Saturday afternoon, June 11th of 2022, I got out around Fort Worth to see what activity I could catch. I started along Arizona Street southeast of Tower 55 as I had noted this day Amtrak trains 21 and 22 would probably meet at the Fort Worth Central Station. First up at 12:55 pm was a northbound empty BNSF coal train with a NS-led Union Pacific train a few minutes behind.
I drove up to Central Station where at 1:27 pm a westbound TEXRail train rolled in followed a minute later by a westbound TRE train.
Looking west down the platform as the TRE crosses over to single track toward the T&P station as TEXRail waits for its turn. The Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City is being serviced on the left before its late afternoon departure back north.
At 1:45 pm the TEXRail train returned eastbound from the T&P station with the eastbound TRE train passing by at 1:53 pm.
At 2:15 pm Amtrak 22 arrived 17 minutes late from San Antonio and shortly thereafter a fuel truck pulled up as normal to top off the P42 locomotive.
A few minutes later another westbound TRE train from Dallas pulled into the station.
Amtrak P42 number 69 is a regular on this route and is starting to look a bit rough around the edges after more than 25 years in service.
Amtrak 21 had followed the TRE train from Dallas and at 2:37 pm it arrived in Fort Worth 72 minutes behind schedule. I set up for these two photos with both trains in the same frame.
Immediatey after the arrival of train 21, the engineer on train 22 called the TRE dispatcher on the radio that they were ready to depart for Dallas. I moved back to the west platform area to record its departure at 2:39 pm.
Train 22 passes under the old building that is now headquarters for Trinity Metro.
With this chapter finished for the day I moved north to the south side of the Fort Worth Stockyards where at 4:23 pm I recorded the Grapevine passenger train returning to the Stockyards from Eighth Avenue with ex-New Haven FL9 number 2016 bringing up the rear.
On my way to the triple track section northeast of the Stockyards I stopped off at BNSF North Yard for these views of an SD60M/SD40-2 combination along with two fresh CSX rebuilds and one UP from the Wabtec factory in far north Fort Worth.
Now located just east of the Decatur Avenue grade crossing, at 4:48 pm I caught a westbound TEXRail train heading away from me downgrade to the Northside Station.
At 4:58 pm I captured this three photo sequence of an eastbound TEXRail heading towards DFW Airport.
At straight up 5:00 pm I heard a rumble from the east. I quickly set up for a westbound UP freight coming down Choctaw Main One from Haltom City where this track diverges from Choctaw Main Two, the ex-MP/M-K-T main line.
A quick move back down to the east side of Samuels Drive east of the Stockyards netted this view of the Hearttland Flyer at 5:30 pm crossing the Trinity River on its way to Oklahoma City.
Next I returned to my previous location just east of the Decatur Road crossing where at 5:48 pm a westbound TEXRail train headed downgrade.
In a few minutes the Grapevine passenger train would pass by on its way home up the Fort Worth & Western main just this side of the TEXRail main. I hoped to catch it in the same frame as a scheduled eastbound TEXRail train if a UP or BNSF train using Choctaw Main One did not pass by in the foreground. The Grapevine train with ex-ATSF GP7 number 2199 leading arrived first and then was overtaken by TEXRail in the background in this sequence. I achieved my goal in the third and fifth frames.
My last train of the day was recorded just south of Justin after coming away from the Wabtec factory and test track with nothing to photograph. A northbound BNSF manifest came out of Alliance Yard and passed me gaining speed at 6:51 pm.
Overall not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
