Anyone near Ft Worth, Texas might want to stop by for some train watching
by Lana Clifton
contact@thenwsun.com
The North Texas chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) will sponsor the 8th annual 24 Hours@ Saginaw. The event will take place at the Saginaw Heritage Center at 301 S. Saginaw Blvd. It will kick off Friday, May 24 at 7 pm and run through Saturday, May 25 at 7 pm. The 24 hour period will be filled with live presentation, clinics, digital slide shows, trivia games and door prizes; all about trains, the railroad and railroad history. There will also be a silent auction to sell donated items and another auction to sell slides of train photography. The proceeds of these auctions will go to the North Texas NRHS, a 501c3 organization, which will use the money to beef up a grant program it has developed to help restore historical railcars, depots and other railroad memorabilia.
According to Skip Waters, vice president in charge of trips and events of the North Texas NRHS, 24 hours @ Saginaw evolved out of an idea he and some fellow railfans developed after a Fort Worth train show. He said several of them travelled to Saginaw to watch trains and grab a bite to eat after the festival and, while in town, discussed the possibility of hosting a train watching event. “That was the seed,” Waters said. Soon after that, he contacted the Saginaw Chamber of Commerce to work out the details, and it grew from there. The first year, only a few people came, but last year at least 130 people from several states attended at some point during the 24 hours.
Waters said Saginaw is considered a hot spot for train watching because as many as 60 trains roll through town every day. The nice parking lot, long greenway and availability of restrooms, as well as the small town setting, make the area around the Saginaw Heritage Center an ideal location for train watching. “It is a safe place to park, sit back and watch trains,” Waters said
In 2012, Cowcatcher Magazine awarded the Saginaw Depot with the Gold Rail Award which designated it as the “Best Railfanning Spot” in a six state region. 24 hours @ Saginaw was named the number two “Best Rail Special Event” in the same publication.
So what is railfanning or train watching? When a train comes by, watchers may take photographs or video of passing trains, log information about the locomotive, keep track of how many trains go by, and talk with other railfans about what they see and know. There will be more to do at 24 hours @ Saginaw, but all activities will pause when a train goes by, because for those who practice the hobby of train watching, that is the point of the event.
Waters recommends participants bring lawn chairs and snacks. Water will be available, and for those staying later Friday night, someone will pass the hat to pick up contributions for a pizza run. No other concessions will be available.
When people arrive, there will be a place inside the Heritage Center for them to sign in, receive a program with a list of the weekend’s activities and a button to commemorate the event. There will also be a place to make donations. $5 is requested to cover insurance for the event but not required. After that, participants are on their own to view presentations or watch trains and come and go as they please. This is considered a family friendly event, but Waters cautions that there will be live trains going by, so parents are expected to stay with their children at all times.
