Hello! My name is Greg Harrison, and I own/operate the Abandoned Rails website. I am married and have a daughter (whom I call "Lil' Missy"). I am a lead software developer at BNSF Railway in Fort Worth, TX; I also own a house and an Infiniti G35 sedan. I go to church, I play the piano (and various other musical instruments), and I enjoy reading about cars. I also like abandoned stuff.
I've had an interest in trains for most of my life. When I was a kid and would be riding in the car with my parents, any time we would come up to some railroad tracks, I would expectantly look both ways at the crossing hoping to see a train. Unfortunately, I didn't grow up around a railroad track, so any time I did see a train, I was always excited. For some reason, anytime we crossed abandoned tracks, I would still look both ways expectantly, though I never knew what I was looking for.
When I was older, I moved back to my hometown of Fort Worth, TX for a job fresh out of college. I was intruiged by the railroad history of the area, and spent a few weekends out and about looking for abandoned railroad lines that criss-crossed Fort Worth. For some reason, one particular route piqued my curiosity: the Bomber Spur. I did some research in the downtown library, and found only one or two scant references to it on the Internet. Then, one Saturday, I spent most of the morning and afternoon following the right-of-way, documenting it with my digital camera. I also collected a track chart and various topographical maps showing the technical and geological details of this spur.
I had collected so much information about the Bomber Spur that I wanted to present it to other railfans who might be interested, but I couldn't find a forum suitable for such a laborious effort. I decided that the best way to present my findings was to create a website dedicated to abandoned railroad rights-of-way.
What you see here are the fruits of what was started by that first investigation. So many of us share an interest in this form of railroad history, and I'm glad to be able to present it here. Thanks to all of you who have contributed and spent time documenting the abandoned railroad ROWs near you. This site would not be what it is today without your knowledge and efforts. Keep up the good work!
Earlier, I mentioned that I like abandoned stuff. Certainly my interest for trains and railroading contributes to my passion for abandoned ROWs, but I am also interested in other things abandoned, such as automobile junk yards, old buildings, old highways (like Route 66, which I've followed across the Texas panhandle)...anything that is no longer used yet left in place as an inadvertent reminder of the past.
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy your visit to the Abandoned Rails website!
Greg Harrison
Fort Worth, TX