Western Railroad Discussion > UP-Feather River-BNSF

Here is what I was told by a very good source:

The hill should open up November 7 and everything will be back like it was before Moyers raped it. The tunnels will be able to handle the high containers.
Most of the traffic will be diverted from the canyon to the hill.

BNSF has trackage rights in the canyon from the SP-UP merger.In those rights is a clause that states the railroad that uses the line the most, will pay or provide for all the maintenance of that line.

Portola will be downsized as a home terminal and some crews will be forced elsewhere.

Rose and the gang went through on a special not long ago checking out the situation on the old WP line. Don't know if they will buy it or have to pay for using it.


Subject to change




Nudge

Hmmmmm. Glad I went to the Canyon last Saturday if this is true.

Jamie Miller

What i think could happen here is that BNSF perchases the Feather River and former D&RGW routes then sells off other routes and operations to pay for it.Like Raton Pass Montana Rail Link so on so on and so forth.I also think there will be a major shift in property holdings that BNSF owns so that other properies can operate.Anything is possible.In other words BNSF is more than likley to transform it self before our very eyes.We will see.

I wouldn't put it as far fetched that the railroad under WB wouldn't
go into route leasing. The business community is less rigid in viewing
assets so who knows.

With the right connections / trackage rights / sales this could give someone the opportunity for another railroad to make it from the midwest to the coast like probably should have happened with the UP/SP merger. Paging Mr. Washington? ;-]

Paul Birkholz
Sheridan, WY

Mtnwestrail.Somebody like Kansas City Southern Railway?That would be the most likley choice to me.I think it's the right time for KCSR to finally come to the west coast.It would be a little more interesting to me.Iwould like to see a 3rd railroad out here on the west coast.

msdgbar Wrote:
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> What i think could happen here is that BNSF
> perchases the Feather River and former D&RGW
> routes

Where in the heck did DRGW enter into this discussion about the Feather River Canyon??? You may want UP to hand over the DRGW to BNSF, but unless the coal trains dry up, UP is not going to hand over the DRGW or most of the WP for that matter. The only portion that UP may be willing to hand over to BNSF would be Keddie to Marysville but that's it for the following reason...

Total route mileage:

BNSF from Galesburg to Richmond via ATSF through Kansas City/Barstow:
2355 miles - most of which is double tracked and good for 70 mph

BNSF from Galesburg to Denver then ex DRGW Denver to Salt Lake then ex WP Salt Lake to Stockton then ATSF Stockton-Richmond:
2327 miles - most of which is single tracked and multiple segments are good for 50-60 mph at best

Now, do you really think BNSF is interested in buying or running trains on a route that is only 28 miles shorter but is dominated by much slower track/steeper grade track along with being mostly single track?

Common people, I love the ex DRGW and ex WP, but the UP/SP routing will always be the lone short route (by roughly 250 miles) through the central corridor and outside of serving Salt Lake City which they can already do via trackage rights, serves little customer base outside of the CO/UT coal fields. This really gives BNSF no interest in buying any of this routing when they can run trains more efficiently on the ex ATSF for around the same mileage. Face it, if the ex DRGW and ex WP are ever sold, it won't be the BNSF that will have much if any interest here, maybe someone like KCS or another Class 1, but there is little reason for BNSF to buy into this routing. Now that we've effectively beat this topic of BNSF buying this route to death, can we please move on to another topic!

Aaron

msdgbar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mtnwestrail.Somebody like Kansas City Southern
> Railway?That would be the most likley choice to
> me.I think it's the right time for KCSR to finally
> come to the west coast.It would be a little more
> interesting to me.Iwould like to see a 3rd
> railroad out here on the west coast.

Don't forget that after the SPSF boondoggle, KCS was the high bidder for SP. However the US Dept. Justice supported the sale of SP to Rio Grande Industries instead of KCS. At the time, KCS was very interested in the Modoc Line and access into Oregon.