Archive for December, 2005

GorgeRail 2006 hit a significant milestone today… details will be made public in the next couple weeks, but I have to say I am really excited this year… I have a gut feeling this is the year we end up big. Stay tuned.

As 2005 winds to a close, I look back and have many happy memories of railfanning this year.

The year began with a trip to the Seattle Sub, a day railfanning MAX, and then another Seattle Sub trip with a FoamersNW gathering and slideshow in the Centralia area hosted by Robert Scott. A good time was had by all. That weekend I found an AGBSE at Kelso South:

February brought some night shots, this one being a SW1200 leading a southbound herder at the Vancouver depot:

March was a busy month with a couple Gorge trips and I was invited to present at a slideshow in Seattle… to coincide with that in early March I made a 2-day trip north up the Seattle and Scenic Subs to explore some BNSF to the north. Here’s a P-TACKCM with a colorful consist at Sunset Falls:

In April I chased the Weyerhaeuser Woods train from Green Mountain down to Longview. Just outside Ostrander I captured a local child waving at the train:

May meant chasing the SP&S 700 to Salem, and of course GorgeRail. GorgeRail is as much about people as it is about trains. Here our emcee Gregg Pohll fields a question from the audience with presenter Jeff Bass doing Q&A about his show…

In June we spent a week in Alaska on a family vacation and of course I spent time railfanning the Alaska Railroad. Here’s a photo shot from the dome which portrays the beauty of this trip:

July was a busy month, beginning with doubleheaded mainline steam for the NRHS convention, with a mid-month trip to shoot the Mt. Hood Railroad and an end-of-the-month after work trip to catch some sunset sunlight in the Gorge. Here’s a M-PASLYD in that sunset lighting along Drano Lake:

In August I’d been at my new job for a few weeks and began heading trackside at lunch. A mid-month Gorge trip lead again to the Mt. Hood Railroad, this time involving a cab ride:

September brought more lunch shots and another Gorge trip, but the highlight of September was a 2-day rubber band trip to Boise and back to chase the UP 3985 on the Huntington Sub. My favorite shot from the trip is on the Idaho Northern just outside Nampa alongside a golf course:

I searched for fall colors in October but it was very dry this year and it seems as soon as the leaves started to change, they died. I didn’t shoot other than locally, but at the end of the month was the FoamersNW slideshow so that was good for some Seattle Sub action. Between rain showers we shot the M-EVEABN at Chehalis:

November was a dud for railfanning. No real trips at all, just some photos from around town which have already been posted here.

December on the other hand was a busy month… it started with a Gorge trip… the then Holiday Express Derailment, a lot of shooting around town, and some night shots in the snow. Just as I’m finishing up this post and going away for the night, here’s a going away shot of the morning Z about to duck under the service road for The Dalles Dam.

May 2006 bring good lighting, good lenses, and good luck to all my readers…

Today’s lunch activities occurred entirely at 8th street with that being the hot spot for action. A few westbounds needed to come off the Fallbridge so that was the place to be. The weather was just about crap. Bright white skies, but not even any rain to go for any rain shots. Instead you get the mediocre stuff you see below.

When I got down there, an S-CHCTAC had completed its crew change and was waiting to go north. I decided I was going to try a new angle when he moved, but first I’d have to wait for a stinky U-INBROO to come through. It had a GP50 in faded Heritage paint with a defective numberboard:

After he cleared the stack train moved. I found my position and took a few shots. This is definitely an angle I want to explore further with some decent weather and light. It has possibilities both for close-in shots and for a wider angle such as this:

A couple more westbounds arrived (a grain train and a late Z) but I wasn’t inspired to shoot the same old crap in this light, so that was that, and that’s the end of this post.

Rye Junction marks where the single-track Lewis & Clark Railway meets the BNSF north-south mainline.

