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Tracks next to stadiums?

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Posted by rluke on Sunday, June 7, 2009 6:26 PM
There is an Amtrak station on the NS line next to the new Cleveland Browns stadium. If we could get the Browns to play their home games at 3:00 in the morning it would work out great. rluke
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Posted by Deggesty on Sunday, June 7, 2009 6:56 PM

tomikawaTT

When I went to Tuscaloosa to watch the NCAA Womens' Gymnastics finals some years ago, I recall seeing a freight train running just over the parking lot fence to the south of the fieldhouse.

The mainline of the AGS (now NS) runs just south of Denny-Bryant Stadium in Tuscaloosa. I have seen the field when going by on various passenger trains.

Johnny

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Posted by Beach Bill on Sunday, June 7, 2009 8:14 PM

"NYSEG" stadium in Binghampton, NY is home to the Binghampton Mets (it was the Binghampton Bees when I visited there), members of the Class AA Eastern League.  Former Susquehanna and D&H tracks are just past the outfield wall.  Buy your seats fairly high in the stands to be able to watch the train action along with your baseball, otherwise you will only get to see the tops of the diesels and cars.

Bill

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Posted by Mark F on Sunday, June 7, 2009 8:29 PM

Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo MI has NS/Amtrak running past right across the street. The student section used to chant "Amtrak, Amtrak" when a train went by during Western Michigan Unv. football games.

The Carolina Panthers football stadium has (or had) a spur running right thru the parking lot. I think it went to the newspaper.

There once was a GTW line along side the Pontiac Silverdome. 

 

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Posted by Beach Bill on Sunday, June 7, 2009 8:33 PM

And I forgot to mention the New Orleans Zephyrs (Class AAA, Pacific Coast League).  Zephyr Field has a yard from the former Illinios Central in behind the stadium, across the parking lot.  The only way to watch the trains from the stadium would be to stand along the top row of seats and look back away from the baseball, however.

Bill

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Posted by SFbrkmn on Sunday, June 7, 2009 8:43 PM

rluke
There is an Amtrak station on the NS line next to the new Cleveland Browns stadium. If we could get the Browns to play their home games at 3:00 in the morning it would work out great. rluke

As bad as the Browns will be in '09, it might be a good idea to move kickoffs to 0300. This thread has got me to thinking even more.I'm limiting to facilities I've actually seen for myslf. Wichita: Friends Univ football next to the former MP/UP now KO track (I can recall from many yrs ago listening to Falcon games on KFH and a Mopac train passing by, so loud it would drown out the broadcaster voice),  St.Louis: Scott Trade Center across street from Amtrk station, New Orleans: Spuerdome next to Amtrk station, Chicago: Solider Field next to Amtrak south line and in the Ft.Worth/Dallas area, the Rangers baseball park across from the Amtrk TX Eagle route.
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Posted by henry6 on Sunday, June 7, 2009 10:11 PM

Beach Bill

"NYSEG" stadium in Binghampton, NY is home to the Binghampton Mets (it was the Binghampton Bees when I visited there), members of the Class AA Eastern League.  Former Susquehanna and D&H tracks are just past the outfield wall.  Buy your seats fairly high in the stands to be able to watch the train action along with your baseball, otherwise you will only get to see the tops of the diesels and cars.

Bill

There is no "P" in Binghamton....lots of crap, but no "P"!  And it is the former DL&W and Erie track you see now NS.  The field itself is built on the former frieight yard, freight house and Acme Fast Freight (forwarder) warehouse.

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Posted by Los Angeles Rams Guy on Monday, June 8, 2009 6:42 AM

Don't forget Kinnick Stadium, the football home of the Iowa Hawkeyes which has the former Rock Island (now IAIS) Chicago - Omaha mainline running by it on the southwest side of the stadium.  I vividly remember when I was an elementary school kid back in the late 60's hearing the RI freights that rumble by.  

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Posted by Victrola1 on Monday, June 8, 2009 7:21 AM

http://quadcities.riverbandits.milb.com/ballpark/page.jsp?ymd=20080606&content_id=410802&vkey=ballpark_t565&fext=.jsp&sid=t565

Pay for it and name it, used to be John O' Donell (SP?), stadium in Davenport, IA. This park sits between the now Canadian Pacific and the Mississippi River. Sit high along left field for viewing trains and barges. 

