Rockhead
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2004
Posts: 4
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Post by Rockhead on Jun 30, 2004 19:59:45 GMT -5
I used to live in the Corpus Christi Texas area and I discovered a local railroad track bed that had lots of tumbler size agate free for the taking. Maybe some tracks where you live are built on rock worth tumbling.
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Post by rockyraccoon on Jul 1, 2004 22:31:37 GMT -5
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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Jul 25, 2004 0:05:01 GMT -5
Hello Rockhead, We don't have any good material on our area railroads for tumbling ... but, I did find some nice old date nails  . Thanks for the tip though, and welcome to the boards! Enjoy, John |
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agatenut
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 127
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Post by agatenut on Aug 5, 2004 9:56:28 GMT -5
Here in McAllen, Texas, when I was 11 years old I discovered the gravels and nails at the railroad tracks. I found my first fossils there. Now I take my kids every other day and we find flint, some agate, petrified wood and fossils.
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Post by deepsouthjack on Aug 7, 2004 4:31:31 GMT -5
Hello Rockhead , welcome aboard. This train realy goes places where we all shall rock.
as for the railway tracks , I have looked at them on Sicily while on holiday this year and they mostly had basalt and some other poreous volcanic rock. I did see something of interest though , lots of lizards and several types.
Keep rocking
Jack
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James
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 876
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Post by James on Aug 7, 2004 5:12:35 GMT -5
When I was a child, my Dad and I were driving throught the mid-west. We stop for a break along some railroad tracks and as it turned out, the track rock was actually green slag glass. I didn't know what is was at the time. I remember that I grabed all I could but have since then lost it.  |
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Aug 7, 2004 10:34:30 GMT -5
Hello agatenut, welcome to the forum. You are kinda/sorta in my area of the woods. BE and I live in Medina. We don't have any railroad through the thriving metropolis of Medina, Texas! But when I was at Lake Buchanan and went to Llano numerous times, I discovered they have feldspar along their railroad tracks. Pink and black, black and white. I picked up a load of it. Have tumbled some and it turned out really nice. And have a basket more to tumble one of these days. llana |
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agatenut
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 127
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Post by agatenut on Aug 7, 2004 13:51:13 GMT -5
Thanks for the nice welcomes folks. Llano, Texas! Did you go get some Llanite? Just nine miles north of Llano there's this really neat granite with blue quartz crystals. It is the only place in the world that has this type of granite, hence the name, "llanite". The blue color is caused by chromium impurities. You find the outcrop right along the roadside. Really hard stuff to crack though. As for the railroad track gravels, the stuff comes from nearby counties. It's economical to find a gravel source close to where it's being used. The McAllen gravels come from Starr County. I assume the Corpus Christi gravels come from areas just west of Alice. All these areas in south texas have really nice agates, petrified wood and petrified palm. I hear there's a ranch just north of Three Rivers that allows agate and petrified wood hunting for about 10 bucks a day. When I'm not at the tracks I go over to Starr County near Rio Grande City to find my tumbling stuff. Sorry if this note 's kind of long but I really get excited about rocks. Most folks I talk to just don't understand. Someone MUST be nuts! hehehe
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Aug 7, 2004 15:00:37 GMT -5
Llanite, yep, I got some. In fact, I have a few pieces in a batch in the vibe right now and couldn't remember what they are! I grew up in Kerrville, so am familiar with the Llano Co. llanite and spent a while picking up pieces along the roadside when I was there in January. I didn't have a rock pick then or I would have gotten alot more.
BE and I were invited on a rockhounding trip to Falls City a couple of months ago. Came home with a bunch of pet. wood, some pet. palm wood and golden wood. I have been tumbling some of mine and have discovered some almost transparent agatized wood, a couple which are pretty nice size pieces of palm wood. I still have about 1/3 of a 5 gal. bucket of the stuff to tumble.
I've heard about that ranch at Three Rivers but never been there. There are also a couple of ranchs around Mason that charge $10/day to hunt topaz. Would like to do that, but it's too darn hot now.
I have been telling BE that I would love to find a place along the Rio Grande where we could go rockhounding for agates. I buy Laredo/Rio Grande agates at the rock shop and have gotten some real beauties. I would love to be able to go out and find my own just for the fun of it. One of these days, I am going to hitch up this RV and head down that way for some rockhunting and South Padre Island sun.
