Light Rail in Titus County?

[RobertB]

While returning from vacation, I saw the strangest thing. On I-30 coming from Texarkana, shortly before the exit for Winfield, TX, there was a railroad overpass. Mounted on the overpass were what sure looked like catenary wires (an upper wire supporting a lower wire) for an electrified railway! I can't find anything relevant on Google, except for the Handbook of Texas entry for Winfield (http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/WW/hlw40.html) that notes that the primary rail line through town is the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/SS/eqs27.html), now apparently part of the Cotton Belt line.

If I'm remembering correctly, the crossing of I-30 on this map (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?ovi=1&zoom=7&mapdata=lSH7onY3BgRQbf1Bqev76Ny0Go2iaCUGuPb9%2b901 tSgwTYdBnjadWaMfvLYC%2fxe0ex8acewfCN7oBCNJwqwLcrMn OglOvgltfGABaz%2bPAheWR584FRVaQixOunhhospfnJgYF9WB %2bBC6oYOTylpCoz7%2f1qv1NN1cGYZY8qjwU24al2y5Uxx1sB ERiW1I9XVYmpS2PSEEXe3Y7uojbDQootJ%2b5NtKyNWdbOOuuA LjoWJmrGLRAk9IcwbbYGRtP2IWkVyiDnv7zouvH6FxKVsrhgWN vmmC%2bxHlCBeTOsxgV1xjv8qa7sg4%2bj5KVJJQO%2bHoQ5du nl8m%2bWCfw7eQz5wHOPyV4nLsEARhWCkKRJgghi6DcefzrHPb dkxCPD39ab4ZlR61Cvt7W1xPgtmRtqxBl8cRNsulWN5B) is the one, though it could be the crossing a few miles to the east.

Any information on this sighting? Is the DART expansion to Texarkana further along than I thought? :)

[texman]

Isnt there an electrified coal line in Texas..? You might of saw that, yet I don't know where coal mines are.

[RobertB]

Isnt there an electrified coal line in Texas..? You might of saw that, yet I don't know where coal mines are.
That sounds like a good clue. Googling on Winfield, Texas, and rail line turned up some coal-related references on the Texas Railroad Commission's website. Let's google on "electrified coal line texas"...

BINGO! Pictures and everything here: http://www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/txumonticello.html


Near the town of Mt. Pleasant, in northeast Texas, Texas Utilities (TXU) operates several miles of electrified railroad to serve its Monticello generating plant with locally mined lignite. TXU also receives trainloads Texas lignite (mined at nearby Thermo, near Sulphur Springs) from its connection with KCS south of the Monticello plant, and trainloads of powder river coal from a connection with UP's Commerce Sub north of Monticello at Winfield.

[...] TXU's Monticello line is located entirely within TXU property, with one public grade crossing at an un-named county road near the South Winfield mine, south of Winfield. Additionally, there are numerous locations where the tracks pass over area highways on bridges (including a bridge over interstate 30 at Winfield), and additional spots where county roads pass over the tracks on bridges.
What a great surprise! I'm going to waste some time now, following the links on the page. Thanks for the hint!

[texman]

I knew there was, I'm somewhat of a rail buff, I think this is one of the only electrified frieght lines in Texas. Great find too btw.

[RobertB]

I knew there was, I'm somewhat of a rail buff, I think this is one of the only electrified frieght lines in Texas. Great find too btw.
One of two, it appears. I guess it makes sense -- they're both run by TXU, the electric company, for hauling coal from the mine to the power plant. Why *wouldn't* TXU prefer to power its trains with its electricity?

Links to pix of the other train -- as well as an excellent train-buff introduction to the Dallas rail system -- available at the guy's home page: http://www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/home.html

[rantanamo]

Is that what those huge cranes/shovels are mining for? Have seen them all of my life, but didn't know exactly what they were looking for.

[drumguy8800]

Uhh - this is awesome:

http://www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/images/dallas-lowlight.jpg

I want to go find that bridge.

[texman]

You can see how the old St. Louis and ...(forgot the name) RR route ran straight down Pacific Ave in that photo.

[freewaytincan]

I have never seen that before. Amazing!

[CTroyMathis]

What a cool perspective in that photo.

Cool thread, too.

[Haretip]

That would be the Texas & PACIFIC Railway...

That is the bridge over the Trinity River on the line to Arlington and Fort Worth. The photographer squashed everything together for that incredible picture. I suppose that is a function of the focal length of the camera to pull all those objects together where they look a block apart? You can see Lew Sterrett University just to the right of the tracks.

Excellent photo.

[texman]

That would be the Texas & PACIFIC Railway...


so sorry...

[msutton]

electric freight rail!! that's awesome... i wish we had more of that in texas... i wonder if it will ever catch on here like it has in europe and asia?