Amtrak Window Watching and Finding Things That Go Vrooom

Take a look at the wide variety of mechanical machinery one can spy while looking out the window of the Amtrak train as it makes its way through the heart of Texas. If you pay attention, you can spot old classics, military has-beens, work trucks, construction machinery, and lots and lots more. 

Without a lot of comments, here are some of my finds as I travelled from San Marcos to Fort Worth.

The 1965 (approx) Ford Econoline van/pick up was a rarity even in it's day. This one was spotted in Taylor, Texas, close to the train tracks.

Big Kirk has a big bar-b-que stand. He serves central Texas, and he caters, according to the info on the side of his trailer.

Here's a boat parked on the side of someone's house. It must be used or moved fairly often because the grass underneath it is not dead.

Salesmen/women at small car lots often have to spend the first part of the morning blowing up balloons and putting them out where they may help attract the attention of car buyers. These balloons also caught the attention of your humble blogger as she looked out the window of the Amtrak train.

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognized brands in the whole world. I wonder how many trucks are in their world-wide fleet. A million, perhaps? It wouldn't be outside the realm of believability, I think.

Do you want to buy a used pick-up truck? Many folks prefer to buy from an individual, rather than from a dealer. They think they will get a better price, I suppose.

And then there are the unique and wildly inventive contraptions built by people who think on a whole different plane than most. All you have to do is look at this trailer built from the back end of a chevy pick-up to see that this is true.

If you sit on the left side of the train as it travels north, you can see the collection of old military planes and helicopters between the Austin and Taylor stops.

Pick-ups seem to be the most common form of transportation for Texans for day to day use, but there are lots of folks who love to ride motorcycles for pure fun. It is interesting to note that the state of Texas has madatory seatbelt laws for car passengers, but there are no mandatory helmet laws for bikers. It doesn't make sense, but then who expects our elected officials to enact legislation and regulations that make sense, right?

Ahhhhh, the peaceful and relaxing ride on a good lawn mowing machine….there is nothing like thinking about the mysteries of the universe while cutting the grass.

Here's another pick up truck….

I am not sure about the make of this old car. One passenger on the train said it looks like an old Rolls Royce. Maybe, I don't know for sure, though.

I love spotting rusty old wrecks sitting out in the sun in fields and back yards. I wonder what their stories are, why they are kept, who loves them, what they looked like back in the day and if they will ever run again.

This looks like the bus yard for some small school district.

And here are a couple of service vans waiting to be used.

Oh my. Is this an old Ford Thunderbird? I can picture it cleaned up and shiny, and ready for a hot Saturday night date. Yeah!

I see quite a few trains on my trip. They pass us regularly on the tracks. It can be a little unnerving when a train travelling sixty or seventy miles an hour passes, travelling in the opposite direction. It seems like there is only ten or twelve feet between the two trains, though I imagine there is a little more space than that.

This corvette has great lines, but the paint job is a little rough, haha. I'll bet it still runs fast, though.

A fleet of trucks wait for their load at a yard somewhere along the train lines.

And finally, for all the road construction going on, here are a couple of big rigs hard at work.

Taking the Amtrak Train, San Marcos to Fort Worth Part 1

Once again, your Wild About Texas blogger has gotten to ride the Amtrak train to visit grandchildren who live in Fort Worth. I boarded the train at the San Marcos station, though "station" hardly describes the single metal bench sitting within fifteen feet of the tracks.

I love riding the train.

The seats are comfy and generally, there are plenty of seats to choose from. I have only had a seat mate once, and I have always been able to sit next to the window, so I can take photos. The train runs smoothly and quietly. Even the train whistle, which toots several times at every crossing, is not loud enough to be a nuisance.

After the train departs from each stop, the Amtrak attendant comes by each new passenger after they have chosen their seat. He has a pad of card stock stubs and he marks the three letter code for our stop on the stub and sticks it in a slot overhead. San Marcos is SMT, Austin is AUS and Fort Worth is FWT.

