Saturday, May 3, 2008 at Sealy and New Ulm, Texas on the UP and BNSF. Both Sealy and New Ulm are located on the former Katy RR Smithville Sub, which runs between Smithville and Katy, Texas. UP now owns this sub and has trackage rights on the BNSF at Sealy to connect with UP's Sunset line at Rosenberg. Sealy and New Ulm are located about 70 and 90 miles northwest of Houston respectively.
   Trains today at New Ulm: UP 7541. At Sealy, BNSF 753 and 7721, and UP 7523 using the connection to the BNSF from the Smithville sub.  I met Matthew Dittert (on the Railspot Yahoo Group) at Sealy. (Ken Ziegenbein photos).



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UP 7541 northbound (RR North) crossing Sunset Road in New Ulm, Texas, 2:10 p.m. May 3 with an empty rock train.


LEFT-Now in Sealy, here's the Sealy water tower. RIGHT-These bricks are remnants of the Santa Fe/Katy union station in Sealy. The line is BNSF.


BNSF 753 in the Warbonnet scheme heading a unit tank train southbound through Sealy at 3:28 p.m. Since it was headed south, the tank cars were probably empty.


BNSF 7721, 3:49 p.m. The line in the foreground is the UP connection to the BNSF from the Smithville Sub.


Right behind the engines were these new CAT work horses.


LEFT-Outside rail on the UP connection curved track. This track really gets some heavy wearing. RIGHT-The inside rail on the curve.


Green signal indicating that a UP rock train will be making the connection to the BNSF. That's Matthew to the right.


UP 7523 about to cross Sealy's Front Street on a curve. It's 4:57 p.m.