Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Transcon Vehicle trains

There is a vehicle train into Richmond, CA every day, which seems to be usually symboled V-CLORIC, although occasionally I have heard V-BIRRIC. I'm Guessing that the Clovis symbol indicates that this train is built from setouts at Clovis, NM, presumably from either a San Bernardino or Phoenix vehicle train. Does anyone have details of BNSF vehicle train operations to the coast? UP Auto trains to the coast seem to be built at IHB Gibson yard as they use the symbol GB (AGBMI and AGBML, Milpitas and Mira Loma). Which Midwestern location do BNSF vehicle trains originate from?

Thanks much.

There's a westbound loaded vehicle train that rolls through Joliet IL every evening.
I would assume this comes off the IHB possibly Gibson IN also. There's a large auto
reload center at Logistics Park (Elwood IL). Wouldn't know the symbols for those
trains. Dan

BNSF will originate vehicle trains in Birmingham AL which start from the Honda plant in Lincoln AL which is on the NS, they may run only to Clovis but sometimes to Richmond, V-BIRRIC. The Birmingham trains also handle, Hyundai in Montgomery AL, Kia West Point GA, Mercedes Vance AL.
The trains will stop in Memphis at Yale Yard which is a vehicle train yard which builds trains to various BNSF destinations and pick up autos from Nissan Smyrna TN, Nissan Canton MS., Toyota Blue Springs MS. They will also set out autos at Memphis Yale for other destinations,

gmojim

There are also a V-BARSDG and V-SDGBAR trains to and from San Diego/National City California of witch most of the vehicles go transcon as well.

There also is a V-BLUBEL Blue Island to Belen vehicle train that could set-out at Clovis.

That's a good question about the V trains into Richmond, since I very rarely hear a train symbol mentioned. But when I have, it could by a VCLORIC or a VKCKRIC. Almost appears to be the same train on different days, just with a different origination point after cars are combined.

On some days there are two westbound vehicle trains into Richmond, that show up midday. One is usually noticeably shorter.

Anyone have an idea what those trains are?

Gary

Posted from iPhone

qnyla Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There also is a V-BLUBEL Blue Island to Belen
> vehicle train that could set-out at Clovis.


Isn't this primarily an Albuquerque train? Didn't there used to be a V train with an ABQ symbol??

riffian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> qnyla Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > There also is a V-BLUBEL Blue Island to Belen
> > vehicle train that could set-out at Clovis.
>
>
> Isn't this primarily an Albuquerque train? Didn't
> there used to be a V train with an ABQ symbol??

V ABQELP and the rarer
V ABQEAP.

As for the others that pass West through and to to Clovis, you have:
V KCKCLO
V EMPELP
V BIRSBD

East out of Clovis:
V CLOLAR
V CLOLPC
V CLOBIR
V CLOALT

East out of Cali:
V SBDTUP
V SBDCSX
V SDGCLO
V SDGALT
V SDGMDO
V RICCPH
V RICTUP
V RICCSX

East out of Phoenix:
V PHXKCK
V PHXELP

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/13 14:10 by Hookdragkick.

Thing I found out is how BNSF uses their ones for La also for San Diego, which is a good stategy if you want to save money!

You also have a QCLOHOU that carries a mixture of containers, autos, and refrigerated cars daily through Texas.

Many good responses so far, but the bottom line is there is no 100% symbol consistency for vehicle trains.

Generally speaking, westbound auto loads come from the southeast and also from the Chicago area primarily from either the IHB or CSX. Those will jump on the Transcon at McCook, IL. I'm guessing K.C. generates some as well. Also, generally speaking, westbound autos will get re-worked/blocked at Clovis and new trains will be created. From Clovis, some auto traffic goes to Albuquerque and Phoenix with the vast majority of it going to northern California (Richmond) or southern California (San Bernardino). The most common westbound V train symbols west of Clovis are the VCLORIC and VCLOSBD trains. As noted, often times symbols from further east make it through Clovis, most notably the northern CA trains such as the VBIRRIC. When auto traffic is heavy, sometimes Clovis can't handle all the switching and you see vehicle trains for Richmond or San Bernardino originating in places like Emporia, KS, Belen, NM, Gallup, NM, and even Winslow, AZ.

Westbound autos also ride other trains as well. Those going to San Bernardino typically ride Stack trains, most commonly the SCLOSCO train, however sometimes other trains can have SBD autos, such as the SNWOSCO train that ran today. (The SHOUSCO train seems to be a common alternative as well.) For northern CA, autos can be seen riding on Q trains and even Z trains.

Empty auto racks out of Richmond (plus some loads) will most often ride one train east and that train can be symboled ANYWHERE that needs racks. Clovis is indeed a popular destination for the Richmond train, but destinations in the southeast, Texas, and connecting railroads in Chicago are also very common.

Empty auto racks in San Bernardino are first sent to San Diego to be loaded. Extra autos in San Bernardino that aren't needed in San Diego will head east from there to wherever in the country they're needed (just like Richmond).

The loaded trains out of San Diego can also be symboled to pretty much anywhere, however again, Clovis is the most common. There are no VBARSDG/VSDGBAR trains. Typically the San Diego-bound trains are symboled VSBDSDG and the loads VSDGxxx to wherever they are headed. Once in awhile San Diego is short on racks, and empties are sent there from anywhere in the country. Today a VABQSDG (from Albuquerque) train went west across the Seligman and Needles Subs. Empty trains to San Diego from places other than San Bernardino aren't too common, but they happen.

Hopefully these explanations shed some light on the matter...

-Tom

Tom - thanks much for a most insightful reply....just what I was looking for. Westbound V trains seem to be loads of US assembled vehicles, while eastbound trains are empties with the exception of San Diego originated trains. With Asian auto makers establishing assembly plants in the US, San Diego seems to be the last port of the west coast (at least BNSF served) with substantial levels of imported vehicles. I thought Honda had moved its import operations from San Diego to Richmond??

There appears to be a substantial level of imported vehicles through the port of Benicia in the Bay Area, exclusively served by the UP.

As stated above, BNSF seems to run westbound vehicle trains to handle whatever the volume of traffic on that day is. So the symbols vary a lot,
The empties eastbound go where ever the empties are needed, so they vary a lot.

gmojim