The University of Texas first played the University of Oklahoma on a football field in 1900, and the annual game has been played every year since then. It was no different in 2025 and the day before the game on 10/11/2025 the Heartland Flyer extended its Oklahoma City to Fort Worth run with an afternoon round trip to Dallas to drop off game patrons. I decided to catch all the passenger action in the Fort Worth area.
The afternoon began with Amtrak 21 the southbound Texas Eagle pulling into Fort Worth Central Station at 12:41 pm.
The train stopped at the south end of the platform and passengers started to disembark.
My next planned stop was at the Trinity River bridges on the east side of Fort Worth, but then I spotted this composition for the approaching Heartland Flyer at the East Third Street overpass and made it happen a few minutes later at 1:01 pm.
I set up on the east bank of the Trinity and launched the drone in time to catch a westbound TRE train over the river at 1:37 pm.
The Heartland Flyer departed Central Station beginning the Dallas round trip and I composed this drone view with Fort Worth in the background shortly afterwards at 1:52 pm.
The Heartland Flyer was accelerating across the Trinity River but not so fast that I was able to reposition the drone for this view with more of the bridge in it.
There was also time for a going away photo. This year the train had no “Big Game” signs or banners, just three extra cars in between the two units.
At 2:07 pm the TRE passenger set that earlier was heading into Fort Worth was seen following the Heartland Flyer eastbound.
Amtrak train 22 the northbound Texas Eagle departed Fort Worth at 2:52 pm with eight cars behind a single locomotive.
I decided to catch the Heartland Flyer returning from Dallas at the Trinity Lakes Station in far east Fort Worth. Knowing the train would pass through the station at around 60 mph, I decided to use my DSLR instead of the drone to make it easier to get photos in both directions. The train sped through the station at 3:39 pm and I was able to catch it coming and going.
The Red River Rivalry was played on Saturday the 11th and Texas triumphed twenty-three to six.