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Posted by ndbprr on Monday, June 8, 2009 7:40 AM

You have to be pretty old I guess to remember Crosley Field in Cincinatti.  A park so small there was a terrace in center field to keep the outfileders from injuring themselves running into the wall.  Beyond the wall was a branch line and I-75.  I can remember more than one game on the tube where a switch crew had either slowed dwon or stopped in centerfield to watch the game

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Monday, June 8, 2009 7:53 AM

Not quite a stadium, but a CSX main line runs adjacent to Augusta National and is visible from some of the fairways.  I recall reading several years ago that the appropriate roundhouses were requested to assign motive power in full CSX "Bright Future" colors to trains on that line during the week of the Masters tournament.

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Posted by oskar on Monday, June 8, 2009 12:33 PM

Augusta's James Brown Arena. It has CSX's line leading to 11th Street, which splits to go to Atlanta (Georgia Sub) or Spartanburg (McCormick Sub). NS also runs by the JBA with Street Running on 6th Street (R Line).

The JBA was home to the Augusta Lynx, who folded in December after 10 years of minor league hockey.

 

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Posted by desertdog on Monday, June 8, 2009 1:25 PM

ChuckCobleigh

First of all, I am shocked that nobody mentioned Wrigley Field in Chicago. The CTA Red Line runs just east of Sheffield Avenue and sports the Addison Street station. If you are sitting in the upper deck, you watch the trains coming and going, including some great arcing action from the third rail, well visible even during a day game.

Here in San Diego, Petco Park is right next to the trolley orange and blue lines and the rail line coming up from the BNSF yard towards Santa Fe station. In Mission Valley, the trolley green line runs through the southern portion of the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot and stops at a station there.

At one time, the C&E / Milwaukee Road (a/k/a the "Lakewood" Branch) ran right past Wrigley Field.  There was even a siding.

John Timm

 

 

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Posted by ns3010 on Monday, June 8, 2009 5:11 PM

NJ Transit is building a branch off of the Pascack Valley Line that will go to the Meadowlands. It will open this summer (I forget the exact date, but I'd like to say July 26). For now, it will have service for sporting events, but it will get regular service once the new shopping mall opens.

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Posted by CNSF on Monday, June 8, 2009 6:00 PM

Am surprised no one has yet mentioned the "Rogers Centre" (many still prefer to call it the Skydome), home of the Toronto Blue Jays (and Argonauts of the CFL).  It was built on the site of CN's downtown Toronto roundhouse, a few blocks from Union Station.  The tracks leading to the station run right next to the foundation.  There are no views from inside the stadium, but from multiple pedestrian footbridges leading to it you can watch VIA, GO Transit, and Ontario Northland passenger trains as well as the occasional CN freight. 

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Posted by desertdog on Monday, June 8, 2009 6:14 PM

Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin--Madison is located a block from the former Milwaukee Road line to Prairie Du Chien (and beyond to the Dakotas in the past).  At one time there was a siding next to the Engineering building where football specials would park.  I believe that during the time that the Wisconsin and Calumet operated the line, they also ran some football specials on a trial basis.  This line is now part of the Wisconsin and Southern.

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Posted by thayer north sub on Monday, June 8, 2009 7:16 PM

Hammons Field in downtown Springfield,Mo.AA affliate of the St. Louis Carrdinals. When a coal train sounds for the crossing behind the outfield fence, well it echos very loud. Baseball and coal trains with dpu on the end. Homerun.      Brian

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Posted by toastpoint on Monday, June 8, 2009 8:50 PM

Frontier Field in downtown Rochester, NY is home to the International League Red Wings. The CSX Chicago line passes the stadium on a fill above right and right-center field and features several freight and  Amtrak trains daily and nightly. The best view of the trains is from the third base side of the stadium.

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Posted by sunbeam on Monday, June 8, 2009 9:23 PM
Houston Astros play at Minute Maid Park which was built on the site of the tracks/platforms for Houston Union Station. The headhouse has been restored as the main entrance and offices to the stadium. The Houston Belt & Terminal tracks have all been pulled out, but the UP Congress Yard is about a mile to the SE . TNO #982 is on display next to the stadium, although SP trains didn't come into Union Station. Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos is where Texas State University home games are played. The west side of the stadium is less than 100 ft. from the UP main (ex-MP Laredo to Longview), and at least 2-3 trains pass by per game. Almost every upper deck seat has a great view of the track, as well as the game.
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Posted by aut1rml on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 3:25 AM

Yes my wife and I rode AMtrack from Indy to Chicago last week, and got a good look at Lucas Oil stadium from the coach. I think that is at or near CSX cp.IU

The ride to Chicago was frustrating, we had more than nine slow orders and other restrictions along the way. The price was right but 5 hours stinks. I was shocked by some of the track condition in northern Indiana. Funny thing is we ran the fastest 45mph and more over jointed rail that was very uneven. I felt sorry for the old lady that made many trips to the toilet due to stomache flu with the cursloshing and all.

