Archive for the 'general info' Category

As Lon mentioned in a reply to my post last week the BNSF 9316 was pulled off the empty Rawhide coal train at Vancouver due to flat spots. This left me with a hole in my coal train monitoring for the week.

Running an hour and a half behind the C-RHMCEC coal train last week was a C-SCMCEC (Spring Creek Mine) load. The Spring Creek train was lead by an ES44AC BNSF 5892. When I arrived at the depot Sunday morning I heard the BNSF 5892 announce its arrival at Felida so this gives me another week where I can post stats on the Centralia coal train cycle.

Last week the SCMCEC passed 39th St. at 6:30pm on its loaded trek (above) to Centralia. This week Lon tells me that it passed at approximately 5:30pm giving this train an average speed of 13.1 MPH for the week.

So what would speed up this cycle and is it worth the investment to improve the cycle? Both of parts of that question require quite a bit of research and analysis. I’m sure the class Is do that sort of analysis on critical delivery lanes but how important is it for coal delivered to Centralia? I’m sure if the cost of providing delivery service could be improved the railroads would be interested even for Centralia coal. For now though I’m betting the 13-14 MPH average speed is close enough to the sweet spot.

Thank you Lon for the spotting notes.

UP’s A-SENP heels into the 45mph curve at the Wildlife crossing south of Ridgefield, WA

Birders and Foamers Unite! Ridgefield South is the place!

Last Sunday when I visited Ridgefield South not only did I see three trains but I saw enumerable birders out enjoying the nice weather. I photographed the coal train from the main 2 side and after it passed a gentleman set up his gear on the main 1 side. He however pointed his very long, very camouflaged, Canon lens into the trees at a woodpecker nest. In the mean time other folks showed up and acted very interested in what he and I were shooting. Finally someone walked down and asked what all the excitement was about. I explained a southbound freight was coming while the other gentlemen discussed the nesting habits of the woodpecker he was photographing.

It was a beautiful day for the pursuit of a hobby at Ridgefield South err…ahh…Ridgefield NWR S Unit.

Two Sundays in a row I’ve run across the BNSF 9316 and its coal train. Last week (5/3) I photographed it northbound at 39th St. around 9:30am. This week it passed the same point just a few minutes after 10am.

Think about this for a minute. That train was dumped by Richard and his crew in Centralia last Sunday, taken empty back to Rawhide mine in Wyoming, loaded again, and returned in one week’s time. I calculate the average speed over the one week period at right at 13mph. That’s pretty darn good considering what this train went through….

1. approximately 2200 mile round trip
2. two 1000 mile inspections
3. multiple fuel stops
4. helpers at Helena for Mullan Pass
5. unloading at Centralia
6. loading at Rawhide
7. crew changes in Gillette, Sheridan, Laurel, Helena, Hauser, Pasco, Vancouver, and Centralia

Impressive bit of work I say…

Today is National Train Day in the United States. So, is it a national holiday? No it isn’t but maybe it should be.

National Train Day originated by Amtrak in 2008 as a what I would consider a marketing campaign. With the declaration they opened their depots, encouraged people to ride trains, and generally brought attention to train travel. In the end I’m certain Amtrak’s hope was more people would take the train thus leading to increased ridership which means more good things for them.

Since it is National “Train” Day, what about the rest of rail transportation outside of Amtrak’s intercity passenger travel? Where does rail transportation get public recognition for the sheer volume of raw materials and finished goods it hauls? Or the sheer numbers of commuters riding heavy rail, light rail, and other mass rail transit? Or the utility freight rail supplies through the transport of coal? How are the freight railroad’s needs communicated to the general public so they are not blindsided by requests for transportation dollars?

For me National Train Day could be an opportunity to whisper in the American public’s ear about these very issues. I think an organization like the Association of American Railroads has a golden opportunity to piggy back off what Amtrak started and raise awareness about the value railroading provides to this country (the AAR did issue a press release where two sentences are dedicated to this). My hope is each year National Train Day grows. Absolutely Amtrak should keep up what they are doing with it however I’d like to see it expand to other agencies from the AAR down to regional transit agencies so the value of all forms of rail transportation can be shared.

