Part 2 of my 2020 trip to Dallas will stay in the Union Station area where DART, Amtrak, Union Pacific, BNSF and DGNO train all converge. If you missed Part 1 you can find it here. Unlike many other cities, trackside access to this downtown corridor is particularly good with the only real limitation being the angle of the sun. Over my time in the city I generally moved from Tower 106 in the west to Tower 107 in the east. As before the entire set of photos can be found here (mirror).
We begin in the parking lot out before TOWER 106 adjacent to the DART Wye that funnels the lines to the south and west through the downtown corridor. Here we see inbound and outbound Blue Line trains with LRV's #242 and 192 respectively.
I was lucky enough to just happen upon the westbound departure of Amtrak Train 21, the Texas Eagle. Today the power was provided by P42DC #132. The Eagle had finally been shifted to the TRE route between Dallas and Ft Worth, saving both travel time as well as the delays from UP freight trains such as the eastbound movement moving through JFK Junction at the end of the video with AC4460CW #7021 and newly rebuilt C44ACM #6154. It was not uncommon for Trains 20 and 21 to loose up to an hour between Dallas and Fort Worth due to Dallas Sub congestion.
TOWER 106 is located behind the Texas School Book Depository building and in 1963 the operator was involved in the investigation into the presence of a second gunman on the grassy knoll.
DART LRV #206 crossing the Commerce St bridge on an inbound Red Line routing.
A scheduled TRE commuter train departed Union Station en route to Fort Worth led by F59 #122 and trailed by Bomber cab car #1003.
The Federal Courthouse disrupts the trackside walkway. While I was bypassing the property a UP freight train passed by with ES44AC #7951.
Back to Union Station here is an DART LRV #214 on an indeterminate routing.
A TRE trainset laying over at Union Station with cab car #1008.
The Denver Garland and Northern short line train I had previously spotted working the TRE line west of downtown, now showed up making its move through the Union Station complex to reach home tracks east of the old Reunion Center complex. Power consisted of SD40-2 #3418 on point and SD40M-2, a rebuilt SD45, #3418 behind.
A bit latter I caught UP SD70ACe #8912 in the helper position on a westbound Union Pacific manifest freight.
The timing was just right for me to catch the meet with that day's eastbound Texas Eagle Train #22 with Amtrak P42DC #63.
Train #22 proceeded to meet DART LED #125.
Which in turn passed under the Dallas Streetcar running in battery mode on the Houston St Viaduct.
DART LRV #257 passed by on an outbound Blue Line routing while Train #22 completed its protracted station stop.
The reason for the leisurely station stop became apparent when Train #22 along with Amtrak P42DC #63 eventually departed Dallas Union Station only to be stopped at REUNION interlocking to wait for a conflicting westbound freight movement.
DART LRV #141 passing the tail end of Amtrak Train 22 with the Dallas skyline in the background.
The cause of the delay was a westbound BNSF manifest freight running over the UP Dallas Sub with ET44AC #3959 and C44-9W #5201 up front.
Train 22 then got the go ahead while a westbound DGNO train with SD40-2 siblings, #3496 and #3495, waited its turn.
Wrapping up my little Union Station terminal area walkabout with a photo of TOWER 107 and a view of the station complex from the Houston St viaduct.
Along with a sunset as seen from the Hyatt Regency Dallas overlooking I35 and the Trinity River.
Next week we will be headed back to the DC area.
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