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Posted by GNR8055 on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 7:34 AM
Former Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh (B&O) tracks run right behind Ralph Wilson stadium in Orchard Park, NY. Home of Terrell Owens, ooops, I mean the Buffalo Bills. There was talk a few years ago about using the trackage to bring special fan trains in from other parts of NY.
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Posted by dehusman on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 8:09 AM

The Houston Astros' Enron field is built on the Houston Union Station train yard.  The old station building has been incorporated into the facade.

It has a locomotive that runs out when they hit a home run.

So it is near the tracks, on the tracks and has a train in it.

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Posted by Harbinger on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 8:28 AM

 The New Orleans Superdome is right next to the NO Union Terminal.    Also, the IC ran about 100ft or so from Alex Box Stadium on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

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Posted by RoyPBower on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 8:45 AM

The Florida East Coast Railway's branch to the Port of Miami passes just in front of Miami's American Airlines Stadium. Considering TriRail trains for special games/events can travel down this spur, it is particularly amazing that no station planning was included when the stadium was constructed.

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Posted by spokyone on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 1:08 PM

Madison Square Gardens have tracks very close. I couldn't see any trains from my seat however.Wink

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Posted by henry6 on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 1:21 PM

spokyone

Madison Square Gardens have tracks very close. I couldn't see any trains from my seat however.Wink

 

Look straight down.

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Posted by penncentral2002 on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 1:30 PM

Busch Stadium in St Louis is close (about a block away) from a large TRRA yard and the approaches to the MacArthur Bridge - from the upper deck concourse, there is a pretty good view of the bridge.  A lot of the parking lots are near a large train yard.

Marshall University has a CSX locomotive painted in its colors thanks to the Huntington Locomotive Shops - it used to go to the home games and some of the road games. apparently there is a spur right next to the stadium where they would park it.

Also on the college level, James Madison University's football stadium sits right next to Norfolk Southern tracks (ex-Chesapeake & Western).  Back when I was young, students and others used to sit on the hill to watch the games to avoid the prohibition of alcohol in the stadium.  Occassionally, they made announcements saying that a train was coming and the game was stopped while the train passed - the JMU band would pay tribute to the train by playing "The Orange Blossom Special."  Eventually, they used increased train traffic to close off the hill and now while the tracks are still there, any view from the hill would be blocked by a new scoreboard. 

Richmond's former minor league stadium (now used by VCU) used to be near a spur off of the former SAL Hermitage Road yard, but I think its been removed, but CSX trains still roll by only about a block away.

The now demolished football stadium in Roanoke (best known for hosting the formerly fierce football rivalry between Virginia Tech and VMI) sat near the Virginian station which is last time I saw a burned out hulk.  NS trains still go by there frequently.

RFK Stadium sits across the Anacostia River from the ex-B&O (now CSX) Benning Road yard in Washington, DC.  Uline Arena (long closed and converted to a trash transfer station - best known for hosting the first Beatles concert in the US in 1964 while known as Washington Colisseum, but also hosted basketball and boxing) is very close to the Ivy City engine terminal near Washington Union Station.

  

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Posted by Sunnyland on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 4:04 PM

Busch Stadium in St. Louis is close.  We have a light rail system that stops right at the Stadium.

Union Pacific has a big yards nearby (former MoPac yards).  Their trains can be seen from the stadium heading out to go over the river.  Amtrak also passes nearby as it heads for the tunnel under the Arch.

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Posted by Gasman63 on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 4:14 PM

 If University Stadiums count, University of Louisville Football Stadium (Papa Johns Cardnial Stadium) is on the site of the old L & N Shops abd us at the junction of the Former L & N Main Stem and Short Line.

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Posted by MarknLisa on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 5:32 PM

The Bob Devany Sports Center in Lincoln NE is right next to the BNSF line. Once while at a basketball game there was a PA announcment..."To the owner of the blue Oldsmobile Cutlass license 16-16y42 you are parked too close to the tracks. You may pick up your car in Havelock, Waveryly, Greenwood and Ashland after the game."

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