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.

Amtrak Window Watching…Storefronts, Main Street USA, Houses Galore

Taking a trip through the heartland of America? Let's see….should we drive? How about flying? I think I prefer taking the train. Now, the Amtrak routes are pretty limited, but if you live near one of the train stops, as I do, and if you are going in the direction of the train tracks, which I do, then Amtrak is a wonderful way to travel. 

When driving on a busy interstate, it is hard to take pictures of the countryside unless one stops the car along the side of the road. Even then, there is so much clutter that distracts from the focus of a photo. There are billboards, traffic signs, high wire lines, and the highway itself. All messy stuff that makes photos dull and uninteresting. 

When riding the rails, on the other hand, there are many opportunities to capture the true feel and flavor of small town America. That is why I usually spend the whole time I am on the train with my camera pointed out the window. I never know what is coming up next and I want to get shots of iconic Americana.

This post highlights the buildings I spotted while riding from San Marcos to Fort Worth, a trip that normally takes about five hours, travelling almost due north from central Texas toward the Oklahoma border.

There are delelict buildings that have their own beauty when a deep blue sky provides a backdrop, like this old brick two story building. Even the boarded up windows are photogenic.

Look at First National Bank, Anytown USA. There are no cars parked in front, so I wonder if the bank is open anymore. It may also be abandoned, who know for sure?

Here is Buckley and Welch Hardware Store, complete with an old painted advertisement for some kind of beer. If you look closely to the left of the store, you can see the front of a bright blue tractor.

Now, this little store is located in trendy Zilker Park, which is in the state capital of Austin. It is called Zilker Food Park. Apparently, this store caters to dog owners, as their marquee states that dog gear is available, and there are cute dogs in each of the store windows. There are also doggies on the rooftop, for some strange reason.

Notice also the bike lane and special bike traffic markings. Cycling is very popular in Austin. Austin is home to Lance Armstrong, seven times Tour de France winner.

I think this building is part of an old army post to the north of Austin.

This an abandoned building which has been partially covered with 4x8 sheets of OSB painted a rusty reddish orange. Note the curved roof line that is similiar to one of the most iconic Texas buildings, the Alamo. There are many "Alamo" type roof lines to be found across Texas.

Wow, this orange brick building with its skinny smoke stack, sitting next to shiny grain storage bins is very eye-catching. Here they sit, these old structures, hidden from the heavily travelled highways, treasures to be seen if train passengers have a keen eye.

These buildings form the main street area of another small Texas town. The sage green paint with the white trim is awesome.

Rural Texas homes have so much more character than suburban carbon copy bland houses. Look at the port hole windows in this faux Swiss Chalet. Don't you love the lavender trim paired up with the turquoise accents?

This is the mansion featured in the campy movie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Right now, cotton is ready for harvest. The field in the foreground will probably be harvested this week.

I love white picket fences. This 1930's farm house has a lovely fence surrounded a large yard of green grass. Texas has been blessed with quite a bit of rain in the last couple years, after suffering through  years of drought. We love green grass.

When the train passes through some of the larger cities like Austin and Temple, passengers can peek into the back yards of suburban tract houses. These homes have little charm, in my opinion, though many people consider these kind of homes as highly desirable and charming. To each his own….

This yellow house with it's shiny tin roof, looks like it needs a little landscaping and some trees. It might  have been built in the last year or two. It is hard to tell.

Most of the time, I snap photos with barely a chance to even see what I am photographing. The train may be travelling anywhere from thirty miles per hour to as much as eighty miles per hour. I only have a split second to make a choice, whether to snap or not. Often, it is not until I transfer the data from my camera to my large computer screen, before I find out what I have captured. This back yard is a prime example. As I studied this on the computer, I saw the blooming sage and the purple martin bird house, which were what caught my eye onthe train. On the computer, I saw, in addition, the two concrete deer statues in the grass, the wishing well, the toddler play house, the bird bath and the lattice for some climbing roses.

More Americana and Texas stuff coming up, so come back and visit again!