I'm gonna be up in Ft Worth for a few days letting the in-laws spend time with thier new born grand son. While I'm there, I am definately gonna be doing some good railfanning. I was curious if anyone knew of any good spots to railfan near Tower 55, since it, unfortunately, is inaccessible to the public. Any sugguestions on locations to set up are greatly appreciated. Thanks, y'all!
txspecial91 I'm gonna be up in Ft Worth for a few days letting the in-laws spend time with thier new born grand son. While I'm there, I am definately gonna be doing some good railfanning. I was curious if anyone knew of any good spots to railfan near Tower 55, since it, unfortunately, is inaccessible to the public. Any sugguestions on locations to set up are greatly appreciated. Thanks, y'all!
Presumably your interest is to watch the trains as opposed to just eyeballing the crossover(s). Tower 55 is closed.
A good place to see the east/west UP trains is from the platform for the former T&P Station, which is the last stop on the TRE. A good place to watch the north/south UP and BNSF trains is the southend of the Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) platform.
If you are at the ITC by 12:15 or thereabouts, you can watch the Heartland Flyer arrive from Oklahoma City. It is due at 12:23 p.m.
If you hang around until 1:25 p.m. you can see No. 21, the southbound Texas Eagle, arrive. On many days it will be as much as a half hour early arriving in Fort Worth.
Number 22, the northbound Eagle, is due in at 1:58 p.m. It is usually on-time, but it has been late on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday because of a late departure from San Antonio, which is frequently caused because the Sunset Limited, with the through cars, is late.
Fort Worth is a crew change and service point for all three changes. So you would have ample opportunity to watch the trains being serviced.
Between the arrival of the Heartland Flyer and the southbound Eagle, you can grab a bite to eat in the Subway, which is located in the ITC. Or you can mosey up to Main Street where there are some good restaurants.
While you are downtown pursuing your trains watching interests, you should visit the Fort Worth Water Gardens, especially if you plan to be in town during the spring.
If you want to get closer to Tower 55, you might be able to do so from East Vickery Blvd., which passes under the north/south tracks just south of the tower. I have never done it, and I am not sure what the terrain looks like or whether there is any parking nearby. I have always been happy watching the action from T&P and/or ITC.
txspecial91Which line has more traffic? The north/south line or the east/west line?
I believe the north/south lines have more traffic because they include the UP and BNSF, whereas the east/west line is mostly UP. However, the platform at the T&P Station is closer to the tracks used by the freight trains and, therefore, gets you closer to the action.
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