Railfanning San Antonio

National Train Day at the Sunset Station.

 

I caught these 2 sitting in Kirby Yard all alone, slow night.

 

Drove through Kirby today and saw a coal train, caught this loco at the end.

When that train moved I got a good shot of this loco I video recorded a few days before.

 

First shot is from a video at Sunset Station, rest are from Kirby Yard.

 

Here is a new (for me) rail fanning spot in San Antonio, Texas. It is on the north side of Kirby Yard in some large warehouses. This link shows the satellite photo of the location. You drive to the end of Macro Street and turn right. The spot is where all the truck trailers are located but there are no trucks there now. The warehouses seem empty.

 

Okay, try that. It is a Yahoo map. Please advise if it doesn't work.

This is a very good spot. One of my buddies and I are going to put a picnic table down there under a mesquite tree and mow the grass so we can get out of the sun in the hot summer. There is no water and no toilet facilities so it is for the hard core in July and August.

It's probably private property. We will try it until they run us off. For sure it is not railroad property.

 

I've been back down in the are where it shows trailers once but never in the grassy area. I didn't think I would see much at the time as the mainlines are on the opposite side and the yard was full. Still, I'd brave going back there this summer.

 

Good point and I thought this about the mainlines, too. But I found that the mainlines are higher on the south side than the tracks near to you. It is much easier to see the trains on the north side of the tracks as the ground slopes up away from you.

OTOH, it is also true that the main line tracks are further away and I did not actually see a mainline train go through the one time I was there on the north side.

 

I just thought of another railfanning spot in San Antonio. There is a lot of refurbishing of old structures in San Antonio. One of those is the Hayes Street bridge between the station and the engine terminal. The bridge has been repaired and is now a pedestrian walkway that crosses the old Sunset main lines. Should be a good spot if there are any engines running.

Here is a photo I took many years ago. The tracks are at the far end of this picture. I am standing in the parking lot behind Roddis Lumber and Veneer Company.

 

Little bit of an update to the San Antonio Texas railfanning scene:

1) East Yard has picked up a bit due to the opening of a ethanol facility and a small liquid oxygen facility.

2) Several locals are now based out of East Yd. They work the Cuero Branch, Rockport Branch, Kerrville Industrial lead which includes San Fernando Yd on the Austin Sub main # 1 and up to North Loop siding.

3) A manifest train is built at East Yd for Harwood Tx that runs several times a week.

4) From time to time you get a BNSF train that will make a pick-up going eastbound.

SP7615

 

This is a good railfanning spot in San Antonio. It is right behind Kirby Yard.

29°27'52.76" N 98°23'57.39" W

This picture was taken from that location.

 

Yes it is. I hope to be at the show myself, but I'm not sure how much.

 

Not being from San Antonio, but using an industrial spur as the basis for my small shelf layout, I was wondering if there is much activity on said industrial spur that runs SE down across N WW White Rd? I've looked at several different mapping pages and have seen refrigerator cars at the Cargill location on Profit Dr., tank, hopper, box and centerbeam flat cars on the team track (with an end-loading concrete ramp), just behind Davis Hardware and Supply on N WW White Rd., centerbeam flats at a couple of the lumber yards on the line, hoppers at Douglas King Seed Co. on Emil St., and boxcars at (what used to be??) the International Paper location and what looks like a transfer warehouse across the tracks (both off Pop Gunn St.) The imagery is less than a full year old, I'm guessing.

I am wondering if anyone has ever done any railfanning in this area and if there is a regular local working this spur. From the map imagery, it looks like its worked by a 2 loco lashup, one UP and a patched SP, maybe....GP 38's? This area looks like it might be fun to get video of some industrial switching.


My model railroad is called Salado Junction, and the trackplan is based on that found in Lance Mindheim's book "How to Build a Switching Layout," just a couple spurs serving industries (a warehouse and a food distributor), and a team track.

Thanks for any info anyone can give!

-Zcoast

 

That spur is still being used and I usually see two GP60's, one yellow and usually an unpatched Cotton Belt (9699 or 9647) or an SP. I never get a chance to railfan there as most of what's going on happens before I go out at 3pm. I'm still planning on getting a video at King Seed one of these days.



This pic shows a local heading towards the W.W.White crossing going South East on said spur.

 

Has anyone been out to the Salado Jct spur recently? Is King Seed still receiving shipments via rail? What about the team track? I am closer to the area now and am starting to plan a 2013 railfan day in SA and want to know when would be the best time to head out that way.

Thanks,
ZCoast

 

Wanted to check in to see if anyone has done any railfanning recently? I see autoracks, intermodal, and mixed-freight coming and going but haven't seen anything in the last year or so for industrial shipping. I think even King Seed might have stopped receiving rail shipments?