fort Hood to Beaumont (another deployment port- BNSF, KCS and UP all have run military trains to the Port of Beaumont)- it was a 1st Air Cavalry train and consisted of equipment containers on DODX flats.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nordique72/3371524186/
I had heard the BNSF ran a military train of tanks north on the UP a couple nights ago- perhaps this was the same one that was spotted at Conroe.
Darn, missed it.
Caught one going north at Loop 336 southside at I-45 about eighteen months ago. It was UP engines with about 100 tanks on flat cars, heading north.
GoneSouth Darn, missed it. Caught one going north at Loop 336 southside at I-45 about eighteen months ago. It was UP engines with about 100 tanks on flat cars, heading north.
Sometimes see tank trains going past here. Anniston, Al army completes major repairs and overhauls of M-1s and you can see them from the Cresent on a weekdays in various states of undress running around - often with no turret.
Here is a train symbol for you from our track bulletins..
UKL5BJ
Operating within the Houston Terminal Complex, be governed by rule 1.36
Excessive dimension equipment on DDOX40090, 12 feet 06 inches wide.
This train contains 13 other DODX cars with the same dimensions.
Sorry. A picture, and direction of travel, sure would have helped. I wouldn't dare a guess.
Hays -- U. S. Army, Retired
waltersrails2 days a week i see 4 or 5 flat cars with hummers going through no big deal to me. now i have seen on 2 different times seen nukes with military workers in the caboose. they where a sight to see.
Well it's in the Army Regulations that Ammo has to be guarded 24 by 7 or under triple level security.
The Nuke cargo you need to be careful of because typically the guards if armed have authority to use deadly force. I don't know how they work it these days but when I was in the service it was deadly force for even getting too close, not for trying to pry open the cargo or climbing on it. It didn't matter if you were a civilian or wearing the same uniform. The same set of rules applied for Nukes. So if your sure they are Nukes its best to give them plenty of space you shouldn't photograph them either.
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