• There is room for about 2 vehicles to park just south of the grade crossing on the west side of Fruit Valley Road. There are also prominent “No Trespassing” signs in this area but it’s not a bad angle for a southbound train even from the road.
• The overpass on Fruit Valley Road just south of this location offers some good overhead shots when trains are present.
• Continuing south on Fruit Valley Road, turn right after coming back to ground level and the side road loops back alongside the tracks where there is room for several vehicles to park and you can get some good track-level photos. I have also had a tire punctured by numerous nails on the ground in this area.

Map & Directions

From any direction: Take I-5 to the 78th Street exit and proceed west. After approximately 2 miles you will go down a hill to a “T” junction with Fruit Valley Road. Turn left, in approximately 1/4 mile you will reach a grade crossing (this is the Lewis & Clark Railway); the BNSF main is immediately to your right.

It was a busy lunchtime today, with a fleet of westbounds providing most of the action. I went down to 8th street to meet the first one. I got there right as the crew van was pulling down for the crew change so I knew my timing was good. The train was the M-PASVAW with EMD 9090 (SD60, Oakway) and MRL 263 (SD40-2XR, blue/black Operation Lifesaver) for power.

Steve showed up and I gave him a copy of a show I’m screening for potential GorgeRail material, and before too long Bob showed up as well so we chatted for a bit. We drove over to the depot and caught the GSETKA coming off the Columbia River drawbridge with the CEFX 104 (SD90, maroon/white) and UP 5636 (AC4400CW-CTE, Building America).

I drove back to 8th street and saw the M-PASINB now up ready for its crew change. The power was BNSF 7074 (SD40-2, green/black), NREX 8543 (, gray/red), NREX 5078 (SD50, yellow/gray), BNSF 8085 (SD40-2, green/black), and MRL 262 (SD40-2XR, blue/black). Driving east I would catch two more westbounds… a G-PASEVE with BNSF 5120 (C44-9W, Heritage II), CP 6016 (SD40-2, Multi-mark), and CP 5819 (sd40-2, Dual Flags) and a unit train with CSX 7916 (C40-8W) and CSX 7575 (C40-8). Definitely a worthwhile lunch trip to add some new locomotives to my log. One of my buddies just passed 25,000 unique locomotives spotted.

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Things that would never happen in the USA: Rail president quits over deaths

My sister bought me a Richard Steinheimer book. I’d say Christmas is going just fine…

To all you railfans in Cyberland, a Merry Christmas…

Several good photographers are posting their most memorable 2005 photos over at the Favorite Fotos From O’Five Forum at RailroadPhotoEssays.com

A fellow railfan in action… Sunday December 18th, Vancouver, WA.

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Nothing too fancy here, this is just a grade crossing. This is a double-track portion of the BNSF Fallbridge Subdivision, the mainline that runs from Portland, through Vancouver and up the Columbia River Gorge.

• Often there will be freight trains stopped just clear of the crossing as they wait for the Vancouver terminal dispatcher to clear them to either come into Vancouver or head up the river. If you hear them talking about “Wintler” on your scanner, this is where they mean.  Just around the corner to the east is the control point McLaughlin, where the double-track ends and the railroad becomes single track for the rest of the run to Pasco.
• If you want to photograph an Amtrak running at road speed, the Portland section of the Empire Builder (Trains 27 & 28) pass through here. Train 28 (eastbound) is fairly easy to photograph as it originates in Portland and usually is still running on time by the time it gets through Vancouver. One thing I have discovered is that if you leave the Vancouver Amtrak station by car about the same time that Train 28 does, you will usually pass it while on SR-14 and be able to make it to the crossing here with about a minute to spare before it arrives. Disclaimer: I am not recommending that you disregard proper and legal driving in order to beat the train to the crossing. I have used this method several times, within the speed limit. Of course your results may vary depending on both railroad and vehicular traffic.
• If a train is approaching at speed from the west, the crossing bells and lights will activate about a second or two before the train comes into sight.