I worked outside of McAllen, Brownsville and Rio Grande City years ago. I was a drilling fluids engineer on drilling rigs out in the middle of ranches. Sheesh, I had tons of free time and could have spent it rockhounding all over the place! But wasn't really into rock then. Well, I liked them and picked up neat looking ones, but didn't know a thing about tumbling them. Wish I would have known then what I know now!
My brother in law's dad has a company that built roads, dams and pipelines all over South Texas. He was/is a serious rockhound and brought home rocks from all over that area. He even trained his crews to bring him any neat rocks they found! ;D
llana
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agatenut
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 127
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Post by agatenut on Aug 7, 2004 15:34:09 GMT -5
Hey Llanago,
Wow! What a small world. I worked for Milchem as a mud engineer for a short while Back in '81 and '82. Then the oil slump hit. Then I went into teaching. (earth science, of course. hehehe) Been teaching ever since. My family and I were up in Kerville early this month. Looked for fossils in Bandera, visited Fredricksburg and Llano, went to Brady for some more fossils, and looked for agate on way to Pedernales falls. But Kerville was our "home base". Beautiful country up there. I've been thinking of setting up some sort of part time geology field trip business down here. We do get a lot of Winter Texans and many of them enjoy rockhounding. If any of you fellow members find yourselves down here, I'll be glad to give y'all a full guided tour of the local geology and take you to some great agate collecting sites in Starr County. Free of course. Just let me know when you're coming and we'll make arrangements. Heck, we'll even go to the railroad tracks! ;D
ralph
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deepsouth
fully equipped rock polisher
He who rocks last rocks best
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,256
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Post by deepsouth on Aug 7, 2004 21:16:13 GMT -5
Wow Ralph , If I was living in your neck of the tracks I would be on the railroad faster then you can say doorbell.
That is a chance in a lifetime rockhunting with you. Well , I will do with all the nice areas here. But I wish all of you who do go a great time.
Jack
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agatenut
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 127
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Post by agatenut on Aug 30, 2004 6:27:30 GMT -5
Here's a view of my hunting grounds. This ought to last me a few weekends. ;D  |
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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Aug 31, 2004 23:27:53 GMT -5
Boy howdy!
That's a boat load there.
John
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Post by Roxanne on Mar 14, 2005 21:05:29 GMT -5
Dear Ralph,
My sister is moving to Brownsville soon. I will be visiting her April 20 thru May 7, 2005. I was searching the web for rockhounding places near Brownsvill and came acorss your Railroad Track Bed chats. Wow how interesting. I am from Green Bay, WI and have a vacation home in northern WI where my family walks the tracks and find fossils. Will you please let me know if my sister and I could talk to you when I am visiting her in Brownsville. Thanks Roxanne
P.S. My sister tends to move around the US where ever she travels we look for rocks! Last spring we took a trip to Mexico and got some fire agates. One year it was farie crosses in Georgia and quarts crystals in Arkansas. We have a great time diging together even though we are very much novices.
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agatenut
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 127
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Post by agatenut on Mar 15, 2005 11:28:51 GMT -5
Hey Roxanne,
Sure, let me know when you get down here. The tracks all along the valley, and any businesses that decorate with gravels will do. I've found lots of agates at various business locations.
ralph
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Post by agatenut on Mar 15, 2005 12:15:38 GMT -5
Ralph,
I am glad you got my post. Thanks for replying. If my sister doesn't have her computer up and running by the time I get there is there another way I can contact you?
I will be flying into McAllen on April 20th! I couldn't get a flight direct to Brownsville.
Roxanne
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Roxanne
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2005
Posts: 4
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Post by Roxanne on Mar 15, 2005 13:08:12 GMT -5
Hi Ralph,
I don't think I replied to your message correctly. You are listed as the author of my message to you. Sorry.
Roxanne
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agatenut
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 127
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Post by agatenut on Mar 16, 2005 11:29:20 GMT -5
Hey Roxanne, just look me up in the phone book under the McAllen section (ralph haskins). |
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agatenut
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 127
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Post by agatenut on Mar 16, 2005 11:30:17 GMT -5
And welcome to the board, Roxanne! ;D
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Roxanne
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2005
Posts: 4
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Post by Roxanne on Mar 16, 2005 12:50:03 GMT -5
Hi Ralph, Thanks for responding. I will give you a call sometime between April 20 and May 7. It will be closer to April 20 I'm sure. My sister is very excited to 'hunt'. Talk to you soon. ~Roxanne |
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;D 