Happy National Train Day!

We are having beautiful weather in Vancouver today! At 2:30pm the temperature is 72 headed for 75. The sun is out and spring is really springing as trees all over the area are greening up! The next few days should be fabulous too so I’m expecting some foamers to be out.

This morning’s train watching was pretty good with fabulous weather and decent train traffic including a bit of an unusual Sunday move. UP’s Z-LCSE rolled off the Columbia Draw just before 10am. This train usually works Brooklyn on Sunday morning which means it doesn’t pass through Vancouver until much later. It was nice to see the Z train in Vancouver for a change.

It always seems to take a major disaster to get people’s attention. I’m no different. I’ve been putting off creating a household inventory for, oh, 20 years now. After a good friend and his wife had their camera gear stolen from their vehicle I decided I’d better take their advice and put together an inventory of the gear I use when I’m railfanning.

Using the KISS principle I threw together a simple spreadsheet that contains the columns shown above. I then methodically proceeded through the camera bag documenting all the pieces including CF cards, extra batteries, remote cables, and lens hoods. I obviously included serial numbers where applicable. In many cases I filed away the original receipts in the fire safe so I pulled those out and documented the date of the receipt so I could locate it quickly.

After an hour and a half I had a complete inventory of my camera and radio gear that I use while railfanning. Its not a household inventory but is one step towards one. My hope is this data slowly rots in the fire safe and I never have to use it. If I do need it though I’ve got it all in one place.

How’s your inventory?

I’m lucky to have a wife who is a talented decorator. Tammy also respects my interest in trains and about 10 years ago she decided the family room would be decorated in a railroad theme. Soon it became known as the train room. She chose decorations from my collection of railroad artifacts including a station sign to act as a valence, several historic prints from around Vancouver as a focal point over the fire place, and some art from J. Craig Thorpe to represent some of my favorite train themes.

During our recent flooring project the train room was disassembled and stored so we could repaint. While Tammy considered what would go back she saw me playing with a triptych in Lightroom. She casually asked if there were three photos we could create an on the wall triptych with. I said sure and went about created a collection in Lightroom to give her my selects. Looking at the results we brainstormed various themes including tunnels, steam, and scenes from the Northwest.

Tammy settled on a steam theme and as of tonight three of my photos consisting of details from the CW 10 and the SP&S 700 now hang in the ‘gallery’ section in the train room. I guess this qualifies as my first ‘gallery’ exhibition and I’m thrilled! Here is one of the photos she used:

A while ago I posted possibly my last SD40-2 photo. It just happened to be a UP SD40-2 so I thought I’d better give the BNSF a chance so here’s the last BNSF Santa Fe SD40-2 I photographed.

BNSF 6723 leads the M-PASINB west at Towal, WA on October 26, 2008. Is this the last BNSF SD40-2 I’ll photograph?

I didn’t see a manifest train today. I saw: 3 grain, one Z, one bare table, one herder, and 2 Amtraks.

To be fair I left as the M-PTFI was departing Lake Yard and the M-PTLPAS was lining out at 39th St. So, the regulars were there, they were just a bit behind.

BNSF 799 awaits it next assignment on the tail track in Vancouver

According to Trains news wire Amtrak has released a new photography policy. The new policy states that only photographers with tickets may photograph from station platforms. According to the article this comes in the wake of the photographer who was harassed in New York’s Penn Station and is to establish a uniform policy system wide.

So what does this mean for Vancouver where so many people photograph? Well strictly speaking its off limits to photographers without tickets. Does this make sense for a platform like Vancouver? I don’t believe so because there is really no way for Amtrak to enforce the policy. Sure, the agent can run people off if they are out on the platform, but honestly do they have the time?