Map & Directions

Coming from the east - take SR-14 west to the Evergreen Blvd. exit. Stay on Evergreen for approximately 1 mile until you come to a junction with signs stating SR-14 is to the left. Turn left, cross back over the freeway and immediately take a right onto Columbia Way. Coming from the west - take SR-14 east to the Evergreen Blvd. exit. Take a right and then immediately turn left onto Columbia Way. The Winter Park grade crossing is just down the hill. After you cross the tracks there is a gravel parking area on the left side of the road, you can park there and walk back to the crossing.

The Vancouver yards are bisected by 39th street which crosses 7 tracks at grade. This is a motorist’s nightmare and a railfan’s dream. To the south of the crossing are the BNSF engine maintenance facilities. On both sides are numerous yard tracks, and there is constantly activity across the crossing with both through trains on the mainline and switchers working the yard.

• Unfortunately parking is not the best here. For a quick stop one can get away with parking in the gravel areas alongside 39th street on the northeast corner of the crossing. If you plan on spending much time here at the crossing I recommend parking in the neighboorhood to the west and then walking back to the crossing. Note that this is not a great neighboorhood so you will want to decide if you want to be out of sight of your vehicle for long.
• You will note on the map below I have marked two locations along a small road called Olive Street. This is the road that wyes off from 39th partway up the hill on the east side. This is a narrow unmarked road but there are a couple good spots where one can park for a while. If you walk along this road there are a few good vantage points from which one can view and photograph the yards. Recently it appears that the blackberry bushes have grown which is obstructing some of the view but it still gives a good overview of the location.
• I’ve added a new road and a new location (marked by the big gray circle).  This is a new housing development.  Proceed south and then down into the cul-de-sac, and you will be just feet from the shops.  There are frequently several locomotives sitting in this area.
• The BNSF yards have very prominent “No Trespassing” warnings and signs. Be smart and obey the law. Around the yards if you are somewhere that you shouldn’t be you will likely find yourself talking with the BNSF Police.

Map & Directions

From any direction, take I-5 to the 39th street exit and proceed west. You will pass through an older neighborhood and after about a mile you’ll start heading down the hill and the rails will come into sight. At the bottom of the hill you will be alongside the yards and will find the crossing.

This has been out for a few days but I know some folks haven’t seen it because I’m still seeing misinformation being spread…

DERAILMENT CAUSE DETERMINATION
OREGON PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY
East Portland Division
Milepost 1.78; December 10, 2005

On Saturday, December 10,2005 at approximately 12:15 p.m. two steam locomotives which were a part of the Holiday Express excursion train derailed in Oaks Bottom adjacent to the Springwater Trail. Cause of the minor low speed derailment was determined to be a broken raiL Both locomotives were quickly rerailed, track repairs made and operations resumed the following afternoon. Other than minor damage to the track, no injuries or other property damage occurred.

A technical explanation follows:

The two locomotives operating in push mode with six occupied passenger cars left the OMSI East Portland station at approximately 12:00 noon. They continued to operate southward negotiating several curves and sections of tangent track where they encountered a right hand I degree 50 minute curve identified as “EPIC Curve Four” at approximately twelve miles per hour where the speed limit is fifteen.

EPIC Curve Four begins at milepost 1.68, has a total length of 2320 feet and is superelevated with a total of one inch superelevation in the body of the curve and a spiraled north approach with runoff of 383 feet ending at milepost 1.75. The north portion of 1930 feet is laid with second hand 90 lb RA (section 9020) rail with flaIl-toe 4-hole joint bars, 91/2 x 10 single shoulder tie plates on 7 x 9 x 9 Ibot ties on nominally 22-inch centers with fbur spikes per tie; the remainder is laid with second-hand 100 lb RE (section 10025) rail with similar fastenings and ties. Tie condition is good to excellent throughout the curve and was recently ballasted and surfaced with a Jackson Model 6700S Tamper with computer liner. The point of derailment occurred at a joint in the low (inside or right-hand) rail at milepost 1.78 which is approximately 116 feet into the constant 1-inch elevated body of the curve. The six passenger cars, tender and trailing truck on SP 700 negotiated the curve without incident. The rear set of driving wheels on SP&S 700 derailed rolling the low rail outward. The SP 4449’s tender, trailing truck and drive wheels then flowed along the web of the overturned rail. Many of the wheels on the high (outside or left-hand) rail did not derail.

