Old Spurs in BCS

[IronTiger]

I'm trying to locate old spurs in BCS.

Spur #1 is existing. It goes to the Food Science Center in A&M. (linkie)

Spur #2 is in the Industrial Park, though it looks as if a spur could go to Leonard. (linkie)

Spur #3 is a tricky one. It crossed Finfeather. (linkie)

Spur #4 went deep into the heart of Riverside Campus. (linkie)

Spur #5 goes to the power plant. Most of it appears to be intact. (linkie)

Spur #6 goes to the business park. Appears to be relatively new. (linkie)

There has to be more, though.

Edited April 12, 2009 by IronTiger

[Scotch]

Spur #3 would have been for the old International Shoe factory, I can't think of any other large businesses that might have had need for a spur, but I bet you're right that there were more at one time.

[IronTiger]

OK, two more...but they're not really in College Station per se.

Spur #1: Navasota, Texas

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=30....mp;t=h&z=16

From what I can tell, this is the genesis of a railroad that went to Somerville, abandoned in the 1940s. Unfortunately, most of the ROW is not visible (was it taken up by Highway 90?!) and secondly, the spur does not have an industry, unless its that blurry building between Wingard and Highway 6.

Spur #2: ???, Texas

OK, here's another one I have not been able to find after I first spotted it in 2003. It was on Texas 105. I posted this on my blog:

"Five years ago, while driving on Texas State Highway 105, I was a young, spry, observant person, when I noticed, when a railroad, nearby, suddenly crossed the road in a haphazard crossing and adruptly ended at a gate. The tracks continued a half-mile into a field and a grain silo was visible. Obviously this had been a small spur that was no longer in use.

A year later, I looked again. I thought I saw the tracks, except this time, the whole lights-and-gate mechanism had been removed and it was much harder to spot. I looked on Street View, but anywhere it looked like it on Street View, the view was so different from what I remembered, it was not right. Nothing looked out of place. But nothing matched my memory. Surely, the removal of the tracks would've caused the section of the road to get repaved?"

I think it was most likely in this section and its either in the Driveway that Goes Nowhere (left) or the Gap in the Trees and Brush (right).

Candidate Number Three: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=30....mp;t=h&z=17

I'm not insane (though my family says differently)

[IronTiger]

Despite never finding out about the Mystery Spur of 105, in the late 1930s, a railroad spur did go INTO campus.

Looks like it went near a building near College Avenue.

http://docarc.cstx.gov/ElectronicFile.aspx...8142&dbid=1

[zaphod]

there was a train track on campus! what a cool mystery!

I dunno, did the physical plant ever run on coal or something?