Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado.
Check out the TC&WRy on at https://www.facebook.com/TCWRy
Check out my MRR How-To YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/RonsTrainsNThings
Originally posted by n2mopac Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 21, 2005 10:59 AM The whole area is loaded with spots to watch the action from. Last time I was there was about 18 months ago so some of my info might be slightly outdated. There was a spot to watch the west throat of the yard right off of one of the main roads through town. It was an open lot between the road and the north side of the tracks. You could see the the BNSF bridge over the throat very well but in the entire 24 plus hours I was working the area I never saw one BNSF movement. Another decent spot is were US85 goes over the center of the yard on two bridges. The yard tower goes up right between the bridges. You can see down into the shop where 844, 3985 and the Centennial are stored from the west side of the southbound bridge, you just have to hope the doors are open. The was a sidewalk on the bridge so you don't have to worry about getting run over all that much. There are many other spots in town that are good spots and probably many others I never found. There are also quite a few spots outside of town. To the east Rd 215-3, also called Railroad Road follows the line out to the village of Hillsdale. I parked there and caught 8 trains in one hour before heading north to South Morril. The tail end of one train would disapear around the corner right as the headlight of the next appeared from the other way. West of town is Dale Junction. It has an old water tower and is the junction with trains coming from the south. The other line that doesn't go through Dale is followed closly by State Route 225 which will lead you back to Interstate 80. I found 80 was the easiest way to get up near Hermosa tunnel. Get off at exit 335 or 329 and the take back roads over to the tunnel. I would not recommend heading back into this area without a good map or up to date satelitte photos. Use the maps and help from local ranchers to find your way over to the tunnel area. The ranchers in the area didn't mind you driving over their lands as long as you CLOSE THE GATES BEHIND YOU. Also I would recommend having a four wheel drive vehice if you do go up to the tunnel. I'll write down more if I think of it. Reply Edit arbfbe Member sinceFebruary 2002 910 posts Posted by arbfbe on Thursday, April 21, 2005 12:40 PM Archer Hill is just east of town on US30 where the highway passes over the tracks. Unfortunately, it is filling up with subdivisions and is less photogenic that before. Tower A (building is long gone) is where the C&S (BNSF) crosses over the UP throat and is served by a public crossing. The lines split not far out of the west end of town so keeping track of where the trains are coming from and going to can be problematic. Follow the Interstate west of town for good shots and US30 east of town to explore the double track. You won't likely run out of trains though there will be some large gaps at times. Driving into the roho area is not as easy as it used to be and don't get out of the vehicle if you do. Expect a visit from the special agent. Reply miniwyo Member sinceJanuary 2003 From: Rock Springs Wy. 1,967 posts Posted by miniwyo on Friday, April 22, 2005 1:24 AM Actually, if you are planning on going to the steamshop, they ask you to call ahead and tell them when you are gonna be there. Don't plan on a tour between 11 and 12. that is when they go to lunch. Also, you can check out the 4004 Big Boy in Holliday Park I believe it is along Linclon Ave but im not sure. RJ "Something hidden, Go and find it. Go and look behind the ranges, Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go." The Explorers - Rudyard Kipling http://sweetwater-photography.com/ Reply n2mopac Member sinceFebruary 2001 From: El Dorado Springs, MO 1,519 posts Posted by n2mopac on Monday, April 25, 2005 10:58 PM Thanks all for the info. Your help along with that I got from the MR forum has helped me plan a good day of railfanning. Thanks again. Ron Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado. Check out the TC&WRy on at https://www.facebook.com/TCWRy Check out my MRR How-To YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/RonsTrainsNThings Reply JDHRAP Member sinceMarch 2003 From: US 7 posts Posted by JDHRAP on Tuesday, April 26, 2005 2:36 AM Cheyenne is a UP town. But get over to the BNSF yards and check out the old roundhouse that is now (was a few yrs back) some storage facility. Also nobody mentioned heading north of Cheyenne to Orin Jct. BNSF runs daily M-LAUDEN / DENLAU and you might get lucky to catch something else. South train (westbound) IF on time is 1230-1500 time frame. North train (east bound) is due in the area roughly 1900-2000 time frame. Other than that head to Orin Jct to see UP coal enroute back towards Scottsbluff, NE. Also check into Rodeo Specials that UP use to run between Denver and Cheyenne so you can get some passenger specials pulling into the famous station. Reply Join our Community! Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account. Login » Register » Search the Community Newsletter Sign-Up By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy More great sites from Kalmbach Media Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy
Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub
RJ
"Something hidden, Go and find it. Go and look behind the ranges, Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go." The Explorers - Rudyard Kipling
http://sweetwater-photography.com/
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