HOUSTON — If you've ever been to an Astros game, you've most likely seen (and heard) the train that runs on top of the left-field wall of the stadium along Crawford Street.
It's an ode to what once sat at the ballpark's location: Union Station.
When constructed in 2000, Minute Maid Park was named The Ballpark at Union Station. The actual Union Station opened in 1911. The train station served as the main terminal for Houston passengers for more than 70 years. Union Station was abandoned in the mid-1970s when Houston's Amtrak station opened in 1974.
When does the train inside Minute Maid Park move?
The train moves for three reasons: When the Astros take the field in the first inning, when an Astros player hits a home run and when the Astros win a game.
Let's hope it moves a lot during the 2019 World Series. The Astros are in the World Series for the second time in three seasons. Houston has home-field advantage against the Washington Nationals, meaning games 1 and 2 will definitely be played at Minute Maid Park. Games 6 and 7 will be played in Houston if they're necessary.
The train is "driven" by Babby Vasquez, who goes by Bobby Dynamite.
Facts about the train:
- 56 feet long
- Runs on 800 feet of track
- Weighs 48,000 pounds
- Moves at 2.5 miles per hour
The train hauls hundreds of oranges, as a tribute to one of Minute Maid's most popular products: Orange juice.