Texarkana (Union Station)

Texarkana Union Station puts you trackside at one of the busiest rail crossings in the southern United States. The station sits where Union Pacific's double-track east-west main (ex-Missouri Pacific and ex-Cotton Belt, operated under directional running) crosses CPKC's single-track north-south line at a grade-level diamond about half a mile southwest. From the station platform on the Arkansas side, you are just yards from passing trains and can watch UP yard switchers working the adjacent yard (capacity: 750 cars) as well as mainline freights rolling through at restricted speed. The gravel parking area at the corner of Phenie and Lelia Streets, identified by Trains Magazine as a prime viewing spot, offers shade trees near a lumber yard at the diamond's southwest corner—ideal for watching trains negotiate the crossing from both directions simultaneously. Amtrak's Texas Eagle calls daily in each direction, and the stop is long enough to photograph the consist at platform level. Nighttime visits are rewarding: overhead lighting illuminates stainless-steel Superliner coaches, and approaching freight headlights are visible far down the tangent track on this flat terrain. With 125+ trains per day passing through the Texarkana complex, waits between trains are short.

Texarkana sits on the flat Coastal Plain at roughly 300 feet elevation, and the terrain around Union Station offers unobstructed sightlines along the tracks in both directions. The station anchors the southern end of State Line Avenue—the literal boundary between Arkansas and Texas—while the State Line Post Office and Federal Courthouse mark the northern end. Downtown Texarkana's low-rise buildings frame the 44,000-square-foot Renaissance Revival depot without crowding it. East of the station, the Front Street Festival Plaza features a restored 1979 Southern Pacific caboose donated by Union Pacific in 2015, a fitting symbol of the city's railroad identity. Summers are humid with temperatures regularly reaching the mid-90s °F, producing dramatic cumulus cloud formations as backdrops for photography. Winters are mild—snow is rare—and the region's generous rainfall keeps trackside vegetation green most of the year. Late-afternoon light strikes the station's brick and limestone façade at a warm angle, contrasting nicely with the dark ballast and steel of the adjacent rail corridor.

Two Class I railroads cross at grade near the station, generating a combined 125+ trains per day through the Texarkana complex:\n\nUnion Pacific (east-west): UP operates directional running on two former routes—eastbound trains use the ex-Missouri Pacific main, westbound trains use the ex-St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt) main. This double-track corridor is one of UP's key St. Louis-to-Texas freight arteries. Expect lengthy intermodal stacks, grain unit trains, mixed manifests, and auto racks. UP also maintains an active switch yard in Texarkana with capacity for 750 cars, so yard movements add local action between mainline trains. Common power includes ES44AC and SD70ACe units, with run-through BNSF, CSX, and Norfolk Southern locomotives appearing on interchange traffic.\n\nCPKC (north-south): The former Kansas City Southern single-track main crosses the UP corridor at a diamond half a mile southwest of the station. Since the CP-KCS merger was finalized on April 14, 2023, this line operates as part of CPKC's north-south network linking Kansas City to the Gulf. Traffic includes merchandise, chemicals, crude oil unit trains, and cross-border intermodal.\n\nAmtrak: The Texas Eagle (Chicago–San Antonio, 1,305 miles) calls daily in each direction. The station code is TXA. Power is typically a mix of P42DC and newer ALC-42 Charger locomotives with Superliner coaches.

The station platform (Arkansas side) places you at rail level just feet from passing trains—ideal for broadside and three-quarter shots of freight and Amtrak consists with the Renaissance Revival depot as backdrop. Morning light from the east illuminates eastbound trains nicely here.\n\nThe Phenie and Lelia Street parking area, highlighted by Trains Magazine as a top viewing spot, sits at the southwest corner of the UP-CPKC diamond crossing. A few shade trees border the edge of a lumber yard, providing comfort during summer heat. From this angle you can capture trains from both railroads negotiating the diamond, sometimes simultaneously.\n\nThe state line marker at the station offers a unique compositional element—you can frame trains with the Arkansas/Texas boundary visible in the shot, a feature found at no other railfan location in the country.\n\nFor wider shots of the yard and approaching trains, the Front Street area east of the station provides a slightly different perspective with the restored SP caboose in the foreground. A moderate telephoto lens (100-200mm) works well for most platform shots, while a wider lens (24-70mm) captures the station architecture alongside rolling stock.

Congress mandated in 1876 that Texarkana's railroad station must straddle the state line, and the original 1888 depot honored that requirement. As traffic grew, the Cotton Belt Railroad became a tenant in 1908 and a part-owner by 1913. In the late 1920s, four railroads—Missouri Pacific, Texas & Pacific, St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt), and Kansas City Southern—formed the Texarkana Union Station Trust to fund and build a modern terminal. E.M. Tucker, chief architect for Missouri Pacific, designed the 44,000-square-foot Renaissance Revival structure using a track layout and overhead concourse similar to his earlier work at Little Rock Union Depot. Construction cost $1,667,000. The station opened for business on April 17, 1930, with a cornerstone celebration on May 12, 1930.\n\nThe station's design allowed Missouri Pacific and Texas & Pacific trains to operate straight through without backing up, while Kansas City Southern and Cotton Belt trains required backup moves to access the platforms. Two interlocking towers—Tower 28 (commissioned 1903) and Tower 42—managed the complex railroad crossings in the area. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Privately owned since 2003, both Texarkana cities approved a joint redevelopment plan in 2024 with a $2 million grant application for renovation.

Texarkana Union Station is the only active Amtrak station in the United States that physically straddles a state line—the eastern section (waiting room, ticket office) sits in Arkansas while the western section is in Texas, and stopped trains span both states. The nearby UP-CPKC diamond crossing means you can watch trains from two Class I railroads plus daily Amtrak service without moving from a single vantage point. The Lindsey Railroad Museum and a restored Southern Pacific caboose are within walking distance, making this a full railroad-themed destination rather than just a quick photo stop. Texarkana is also featured in Kalmbach's Guide to North American Hot Spots (Trains Magazine), confirming its status as one of the premier railfan locations in the southern U.S. With 125+ trains daily, public street access, and the second-busiest Amtrak station in Arkansas, it offers an unmatched combination of volume, variety, and convenience.