Western Railroad Discussion > Catching the BNSF in SE Texas

Chapter 3 – The BNSF in the Beaumont area. 

1) Our first Day (Saturday) in Beaumont we found a BNSF Military train being loaded.  Little did we know that the train would leave the next morning and travel down some street running track through Long Ave.  Even if we’d known, we would have missed it as a friendly resident on the street told us it passed through at 5 am.  

2) Here’s Long Ave and the street running.  

3) When we first saw the KCS Lift bridge over the Neches River, it was just settling back down after being lifted for river traffic.  After spotting the signal on the other side, red over red, we figured a train was nearby, and it was.  A BNSF manifest.  I’ve since learned this bridge was built in 1941, is remotely operated from Kansas City (since 2004). Has a 200' wide clearance, 13' vertical when closed and 147' vertical clearance when opened. Longest span is 239', with a total length of 673'.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/22 20:16 by DelMonteX.

---

---

---

4) On Sunday we caught this BNSF train crossing the bridge.

5) The first train we found crossing through the Bairds Bayou was lead by CP 8814.  This train had some problem that kept it on the siding, while a train on the main was waiting to be re-crewed.  This was for about an hour or so, maybe two.  This created somewhat of a backup, benefitting us through much of rest of the day.

6) The last BNSF train we found was this one, a rock train I believe, headed north.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/22 20:17 by DelMonteX.

---

---

---

7) Here’s the DPU’s on the rock train. 

Next UP the up. 

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

---

Man, you have really done well on your visit. I have never seen them build the military trains inside the facility but the port of Beaumont units have brought it out the the yard between the bridge and the street running. Excellent bunch.
JB

More great coverage of the Beaumont area. I enjoyed my trip in April and found a drone very useful. Sadly, no street running for us either, although some BNSF guys did their best to find some! Chris uk.

Excellent shots around that bridge. You've made the most of what you can see in that area.

Anyone know who dispatches the bridge?

PCBill

bmarti7 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anyone know who dispatches the bridge?
>
> PCBill

From what I've read and heard over the radio, KCS.
 

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

I like Pics 1, 3, and 4!! 

Fantastic series!