The Missouri Pacific Kingsville depot was renovated in 2004 and is now a museum.
M.P. 118.61.
Kingsville isn't too much above sea level.
Inside the Kingsville depot museum.
School buses began showing up at 9:44 a.m. The train was scheduled to arrive at 10.
It was starting to rain at 9:45 a.m.
It was getting dark, but the rain never was really heavy.
It's now 11:45 a.m. and the train was almost there. It had been delayed by crowds in towns north of Kingsville and also by meeting a UP freight. But the crowds remained.
844 just rouned a curve north of Kingsville and its whistle could be heard loud and clear, 11:45 a.m.
11:46 a.m.
Click below for a sound movie of this scene. You can really hear the loud steam whistle:
11:50 a.m.
Note the kids in the red uniforms to the left.
Use your imagination and think of this as a Missouri Pacific train.
The town of Bishop, just north of Kingsville, put this sign up thanking UP for bringing this locomotive to the area. I think Union Pacific and its public relations department deserves an A+ for this trip.
The train started to leave at 12:12 p.m. but stopped for invited passengers at the Kleberg crossing.
A rare job for sure being the engineer or crew of a steam engine, having all that power and tonnage under your manual control.
Invited guests boarding the train.
Waving goodbye as the first passenger train since 1966 leaves Kingsville.