Investigation by Oregon Pacific management and others determined that at the point of derailment the following conditions were present which contributed to the cause of the derailment:

(1)The outside joint bar was cracked between the two northerly bolt holes and remained undetected during weekly inspections while the inside joint bar was in good condition and all four 15/16 x 5 /2 inch bolts with AREA washers were present and correctly tensioned.
(2) The south rail was drilled to correctly fit the joint bars; however, the north rail had been drilled with a slightly different bolt spacing and had been torch cut around the inner drilled hole to facilitate assembly.

Oregon Pacific Railroad’s conclusion is that the north rail was fractured as a result of the torch bolt hole and the non-continuous (cracked) outer Joint bar overstressed the one effective track bolt in the far north hole which exceeded its elastic limit and broke
allowing the rails at the joint to move outward and roll over causing the derailment.

I got lucky today and noticed this rarity at the Vancouver Shops… former BN 7149 (now HLCX 7149), which was an experimental locomotive once converted to run on natural gas (it now runs on diesel):

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I was trackside today at lunch but rail traffic was fairly slow. I tried a new angle from a small hill overlooking the Vancouver yard just north of 39th street. There’s plenty of clutter around here but I think I managed a shot incorporating the trees, the yard clutter, and the northbound UP train on the mainline in the background.

General Information

Probably the significant thing about Vancouver in current railroad activity is that it marks where the BNSF Seattle and Fallbridge subdivisions meet in a wye just north of the Columbia River drawbridge. This area, including the wye tracks, Amtrak station, and Vancouver terminal dispatcher’s office, is a great place to railfan.

• The red circles on the map represent good railfanning spots, but pretty much anywhere along the tracks in this area offers good opportunities.
• There are signals over the tracks just north of the Amtrak station, which gives you a good indication if any trains are coming if you don’t have a scanner.  Starting in summer of 2004, the northbound signals are continuous-lit, so just because they’re on it doesn’t mean a train is imminent.  If they’re showing any aspect other than red however, something is coming.
• If you do have a scanner, a bonus of this area is that you will hear each train call the Columbia River drawbridge before it crosses. This gives you at least a couple minutes to head over there to meet the train.
• If you spend much time here you’ll undoubtedly see the BNSF Police. In my experiences with them if you’re being polite and not trespassing they won’t give you any problems. If they can see your camera, that gives them a good indication of what you’re doing and that you’re not just loitering.
• The Amtrak station has restrooms. The restrooms are posted for Amtrak customers only but a couple of the station agents have told me they have no problem with railfans using the can.  They posted the sign after some problems with homeless people using the restroom to try to bathe themselves.

Map & Directions

From the North: Take I-5 south to the Mill Plain exit and turn west (right) onto Mill Plain. After a few blocks turn left onto Washington, and follow it south until you reach 8th street. At 8th street, turn right and continue with directions below…

From the South: Take I-5 north into Vancouver. Exit on the City Center exit, which loops up and back over the freeway. Take a left at the first signal which will be 8th street. Stay on 8th street and continue with directions below…

From the East: Take SR-14 west until it splits at the junction with I-5. Follow the City Center signs. Take a left at the first signal which will be 8th street. Stay on 8th street and continue with directions below…

Continued Directions: Take 8th street west. You will come to a grade crossing which is often occupied (this is the double track Fallbridge line that to your left heads up the north bank of the river into the gorge). After crossing the tracks, continue a couple more blocks to Hill Street and turn right (there is a small Amtrak sign at this intersection). Hill Street ends at the parking lot for the Amtrak station (yellow area on map above). There is plenty of free parking here.

Important access note: As I mentioned, the crossing at 8th street is often occupied. The blue circle on the map above indicates where 6th street goes under the tracks. This allows you to get around if the crossing is blocked. This is very low clearance. I believe it is something like 8′0″, so pay attention, if you have a tall vehicle don’t try it.

