La Moderna Field - Cleburne Railroaders
- Michael Davis
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Photos by Michael Davis, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.14
La Moderna Field 1906 Brazzell Road Cleburne, TX 76033
Year Opened: 2017 Capacity: 1,750
Next Stop: Cleburne's La Moderna Field
La Moderna Field, formerly known as The Depot at Cleburne Station, is a multi-use facility for the city of Cleburne, Texas. The facility opened on May 18, 2017, at a cost of $20.7 million. The opening of the 1,750 fixed-seat ballpark brought professional baseball back to Cleburne after a 95-year absence.
Cleburne, Texas, was an important hub for the Santa Fe Railway when trains would bring in cattle to push north along the Chisholm Trail to Kansas in the late 1800s. The history of professional baseball here dates to 1906 when the original Railroaders joined the Texas League. The 1906 Cleburne team won the Texas League Championship with the talent of nine Major Leaguers, including Hall of Famer Tris Speaker.
The team left town after that season, but Cleburne would return in 1911 to win another championship, this time in the Texas-Oklahoma League. The city would then lose the team again for 10 years before a brief return as the Cleburne Generals, before losing the franchise for a third time in 1922. Cleburne professional baseball stayed dormant until the current Railroaders began play in 2017.
La Moderna Field is a synthetic field with a dirt pitcher’s mound. The field size is asymmetrical, with left field being 335ft, while right field is shorter at 320ft. The power alleys are 383ft (left-center) and 375ft (right-center), with center field at 400ft. The home team occupies the third base dugout, and both teams’ bullpens are in right-center hidden behind the kids’ zone. La Moderna Field has held various college baseball tournaments over the years.
Food & Beverage 4
The Depot has two main concession stands, one serving each side of the baselines. The concessions are a surprise for the size of the ballpark – there is plenty of ballpark fare, including peanuts, popcorn, and pretzels, to candy, nachos, and hot dogs, all under $7. The higher end food choices of Angus burgers, chicken sandwiches, and brisket sandwiches are each a few dollars more. A special mini boom stick hot dog (foot long) inspired by the Texas Rangers boom stick is the highest price on the food menu here at $15.
Dr Pepper products are the featured soft drink – fountain drinks are $5, bottled water is $4, and sports drinks are $5. In addition, there are plenty of adult beverages at the reasonable cost of $7 for Coors Light, Bud Light, Shiner Bock, Michelob Ultra, and many more.
Atmosphere 3
The atmosphere can change on any given night as the crowds are a little larger on the weekend than during the week. All games start in the evening, as the Texas summer can be brutal on fans.
The fans are decent and supportive of the Railroaders as the players become part of the community.
The Railroaders are on target to provide a great atmosphere for fans. The ballpark is set to entertain young fans with the team’s mascot, Spike, or even younger fans with shorter attention spans via a kid’s play area located in right field.
The Railroaders staff keeps the crowd engaged in between innings with various entertainment. Every game can give you a different perception of the atmosphere, but if you want to have a fun night while only spending a small amount of money, then a game at La Moderna Field is a wonderful place to spend an evening, seeing baseball at its purest.
Neighborhood 2
La Moderna Field is located on the northern outskirts of the city, at the intersection of US 67 and Chisholm Trail Parkway. Cleburne is a city with a population of around 30,000; the city is named in honor of Patrick Cleburne, a Confederate general. Cleburne is approximately a 1-hour drive from DFW International Airport, 30 miles south of Fort Worth (45-minute drive), or 75 miles north of Waco.
Cleburne’s downtown area features several chain restaurants on W Henderson Street. The best food option in Cleburne is sampling the local flavors, so Tex-Mex at La Cima Mexican Cuisine or a small-town American diner such as Heroes Cafe would be good choices.
The lodging near the ballpark includes basic hotel chains such as Holiday Inn & Suites-Cleburne or La Quinta Inn. However, for a more unique recommendation, check out Liberty Hotel in the center of Cleburne.