Does this policy make sense in Penn Station, 30th Street, or any of the major stations where platform access is strictly controlled? I think so because Amtrak has monitored entrances to these locations and can easily verify the passengers ticket status. Additionally with the volume of trains that visit these stations moving and controlling people is very important so allowing unticketed passengers to remain on the platform may cause confusion or even a safety issue (have you seen how small the platforms are in Penn Station?)

What about all the platforms at stations without an agent? How would those be monitored? Where does the platform stop and start? Sadly I think this policy raises more questions than it answers. One thing is for sure the policy is clear so if you don’t have a ticket and you are on a platform be prepared to be asked to leave. Now will you get run out of Bingen Wishram or Essex…hard to say?

With the news of the mass storage of SD40-2s by UP and BNSF I thought I’d look up the last time I saw one working on the main line.

12/11/2008 11:55am Pritchard Creek, OR. Huntington Local.

Could this be the last SD40-2 I see in mainline service? I certainly hope not but even if the economy picks up I’m betting the railroads will opt for purchasing more fuel efficient ES44s and SD70s rather than rebuilding the run down former king of the mainline. SD40s may appear in local or switching service but I bet solid consists of them on the mainline are in the past.

Punk Rotten & Nasty

As most of you have already read, earlier this week the Port of Tillamook Bay (POTB) commissioners made the decision to discontinue freight service from Cochran (MP 802) into the Port at Tillamook. I think most railfans knew deep down that this decision would come eventually but held out hope in the year and a couple of months since the washouts that somehow the matching money would show up and the POTB would live. Its survived this long why not prolong it?

Setting up for a photo run by east of the tunnel at Enright.

For those that aren’t aware the POTB’s descent from Cochran to Salmonberry (western Oregon) is through what’s known as the Salmonberry River canyon. While this is only around 10 miles of railroad it is a tough spot. As shown in the photo above, the river and the railroad eke out a fragile existence in this narrow chasm. Most of the time the arragement is peaceful and commerce flows up and down the canyon. When heavy run off from rains and snow hit, the river breaks that peace, fills the chasm, and literally rips the railroad out (click here and scroll down for storm damage images). Its happened multiple times before and if rebuilt on the existing alignment would happen again.

Freight ruled the canyon…most of the time.

There are dozens of reasons why this rail line is a practical transportation solution for Tillamook county and the State of Oregon. When open the line was busy and eastbound trains ran heavy with lumber products that didn’t have to be on Highway 6. Despite the obvious business it had the line wasn’t earning enough to meet its cost of capital. If it was, the ancient SD-9s (that were failing) would have been rebuilt or replaced and more of the derailment causing roadbed would have been improved. Factor in the additional cost of rebuilding and this line isn’t something any businessman would want…even with subsidy. My opinion is the port made a sound decision.

In better days, a photo run by east of the tunnel at Enright.

While my business side says this line should close the railfan and tourist in me still wants to repeat many of the scenes in this post. Oregon has some spectacular scenery and I think this 10 miles of railroad shows off the coast range in a way that many will never see. It was the perfect excursion line thanks to its proximity to Portland, the coast, and of course the experience in between.

Has the last chapter in the Pacific Railway & Navigation been written? Who’s to say as none of us can predict the business climate of the future that may change this line’s direction. My sincere hope is that I do see passengers and freight once again ride from Banks to the coast. I have a feeling though the western part of the Punk Rotten & Nasty has lived up to its name and has seen its final train. With that thought on my mind I have to say PR&N, SP Tillamook Branch, or POTB (whichever you prefer) hang in there until we meet again…

For the foreseeable future empty track is all that the Wolf Creek trestle will see.

For a complete review of the Salmonberry Limited click here.

Recommended Reading: Punk Rotten & Nasty - The Saga of Pacific Railway & Navigation Co. by Paul Michael Clock

With winter starting to wrap up, here’s a look at the leftovers of fall gathering around the president’s track in Vancouver.

What would these two say to each other?

