The Depot at Cleburne Station

Home plate entrance to The Depot, Jul-2019.

A look at the seating bowl from down the third-base line.

The view from behind home plate

Chronological Tour: Stop 401

• Location: Cleburne Station, off Nolan River Road, Cleburne, Texas (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 2017 as The Depot at Cleburne Station
• Additional names: La Moderna Field (2023)
• Home team: Cleburne Railroaders, American Association (2017-present)
• Capacity: 1,860

Rating: 3 baseballs

In the first part of the 20th century, Cleburne had pro baseball teams as well. The 1906 Cleburne Railroaders played in the Texas League and featured a young Tris Speaker, who would go on to a Hall of Fame career with over 3500 Major League base hits. While that was the only Texas League season, Cleburne made appearances in several other leagues through 1922 before vanishing from the baseball map.

By the early 21st century, the bedroom for the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex had extended this far south, eventually reaching the point where a new toll road was built to connect Cleburne with Fort Worth. With that population expansion came the renewed opportunity for baseball.

Despite the name, The Depot at Cleburne Station is nowhere near the tracks that run through the middle of town. Instead, it sits as the first construction in a new development off the US 67 bypass to be called Cleburne Station in honor of the city’s railroad heritage. The club, which calls itself the Railroaders echoing the teams of a century earlier, has brought in a few rail cars that are placed both inside and outside the stadium gates, and there is also a bell behind the home dugout that is rung during Railroaders rallies. A train horn sounds way too often when good things happen for the home team.

The park is relatively small, with less than 2,000 fixed seats, though there is berm seating available as well. The field is artificial turf with the exception of the pitcher’s mound.

Parking is free, and prices are reasonable, although the club does not include sales tax in the ticket prices.

For 2023, the ballpark got a naming sponsor. La Moderna is a food packing and distribution company.