Various railroad photos taken during my trip to Texas June 11-14, 2003. Included are 'almot perfect' photos of a BNSF southbound rounding the curve in Brenham, Texas June 13; an 'almost perfect' shot of Amtrak's Texas Eagle southbound through Jefferson, Texas June 14; and an 'almost perfect' shot of a KCS loaded coal train crossing a bridge in Jefferson, Texas June 13.  I say 'almost perfect' because it was mostly cloudy on all those days.
   I also finally got a shot of a UP train through Navasota, Texas on June 12. It was a fun trip for my father's 85th birthday. To see more current and past railroad photos, go to http://www.trainweather.com/sunday.html. Email me - ken@trainweather.com.


CN2518, 200 pm June 11, 2003 northbound through Jefferson, Texas.




KCS2022 heads a loaded coal train across the new 1990 bridge just south of Jefferson, Texas on June 13 at 650 pm. The photo just above shows the abandoned old iron bridge.








Views of the coal train northbound. KCS2025 is the first locomotive in the helper position. I couldn't get the number of the UP unit. As many know, Jefferson has lots of antique shops and restaurants and had a jass festival going on while I was waiting there with my trusty folding chair.




Late in the day on Wednesday, June 11, I checked into the Oak Tree Motel in Hearne, Texas. There was a diner on the property with a great view of UP trains from the diner's windows. You can seen UP2287 passing southbound at 709 pm.  Texas Highway 6 is the road next to the tracks.




At 949 am June 12, 2003, northbound UP7544 crosses Highway 105 in downtown Navasota, Texas. Trailing was CSX8557.


This is Peabody Street in Brenham, Texas, milepost 126 on the old Santa Fe. My grandfather and I used to catch a southbound Santa Fe passenger train about 5 in the morning at this location in the late 1950s and head for Houston. Even then, there wasn't a real waiting room, so we stood just in front of the signals to the right of the road and waited for our train. I don't remember the train's name or number, but I do remember that about 30 minutes later on the schedule was the California Special, usually with the PA units, also heading for Houston. I also remember getting on here in Amtrak days, riding the InterAmerican from Arkansas.


A northbound train's headlights are seen in the distance, soon to cross the old Southern Pacific (now BNSF as well).


SF8712 heads the freight at 1034 am June 12. Almost like the old days with almost pure SF yellow and blue colors.


The original Santa Fe freight house still stands to the right of the curved tracks in Brenham.


MP126 at the Peabody crossing in Brenham. The connection is still in place to the old Southern Pacific.


You can still see the old foundation to the (I believe) Santa Fe passenger station. The Chamber of Commerce has built on the site. To the right is the SP tracks looking west.


This wig-wag signal was there when I was growing up in the 1950s and is still protecting Market Street in Brenham. It still works, but is getting awfully rusty.  It's protecting the old SP line.


LEFT-Looking east along the old SP, which now goes out to the Blue Bell plant. I remember when the building at right had another story and hearing SP trains moving past when we were shopping inside. It used to be a furniture store, I think.  RIGHT-Although difficult to see, this single bulb signal was green, indicating an approaching southbound. A BNSF employee there told me that it was always red unless a train was approaching.


Approaching southbound BNSF train rounding the curve at Brenham, June 13, 2003. About 30 minutes before, a BNSF truck pulled up to check the signals and I have him my Arkansas Railroad Club business card and a newsletter and asked if he knew when another train was coming. He called someone from his truck and told me there was one out of Somerville and it would be there in about 30 minutes.  Thanks, whoever you were!


BNSF4185, 1027 am June 13. This would have been a perfect picture had the sun been shining, but I finally got my train through Brenham.


While driving east of Buffalo on Highway 79, the sky turned very dark. From just east of Buffalo all the way to Henderson it poured, with traffic slowed to 30 mph the whole way.


It's now Saturday, June 14, 2003 and I'm at the Cass Street crossing in Jefferson, Texas. Amtrak's Texas Eagle southbound was a couple of hours late at 1057 am.


Amtrak had just started using only one locomotive on it's trains a few weeks before.


UP2209, 147 pm, southbound approaching Cass Street in Jefferson on June 14.




These old signs were inside the Riverport Barbeque restaurant in Jefferson. The KCS sign was located at KCS milepost 50.26.


The UP and KCS cross in Jefferson - the UP is left-right.

Another railroad in town is the now-opened Jefferson & Cypress Bayou narrow gauge 2 1/2 mile tourist railroad. This loops around Cypress Creek and is a very interesting ride to take.