Thanks to mountain grades and heavy tonnage we rarely see trains with only one unit in the Pacific Northwest. So I’m sure you can imagine I was shocked today when the G-CIMVAW (Collins, MT to Vancouver, WA) came rolling past me at Columbia Vista with the BNSF 961 all by itself on the point. I kept watching the train as it passed because I was quite curious if there was some unusual DP arrangement.

As the rear of the train approached I could see smoke so I was fairly certain I’d find a couple of units on the rear. Sure enough there were two on the back working just as hard as the 961 up front.

Why the unusual arrangement? I have three theories…

1. This train was placed into the grain yard at Pasco until Vancouver opened up and instead of backing around the wye into the yard it was just run straight in.
2. It was run into the loader at Collins, MT this way. While there is a loop at the Collins elevator, the switch only opens north so there is no way to get the power to the other end of the train.
3. An engine failed enroute and it was most convenient to add to the rear of the train.

I think #1 or #3 is most likely because usually the power doesn’t stay with the train at Collins and usually the empties go east with three units on the point. Whatever the reason this was certainly something a bit different for a run of the mill grain train.

I had a nice surprise this morning when I caught up with the U-MBAVAW (Missile Base, WA to Vancouver, WA) and its pair of warbonnets. Ok, so these aren’t pure warbonnets thanks to the block lettered BNSF on the side, but the red, silver, and yellow still says Santa Fe all the way. With the sunny skies today the combination could not be beat!

This is an interesting ballast train. The cars all have a conveyor system underneath that feeds ballast towards a car that is used for distribution. The nice thing is it appears the employee dumping the ballast is inside the control booth on the distribution car and not out in the dust.

For the locals, it sounds like the power will be staying on the train while it is tied down on the NP side.

From the category of “I’ve been in DPU service too long”….

In the last half hour temperatures have risen above freezing in Vancouver for the first time since late in the day on 12/18. For much of the northern United States that’s not significant but for the relatively mild Pacific Northwest 6 days is a healthy stretch of below freezing temperatures. The current forecast is for temperatures between 35 and 50 through next week. Bye bye beautiful snow, hello slush and mud.

After 10am last Sunday UPs La Grande sub experienced a bit of a lull so we decided to head west and see what train traffic we could find. Checking the road and news reports we figured a trip down Washington’s SR-14 would be more pleasant than a drive down I-84 in Oregon. It appeared railroad traffic would be heavier on the BNSF side anyway so we headed for the river. Our first stop was Plymouth, WA where the temperature was 21 and the wind was out of the NE at 25! Brrrrr. Certainly not the best photography conditions.

Seeing the 2 warbonnets and the CN unit we decided to chase the PASTAC west. The winds died off around Roosevelt but the road was just icy enough that we could only make 45-50 mph which was not enough to get ahead of him. Finally he announced an approach medium to east Bingen! We stopped at Lyle and took a photo that in August you’d never think would be possible!

We heard the PASTAC meeting another train at Stevenson so we decided the grade crossing in the middle of the Bingen siding would be a perfect spot for a great blowing snow photo.

The gorge in winter is just as spectacular as in summer! I wish there was more traffic so we could have visited more of the regular Gorge spots but that’s the way it goes.

Soon I’ll be headed east for another visit to the Blue Mountains of Oregon. Last week it was looking like the visit would be for the most part snow free but today’s forecast indicates there may be some cold temperatures and snow around the weekend. Certainly this year is nothing like last year when there was several feet on the ground by this time. Eventually the snowfall in the Blues set records and drew the spreader out for service for the first time in a long time.

Time to go break out the warm clothes…

The I-PDG1 grinds its way up hill just shy of Kamela summit. Engineer Baller is about to reduce throttle for the 15 m.p.h. restriction over the summit.

After meeting one at Pleasant Valley an eastbound stacker starts down the steep part of the grade east of Encina Hill. Treacherously icy roads and bitterly cold wind conditions limited our time east of La Grande last year.