Don's Rail Photos

In late 1965, I was transferred to Dallas from Peoria by Railway Express. When we first arrived we rented a home in Dallas, but early in 1967 the owner died. We were invited to either purchase the house or move. Since this was an older home, not eligible for FHA or VA financing, it was out of the question. We looked all over the area and finally decided to have a home built in Irving. Just about this time I was wandering in south Irving on Hunter Ferrell Road when I found the sand and gravel plant owned by Southwestern Construction Materials. I found there was a track heading west from the plant which ended almost at Belt Line Road. On an older map, I found that the track had actually gone west of Belt Line. This track was used to haul gravel from the pits in the Trinity River bottoms to the plant. If you look at the aerial photo below, the plant was at B near the top of the map. The road running across the map just above it is Hunter Ferrell. The track is the dotted line headed west to A, which is where the gravel pits were located. The track was still in place as far as the place where I indicate it fanning out.

Much of the gravel was used in the fabrication of concrete pipe in the Gifford-Hill plant at C. At E is the interchange with the Texas & Pacific main line. The road just south of the pipe plant is I30.

On an earlier trip I found this little 25 tonner next to the Interstate. There is a locomotive like this, now painted orange, which can be seen in the plant. It could very well be the same locomotive.

Sitting in front of the SWC plant was this little gem, built by Vulcan in 1926 #3646. It disappeared a short time later and was probably scrapped.

Over the years, the track to the West gradually disappeared. The first part was the dark area immediately West of the plant. This became a City of Irving landfill. The the track beyond was gone when the area was developed for housing. By the mid 1980's, the plant itself was abandoned. I made several trips to the place and found a collection of critters. The track was still in place to the south edge of the plant, but the bridge over the Trinity River, which snakes between the gravel plant and the pipe plant, we virtually unusable for rail movements. It had a wood deck which made it useable by cars and trucks. There was a track built to the east just south of the bridge which gives rail access to the Trinity River Authority sewerage plant at D. They have a drop cab 44 ton with a real fancy paint job that no one gets to see except employes, but you will see it before long right here. Here are photos of the critters which remained and disappeared a year or two later.

The first has a builder's plate from Fate-Root-Heath dated Feb, 1936 #3822. It indicates that it was built for the Works Projects Administration.

Nearby was this little Plymouth which had no plate. It must have been a 5 tonner. It was virtually a tractor on rails.

I never could get an official explanation of this "thing". That is a pilot on the front. There were gears on a few of the axles. It looks as if it had been a locomotive, possibly even electric. My guess is that it was used as a caboose on the run to the gravel pits. But that is only a guess.

Working the gravel loader near the bridge was this 44 ton by General Electric, Nov 1953, #32084 Recently it was seen inside the pipe plant next to the Interstate. A small 25 tonner is at the west end of the plant away from any fence.

A short distance short of the Dallas area is Midlothian, where there are several cement plants including a Gifford-Hill plant. They had 2 locomotives. 653, a 45 Tonner, was built by General Electric in May, 1956, #32532. 10082, a 70 Tonner, had a colorful history. It was built by General Electric, April, 1953, #31725 as Georgia State Port Authority 102. It became Savannah State Docks RR 102. In July, 1973, it was sold to Birmingham Rail & Locomotive, who sold it to the Graham County RR 102. It then went to George R. Silcott Co., who sold it to G-H in 1982. In 1984 it was rebuilt to the configuration seen here.

AMDG

9/30/2004

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