Sunday, March 28, 2004 photos taken at Saginaw, Texas and at Dallas Union Station plus some MPEG movies taken onboard the eastbound Texas Eagle, Amtrak 22, showing us passing semi-trucks and cars between Dallas and Mineola and going through towns at speed while it was pouring rain..

Rail action in Saginaw inludes: BNSF with some BN green and Santa Fe lettered warbonnets, CN, UP and the Heartland Flyer with private cars on the rear.  I was taken there by my friend Jerry Nunn, who lives and works in Fort Worth.  The Saginaw restored depot is a great place to safely view trains as the old Missouri Pacific, Santa Fe and Burlington all merger there.  We assume that the closest track to the depot was the MoP, the one that crosses two sets of tracks is the Santa Fe, and the tracks fartherest from us the old Burlington. I couldn't figure out what the track was that ran to the grain elevators, the second track from the depot.  Help would be appreciated. Thanks. (Ken Ziegenbein, trains@trainweather.com)


BNSF 8903, an empyt coal train, heads north at 1000 a.m. March 28.


Who owns these various tracks through Saginaw? Accorcing to Wes Carr, the UP track through Saginaw was never MP... it was built as the Rock Island, then became OKT/MKT and finally UP.   Santa Fe runs roughly north-to-south... single main from the north branching into three tracks (the main, plus two sidings, one on each side of the main, one of which leads to the Saginaw yard) just south of the diamond.  The FW&D runs southeast to northwest, with two main tracks.  It crosses the Santa Fe, but not the UP.   The Rock Island (UP) parallels the FW&D into Saginaw from the northwest.  North of the diamond, it is the line closest to the depot. After it crosses the Santa Fe it runs parallel to the Santa Fe south to Tower 60.  The line to the flour mill is just a switching lead, accessed via the ATSF line. (Thanks again to Wes Carr for this caption)


DPU BNSF 8955.


BNSF 9683 and 9865 running light northbound, 1015 a.m.


BNSF (BN green) 6373, southbound 1027 a.m.


What a great combination of color! Northbound SF 911 at 1106 a.m.


The skyline of Fort Worth can be seen looking south.


Three CN units head a train southbound at 1130 a.m. This train curved to the left and didn't cross over other tracks.


Another view.


BNSF 793309 refrigerator car. The blue squiggly line across the top of the car are part of the design. According to Wes Carr, many of the newer refrigerated boxes wear this scheme, designed (presumably) to resemble ice crystals, implying the cold temperatures within.


UP 6792, 1144 a.m.


The UP train passes the depot. Is this the original Saginaw depot and is it on the original spot?


Amtrak's Heartland Flyer heads to Forth Worth from Oklahoma City going through Saginaw at 1209 p.m.




Private cars were on the rear of the Fort Worth bound train. They are: "Skykomish River" ex-BNSF-Business Car, also ex-Great Northern sleeper, with dining facilities and lounge. Currently owned by Ozark Mountain Railcar of Forsythe, Missouri (www.ozarkmountainrailcar.com). The car next to the trailing locomotive is "Swift Stream" Lounge- Sleeper still painted in New York Central two-tone grey and white.  This car once ran on The "20th Century Limited" from New York City to Chicago.  Michael Gitlin vividly remembers having a snack in this particular car on one trip in 1965. (Thanks to Michael Gitlin for this information)


BNSF 7822, 212 p.m.


Inside Dallas Union Station about 330 p.m. March 28.


A UP freight passes the station in a pouring rain about 340 p.m.


Amtrak 22, the Texas Eagle, was on time, shown here arriving at 425 p.m.


Manually throwing the switch? They stopped the train here and you can see someone on the ground.


A pretty good crowd was waiting to board. The consist of this train was: Locomotive 140, Baggage 1242, Sleeper 32111 'Texas,' Diner 38009, Lounge 33013, Coach 31592, Coach 34069, Coach 34080, Sleeper (from LA) 32028.

Below are links to sound MPEG movies taken while on board the train as it sped through east Texas between Dallas and Mineola. These are mostly less than a half megabyte in size and requires a MPEG movie player, such as Windows Media Player. The first one, though, is of a train going over a crossing in Saginaw.

1) Sounds of the wheels of a freight going over crossing in Saginaw

2) From window, speeding along east of Dallas

3) Passing a semi on US 80 at speed

4) More passing cars

5) Through city streets

6) From rear car of train

7) Taken inside the Sightseer Lounge