So on the UP line that Amtrak routes the Texas Eagle (I think it is former MoPac), about 60-90 min west of Mesquite Texas. There is this large Chemical shipper that usually has about 40-50 tank cars on their property at what looks like loading or off loading points (pipes and hoses comming out of the ground). It is a mixture of those loading and unloading points and metal shed type buildings. It is not one large shed though but a grouping of smaller sheds and then a main office building. No idea what is going on there. It does not have the above ground piping or layout of a refiner though and is not a alchol plant. Anyone have any clues?
Plant looks recently built in the last 5 -6 years and the tracks are all well ballasted with no weeds. Plus the company has I have seen up to three track mobiles (red painted) in various sheds of the complex. I guess those are used for plant shipping which is probably cheaper to do themselves then pay for a full or part time UP switching crew. From the cars on the property looks like they ship a lot on UP and UP has a small 2-3 track yard adjoining the private company’s land.
My suspicion is they might be mixing chemicals together and shipping them out but I have no idea and have never seen an operation like this before anywhere else.
I believe the Texas Eagle is on the former Texas & Pacific Railway, which was absorbed by the Missouri Pacific, which was bought by the Union Pacific, from Marshall, TX to Dallas.
The Missouri Pacific Railroad leased the T&P from 1881 to 1885 and continued a cooperative relationship with it after the lease ended. The Missouri Pacific gained majority ownership of the T&P Railway’s stock in 1928. It operated separately until October 15, 1976, when it was folded into the Missouri Pacific.
It is approximately 13 miles from Mesquite to Dallas. Unless the train was being seriously delayed, or the passengers had to get out and push it, 60 to 90 minutes west of Mesquite would put the Eagle beyond Dallas, even taking into consideration the 20-minute dwell time in Dallas if the train is on time.
Do you mean 60 to 90 minutes west of Mineola? It is 79 rail miles from Mineola to Dallas.
Just west of Mineola there looks to be a fertilizer mixing facility with a small yard and stub end tracks into the facility. This what you are looking at?