DCTA A-Train
Opening in 2011 as the second DMU in Texas, the A-Train – so named because it serves Denton, at the apex of the DFW Metroplex (the A is even stylized with a thicker right line, depicting the A-Train’s route with respect to the region) – extends the DART Green Line from Downtown Dallas to Trinity Mills Station (oddly, one station short of the light rail’s terminus) all the way to Denton and the University of North Texas, one of the safest places for LGBTQ Texans.
Seemingly quite small at only six stations and requiring a transfer to get to Dallas, the A-train is actually a remarkably useful regional train, working better for local commutes to and from Denton and weekend trips to the city than the daily super-commutes from Denton to Dallas one might initially expect. The all-day half-hourly schedules, long service hours, and timed cross-platform transfers to the Green Line make the A-Train even more seamless than many other DMUs. Furthermore, the A-Train was the first DMU to have a long-distance bike trail designed into its route from the beginning, paralleling almost its entire length to make for convenient last-mile connections. An infill station at a community college and an extension one station south to connect with the new Silver Line at Carrolton station are both planned.
Freight-wise, the A-Train is a branchline-style DMU with light freight traffic, similarly to the Sprinter. The end of the line at Trinity Mills is just short of a very large and complicated switching district; the DMU passes a few additional spurs in its first few kilometers; and a few more sporadic spurs and switching areas are found up the line to a switching area near the half-way point at Old Town. Denton used to have a northbound freight connection to the UP Choctaw Subdivision, but this has since been removed.
While less dramatic and exciting a modeling subject as other DMUs, the A-Train demonstrates once again how closely DMUs fit in with traditional freight switching lines. Its one-track southern terminus amidst a switching area is small enough to fit on any layout, and the Stadler GTW 2/6s are readily available in multiple scales. A prototype-based layout would likely center around the Trinity Mills switching area and tack the DMU onto one end before heading off to staging. Alternatively, the A-Train inspires freelancing DMU transit on practically any switching or branchline layout.
