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Georgetown Railroad

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The Georgetown Railroad is headquartered in the central Texas town of Georgetown, between Temple and Austin. According to Kalmbach's American Shortline Railway Guide (5th edition, published in 1996), GRR operates about 30 miles of track.

Known primarily as a hauler of rock and aggregates -- maybe you've seen some of their tan bottom-dump hoppers or their trademark "dump train " -- Georgetown's main customer is Texas Crushed Stone, which operates a massive quarry between Georgetown and Round Rock.

The GRR used to stable a fleet of road power (GP38-2s and rebulit GP9s / GP20s) in addition to its yard switchers; GRR power traditionally ran through to BNSF and UP (and their pre-merger predecessors) on the rock trains it delivered to those roads. However, reports indicate that GRR has disposed of most of its road engines, as BNSF and UP now power their own trains which originate on the GRR. However, GRR still rosters several SW- and MP-type switching locomotives as yard and local power.

GRR's shops and headquarters are located a few miles south of Georgetown off I-35. Take the Westinghouse Road exit; the shops are located at the northwest corner of the I-35/Westinghouse interchange. The GRR can be a challenge to photograph, as its yard is situated a few hundred yards west of the I-35 service road, although a dirt road (not posted or marked as "private") heads west from the service road to a spot near the north end of the yard, where one can observe switching moves. GRR locomotives are also sometimes visible north of the yard in the actual town of Georgetown, and two different highway overpasses cross over the tracks between the south end of the yard and the town of Round Rock.

Below is a selection of photographs I have taken of the GRR between 1994 and 2000. Enjoy!

Please click on any of the following pictures to see a larger image:

	Georgetown Railroad's tiger (get it?? "GRRR!!") logo is displayed on the cabside of a switch engine at Georgetown, TX on April 25, 2000.
	Georgetown Railroad's Dump Train passes eastbound through Hestes, Texas on the UP Austin Sub on July 7, 1994.
	It was common practice during the 1990s for Georgetown Railroad locomotives to run through to other railroads on rock and ballast trains. In this shot, GRR GP20s 9050 / 9053 lead westbound empties on the UP through Navasota, TX on September 16, 1996.
	On May 23, 1996, GRR 9010 / 9012 switch rock cars at Georgetown, TX.
	Two GRR geeps sit outside the Georgetown Shop building south of Georgetown early on an April 2000 morning. The shops are located west of I-35 between Georgetown and Round Rock at the Westinghouse Rd. exit.
	Here's a side view of the locomotives powering a typical GRR switch job at Georgetown, TX on April 25, 2000.
	GRR's yard switcher, consisting of GRR MP15DC 9011 and slug S-1, works at the Georgetown yard on April 25, 2000.
	GRR MP15DC 9011 pauses during a switch move at Georgetown, TX on April 25, 2000.
	GRR Slug S-1 was photographed at GRR's Georgetown Yard on April 25, 2000.
	Here's one of GRR's bottom-dump hopper cars, photographed at Georgetown, TX on April 25, 2000.
	Burlington Northern SD40-2 7233 leads a loaded rock train (symbol: UKTXCVE1-25) for BNSF on GRR trackage south of Georgetown, TX on April 25, 2000. The train will leave GRR trackage at Round Rock, and will travel from Round Rock via Taylor to Temple on UP trackage, where it will enter BNSF trackage to reach its destination of Cleveland, TX.

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All images on the Southwest Railfan © 2000 - 2005 by Wes Carr.
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