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I babble on and on about railfanning around my hometown of Vancouver, Washington. Here’s an overview of the area. Posts detailing specific railfan spots will follow in the next few days.

Background

Vancouver is a suburb of Portland Oregon and marks the wye where the BNSF north-south mainline between Seattle and Portland meets the Fallbridge Division which heads up the north bank of the Columbia River to Pasco. Vancouver is a crew base for the BNSF and is only a few miles north of UP’s Portland Albina yard.

Radio Frequencies

The BNSF Vancouver yard and dispatcher use 161.250 (AAR Channel 76).
On the Seattle sub north of Vancouver the road frequency is 161.100 (AAR Channel 66).
On the Fallbridge sub east of Washougal the road frequency is 161.415 (AAR Channel 87).

Train Symbols

This is a list I’ve compiled of some trains that run through Vancouver. This list is by no means official or definitive, but it can provide a good general guide. If you have suggestions/corrections please e-mail me and I’ll get this updated.

Amtrak (daily unless noted)

Burlington Northern Santa Fe

Autos:
V-PTLBLU - Portland to Blue Island IL
V-PTLKCK - Portland to Kansas City
V-TACKCM - Tacoma to Kansas City

Garbage:
U-EVEROO - Loads, Everett to Roosevelt WA
U-INBROO - Loads, Interbay to Roosevelt WA
U-ROOEVE - Empties, Roosevelt WA to Everett
U-ROOINB - Empties, Roosevelt WA to Interbay
U-ROOTAC - Empties, Roosevelt WA to Tacoma
U-TACROO - Loads, Tacoma to Roosevelt WA

Grain:
G- indicates loads. Originates in various locations. Trains passing through
Vancouver are destined for Centralia PSAP Interchange (CEW), Interbay (INB),
Longview (LVJ), Tacoma (TAC), or Vancouver (VAW).

Intermodal:
B-AUBWAT - Auburn to Watson CA
B-PTLPTL - Train to store baretables somewhere locally
B-PTLWAT - Portland to Watson CA
S-BPATAC - Bedford Park IL to Tacoma
S-CHIPTL - Chicago to Portland
S-CHITAC - Chicago to Tacoma
S-TCBBPA - Tacoma to Bedford Park IL
Z-CHCPTL - Chicago to Portland
Z-PTLCHC - Portland to Chicago

Manifest:
H-BARVAW - Barstow to Vancouver
H-EVEBAR - Everett to Barstow
M-EVEABN - Everett to Lake Yard (Portland)
M-LYDINB - Lake Yard (Portland) to Interbay
M-PASINB - Pasco to Interbay
M-PASLYD - Pasco to Lake Yard (Portland)
M-PASVAW - Pasco to Vancouver
M-PTLPAS - Portland to Pasco
M-TACPAS - Tacoma to Pasco

Union Pacific

Autos:
AGBSE - Argo, IL to Seattle
ASENP - Seattle to North Platte

Garbage:
UGLSE - Empties, Gilliam OR to Seattle
USEGL - Loads, Seattle to Gilliam OR

Grain:
GETAET - Empties, Kalama to Eastport ID
GETAET - Empties, Tacoma to Eastport ID
GSETKA - Loads, Eastport ID to Kalama
GSETTA - Loads, Eastport ID to Tacoma

Intermodal:
IAPSE - Chicago to Seattle
IDUSE - DuPont, IL to Seattle
KLCSE - Long Beach to Seattle
KSELC - Seattle to Long Beach
KGNAP - Global North to Chicago
KGNKR - Global North to Kearny, NJ
ZSEMN - Seattle to Memphis

Manifest:
MHKPS - Hinkle to Puget Sound & Pacific
MHKSE - Hinkle to Seattle
MLJPD - Longview to Portland
MPSPD - Puget Sound & Pacific to Portland
MSEHK - Seattle to Hinkle