The Austin Area Terminal Railroad operates 154.8 miles of track between Llano and Giddings, Texas. I have taken several photographs of this line recently. In my opinion, it's probably the most prosperous shortline in Texas, with all the aggregate it's hauling for local road construction. :thumbs_up: And prosperity=more trains=better railfanning! :shade: :shade: :shade:
Austin Area Terminal Railroad GP40 #189 (ex-MKT 189). Built October 1967. Taken in Burnet, Texas. Austin Area Terminal Railroad MP15DC #63 (ex-HBT 63). Built October 1979. Taken in Burnet, Texas. Austin Area Terminal Railroad GP40 #189, temporarily leased to the Austin & Texas Central Railroad for the Bertram Local, waits for two oncoming trains to pass. Locomtive Leasing Partners SD38-2 #2803 leading several AUAR SD40-2s at the front of a train of 50 empty gondolas. Taken in Bertram, Texas.
AUAR SD40-2s #s 3002 & 3001 at the head of a AUAR train at Bertram, Texas. AUAR (temp. A&TC) GP40 #189, backs up to couple onto the other end of the Bertram Local, famous Austin cartoonist Ben Sargent is the conductor. Taken in Bertram, Texas. AUAR/A&TC GP40 #189 backing up past the Bertram, Texas depot. Austin Area Terminal Railroad bridge over McNeil Road. Taken near McNeil, Texas.
Nice shots! IIRC, this was once the Austin & Northwestern, a Railtex line. Later, it became the Longhorn RR. It's good to see this line doing well. In Sherman, we have several rock trains daily on BNSF between the quarries north of Madill, OK and the Metrosprawl. Also, DGNO operates a rock train it gets from UP at Denison (ex-MKT Ray Yard) and takes to Royse City, TX, via Sherman, Bells, Whitewright, and Greenville- routing is ex-SP Denison-Sherman, ex-T&P Sherman-Bells, and ex-MKT Bells-Royse City. Long as houses & streets are being built, there's always a demand for crushed stone