Attractions around Cleburne center on outdoor activities at the 498-acre Cleburne State Park or the 1,550-acre Lake Pat Cleburne. Or, on days when the Texas heat is not safe, the Layland Museum shows off the area’s historical relics with early Texana, comprehensive Indian artifacts dating from pre-Columbian cultures, fossils, and genealogy records.
Fans 3
Cleburne baseball fans have embraced having professionals back in Cleburne, as the team is beginning its 9th season (missing 2020 due to Covid-19). The team averaged around 1,669 fans per game last season, ranking in the lower tier of the league, but with the smallest ballpark in the league, this does rank higher if you use the percentage capacity filled.
Although the crowd at La Moderna Field may not be on par with larger ballparks’ attendance, the fans here are very vocal and engaged throughout the game. The fans at La Moderna Field are also very community-oriented, with the locals being either diehard baseball fans or families enjoying the summer at the ballpark.
Local fans have waited almost a century for baseball to return to Cleburne, and the strong pride of having baseball return, coupled with an already proud connection to the past, has given professional baseball a solid foundation with a bright future to continue in Cleburne.
Access 3
Cleburne is about an hour’s drive from DFW International Airport, towards the Fort Worth side of the metroplex, using Interstate 35W south from the DFW area. La Moderna Field is located off US Highway 67 at the Nolan River Road exit, or the south end of Chisholm Trail Parkway, 27 miles from Fort Worth, Texas. A large parking lot surrounds the ballpark, as Cleburne Station has yet to be fully constructed to its potential.
Fans can enter the ballpark through the main gate behind home plate. This entrance is the center of the ballpark and contains a historic chief engine train, pre-game entertainment, and box offices. There is a second entrance for season ticket holders along the baseline. Just inside the main entrance are the pro shop and the Cleburne Baseball Museum. The other entrance is a small entrance that connects the parking lot to the first base side of the concourse. The concourse is located above the seating bowl and houses the concessions and restrooms for the ballpark.
The seating bowl at La Moderna Field has safety netting that stretches from the right field general seating berm to the third base seating berm. The ballpark does have a party view patio and suites overlooking the lower bowl of seats and the concourse, and there is also a picnic patio along the right field line that has more trains.
There is also a kid’s zone located beyond the right field fence that can be seen from the general seating areas, but the kid’s zone’s premier attraction is a Dallas Mavericks logo basketball court. The team’s bullpens are located beyond the kids’ zone.
Return on Investment 3
Tickets for Cleburne Railroaders games range in price from $16-$19 for reserved seats around home plate. There is plenty of parking surrounding the ballpark; the cost is $5. The concessions are reasonably priced for a sports venue, making the overall ROI on a Railroaders game on par with what would be expected, but there are also plenty of ways to get discounted tickets to provide a more affordable night out for the family, for example, the Family Pack with four game tickets and four meal vouchers, or the Date Night offer of 2 tickets and 2 meal vouchers. Military members can get tickets for a 50% discount, along with 25% off concessions.
Extras 4
The Railroaders name connects not only Cleburne’s baseball past but also the history of this small Texas city, and the ballpark theme and future development at Cleburne Station is a great concept in continuing Cleburne’s history. Also, the Cleburne Baseball Museum located next to the ticket office at the main entrance is a great place to read about Cleburne baseball’s past teams.
The Railroaders gift shop has a variety of Railroaders items, including a real nice selection of team jerseys.
The ballpark itself is small, but is a perfect fit for Cleburne, and will give local baseball fans the enjoyment of watching the game for years to come.
Final Thoughts
La Moderna Field is the headstone of future development around Cleburne, and has the potential to keep professional baseball in Cleburne for many years to come. While Cleburne, Texas may not be a tourist hot spot, what it does have is an immaculate ballpark for any baseball fan. Any sports traveler in the Dallas-Fort Worth area should make a road trip to Cleburne and get aboard the Railroaders train at La Moderna Field.
