The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
The two photos below were taken from the exact same spot in Rosenberg, Texas, separated by 101 years. The only difference between the two photos is the first picture was taken from the second floor of the tower, the second image was made from ground level.
So much change is apparent between 1909 and 2010 in these two photos, as you would expect. But what fascinated me was the one thing that’s remained constant for more than a century: the track layout at this location.
1909 view looking east from Tower 17 in Rosenberg, Texas (Click to enlarge image)
From left to right, the diverging route is the connector track from the SP to the Santa Fe, the SP Sunset Route mainline, and the Santa Fe Galveston sub mainline.
2010 view looking east from the foundation where Tower 17 stood (Click to enlarge image)
CSXT 5360 leads an empty BNSF grain train onto the BNSF Galveston sub mainline via the connector track off UP’s Sunset Route mainline
Southwest Rails 