M274 at Boulevard Jct
A couple miles west of Downtown Houston, UP's Houston Subdivision crosses over Yale St. While the bridges for the two main tracks are relatively unassuming, there are two interesting, abandoned bridges directly adjacent as well.
The closest has a plaque stating it was fabricated by the Mosher Steel Company in 1936. This is likely when the Yale underpass here was built, and the Mosher Steel facility was actually what these abandoned bridges served. The spur on the second bridge was pulled up after Mosher Steel sold the facility just west of here in 2003. The close bridge has been barren since at least the mid-1990's.
Just west of these bridges was a location known at Boulevard Junction, where the SP's Heights Spur took off north into the Houston Heights neighborhood. The spur's bridge over White Oak Bayou, parallel to Yale St, still exists, though it's slated for removal in the late 2020's as part of a drainage project along the bayou. Further into the Heights, the Heights Spur ROW now hosts the popular Nicholson Hike & Bike Trail.
In the present, 30 to 40 trains a day still run on the active bridges over Yale St. Here's one, a Mexico-bound CPKC manifest running on UP trackage rights through Houston.
CPKC M274 (Manifest- Jackson, MS to Sanchez Yard [Nuevo Laredo, TAM])
KCS ES44AC #4689
(DPU) KCS SD70ACe #4172
Houston, TX
April 9th, 2025
M274 at Boulevard Jct
A couple miles west of Downtown Houston, UP's Houston Subdivision crosses over Yale St. While the bridges for the two main tracks are relatively unassuming, there are two interesting, abandoned bridges directly adjacent as well.
The closest has a plaque stating it was fabricated by the Mosher Steel Company in 1936. This is likely when the Yale underpass here was built, and the Mosher Steel facility was actually what these abandoned bridges served. The spur on the second bridge was pulled up after Mosher Steel sold the facility just west of here in 2003. The close bridge has been barren since at least the mid-1990's.
Just west of these bridges was a location known at Boulevard Junction, where the SP's Heights Spur took off north into the Houston Heights neighborhood. The spur's bridge over White Oak Bayou, parallel to Yale St, still exists, though it's slated for removal in the late 2020's as part of a drainage project along the bayou. Further into the Heights, the Heights Spur ROW now hosts the popular Nicholson Hike & Bike Trail.
In the present, 30 to 40 trains a day still run on the active bridges over Yale St. Here's one, a Mexico-bound CPKC manifest running on UP trackage rights through Houston.
CPKC M274 (Manifest- Jackson, MS to Sanchez Yard [Nuevo Laredo, TAM])
KCS ES44AC #4689
(DPU) KCS SD70ACe #4172
Houston, TX
April 9th, 2025