There are two cars set aside for eating. The first is the concession car, where someone can purchase snacks and soft drinks.  There is also the more formal dining car. The chef serves five star meals to diners, who are seated community style at tables that seat four people. Choices usually include a steak dinner, some sort of baked chicken dinner, a pasta meal plus a couple of other varying choices.

People pass the time in different ways. This lady knitted the entire trip. I bet she got quite a bit done.

As this gentleman passed my seat, I stopped him and commented on the patches on his jacket. He looked a little self-conscious when I asked permission to photograph him, though he did agree to pose.

Here he is in the concession car, enjoying his coffee with a couple of other passengers.

The young lady sitting next to me had her two year old with her. He was such a good boy. When another mom and her girls walked past, the two toddlers instantly noticed each other and squealed with joy. Even though they had never met, they wanted to be friends.

Momma read to her sweet boy,

And entertained him by looking out the window at the passing scenery.

And the scenery was very interesting. Come back tomorrow to see some of the quirky things I spotted as I looked out my window. There should be a post highlighting cars, trucks and heavy machinery, one on wonderful buildings, one on folks who were close to the tracks as they did their normal, routine tasks, and maybe even a post on the farms, ranches and wilderness that we passed.

I Spy....One Last Look Out the Train Window

When I packed for my train trip, which was supposed to last for about five and a half hours, I took my Bible, my crossword puzzles and my camera. I wasn't sure what I would feel like doing to pass the time, so I wanted to be prepared. 

Once the train started its run, however, I could not take my eyes away from the ever-changing view. It was kind of like a treasure hunt, for I never knew what would pass in front of the window in the next few seconds. I held my camera up for a while, snapping a few pictures, then I would put it down, only to discover I missed something even better....

So, by the end of the 300 mile trip from Fort Worth to San Marcos, I took almost 400 pictures. After narrowing down the choices, I still ended up with too many to share, so I finally decided on about 40 or so, in other words, about 1 out of every 10 that I took!

Here are the last of them with just a few comments about why I like these above the other 350 or so...

The Temple train station was by far the most interesting. They have a "collection" of old trains on display (if you can call a bunch of trains a collection). We were told repeatedly not to venture beyond the fence, but as you can see, not everyone followed that injunction.

Ok...I adore red barns!

For all you farmers out there, I included a few shots of the crops that have been planted. However, I don't know what they are...sorry about that.

This is one of the very small towns we passed. Often, the main street is the only street.

The train travelled through many farming communities. Grain silos abound.

This lone chimney stood among piles of bricks and lumber.

Now, here's a shot that just made me smile. It has everything...a little church, clothes hanging on a line to dry, a couple of old pick up trucks, a tiny camper, and a man grilling on a large barbeque grill.

A lot of the roads in rural Texas are just dirt and caliche, like this one. In the dry summer months, cars kick up trails of white dust as they pass.

Here's one of the microwave towers that allow us to talk on our cell phones wherever we go.

And here's another farm. This farmhouse reminds me of my own little cottage. My house has a different style roof, but the layout looks very similar.

Miles and miles of wire cross Texas, carrying power to all the cities and towns.

Football is a big deal in Texas. Here is a football stadium. I think it is for a high school, but I am not sure.

A bale of hay, a windmill and a mobile home...home, sweet home for some lucky family.

On a grander scale, here is a two story farm house with a big rig sitting in the driveway.

There is some major highway construction going on in Texas, including a new north/south highway to relieve some of the congestion on Interstate 35. Here, ground has been cleared, pipes are waiting to be put in place, and a tanker of who knows what is resting on supports about 15 feet in the air.

During the hot summer months, I am sure this community pool will be filled with kids.

I am not sure, but I think this is a concrete plant.

As we approached Austin, the landscape changed dramatically. This is a very upscale parking garage.

But this is a very downscale junk yard. In the background, you can see some of Austin's taller buildings.

We passed so close to this building that I could not even get it all in frame.

Finally, outside Kyle, I saw this lone red boat parked in a storage facility...a fitting end to my collection of train trip pictures.