Tracks next to stadiums?

Not quite a stadium, but a CSX main line runs adjacent to Augusta National and is visible from some of the fairways. I recall reading several years ago that the appropriate roundhouses were requested to assign motive power in full CSX “Bright Future” colors to trains on that line during the week of the Masters tournament.

Augusta’s James Brown Arena. It has CSX’s line leading to 11th Street, which splits to go to Atlanta (Georgia Sub) or Spartanburg (McCormick Sub). NS also runs by the JBA with Street Running on 6th Street (R Line).

The JBA was home to the Augusta Lynx, who folded in December after 10 years of minor league hockey.

Kevin

At one time, the C&E / Milwaukee Road (a/k/a the “Lakewood” Branch) ran right past Wrigley Field. There was even a siding.

John Timm

NJ Transit is building a branch off of the Pascack Valley Line that will go to the Meadowlands. It will open this summer (I forget the exact date, but I’d like to say July 26). For now, it will have service for sporting events, but it will get regular service once the new shopping mall opens.

Am surprised no one has yet mentioned the “Rogers Centre” (many still prefer to call it the Skydome), home of the Toronto Blue Jays (and Argonauts of the CFL). It was built on the site of CN’s downtown Toronto roundhouse, a few blocks from Union Station. The tracks leading to the station run right next to the foundation. There are no views from inside the stadium, but from multiple pedestrian footbridges leading to it you can watch VIA, GO Transit, and Ontario Northland passenger trains as well as the occasional CN freight.

Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is located a block from the former Milwaukee Road line to Prairie Du Chien (and beyond to the Dakotas in the past). At one time there was a siding next to the Engineering building where football specials would park. I believe that during the time that the Wisconsin and Calumet operated the line, they also ran some football specials on a trial basis. This line is now part of the Wisconsin and Southern.

John Timm

Hammons Field in downtown Springfield,Mo.AA affliate of the St. Louis Carrdinals. When a coal train sounds for the crossing behind the outfield fence, well it echos very loud. Baseball and coal trains with dpu on the end. Homerun. Brian

Frontier Field in downtown Rochester, NY is home to the International League Red Wings. The CSX Chicago line passes the stadium on a fill above right and right-center field and features several freight and Amtrak trains daily and nightly. The best view of the trains is from the third base side of the stadium.

Houston Astros play at Minute Maid Park which was built on the site of the tracks/platforms for Houston Union Station. The headhouse has been restored as the main entrance and offices to the stadium. The Houston Belt & Terminal tracks have all been pulled out, but the UP Congress Yard is about a mile to the SE . TNO #982 is on display next to the stadium, although SP trains didn’t come into Union Station. Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos is where Texas State University home games are played. The west side of the stadium is less than 100 ft. from the UP main (ex-MP Laredo to Longview), and at least 2-3 trains pass by per game. Almost every upper deck seat has a great view of the track, as well as the game.

Yes my wife and I rode AMtrack from Indy to Chicago last week, and got a good look at Lucas Oil stadium from the coach. I think that is at or near CSX cp.IU

The ride to Chicago was frustrating, we had more than nine slow orders and other restrictions along the way. The price was right but 5 hours stinks. I was shocked by some of the track condition in northern Indiana. Funny thing is we ran the fastest 45mph and more over jointed rail that was very uneven. I felt sorry for the old lady that made many trips to the toilet due to stomache flu with the cursloshing and all.

Former Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh (B&O) tracks run right behind Ralph Wilson stadium in Orchard Park, NY. Home of Terrell Owens, ooops, I mean the Buffalo Bills. There was talk a few years ago about using the trackage to bring special fan trains in from other parts of NY.

The Houston Astros’ Enron field is built on the Houston Union Station train yard. The old station building has been incorporated into the facade.

It has a locomotive that runs out when they hit a home run.

So it is near the tracks, on the tracks and has a train in it.

The New Orleans Superdome is right next to the NO Union Terminal. Also, the IC ran about 100ft or so from Alex Box Stadium on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

The Florida East Coast Railway’s branch to the Port of Miami passes just in front of Miami’s American Airlines Stadium. Considering TriRail trains for special games/events can travel down this spur, it is particularly amazing that no station planning was included when the stadium was constructed.

Madison Square Gardens have tracks very close. I couldn’t see any trains from my seat however.[;)]

Look straight down.

Busch Stadium in St Louis is close (about a block away) from a large TRRA yard and the approaches to the MacArthur Bridge - from the upper deck concourse, there is a pretty good view of the bridge. A lot of the parking lots are near a large train yard.

Marshall University has a CSX locomotive painted in its colors thanks to the Huntington Locomotive Shops - it used to go to the home games and some of the road games. apparently there is a spur right next to the stadium where they would park it.

Also on the college level, James Madison University’s football stadium sits right next to Norfolk Southern tracks (ex-Chesapeake & Western). Back when I was young, students and others used to sit on the hill to watch the games to avoid the prohibition of alcohol in the stadium. Occassionally, they made announcements saying that a train was coming and the game was stopped while the train passed - the JMU band would pay tribute to the train by playing “The Orange Blossom Special.” Eventually, they used increased train traffic to close off the hill and now while the tracks are still there, any view from the hill would be blocked by a new scoreboard.

Richmond’s former minor league stadium (now used by VCU) used to be near a spur off of the former SAL Hermitage Road yard, but I think its been removed, but CSX trains still roll by only about a block away.

The now demolished football stadium in Roanoke (best known for hosting the formerly fierce football rivalry between Virginia Tech and VMI) sat near the Virginian station which is last time I saw a burned out hulk. NS trains still go by there frequently.

RFK Stadium sits across the Anacostia River from the ex-B&O (now CSX) Benning Road yard in Washington, DC. Uline Arena (long closed and converted to a trash transfer station - best known for hosting the first Beatl

Busch Stadium in St. Louis is close. We have a light rail system that stops right at the Stadium.

Union Pacific has a big yards nearby (former MoPac yards). Their trains can be seen from the stadium heading out to go over the river. Amtrak also passes nearby as it heads for the tunnel under the Arch.

If University Stadiums count, University of Louisville Football Stadium (Papa Johns Cardnial Stadium) is on the site of the old L & N Shops abd us at the junction of the Former L & N Main Stem and Short Line.

Bob Dawson

The Bob Devany Sports Center in Lincoln NE is right next to the BNSF line. Once while at a basketball game there was a PA announcment…“To the owner of the blue Oldsmobile Cutlass license 16-16y42 you are parked too close to the tracks. You may pick up your car in Havelock, Waveryly, Greenwood and Ashland after the game.”