Western Railroad Discussion > Foaming Around Portland, Oregon on a Smokey Saturday

Last Saturday 8/22/15, I finally got out to do a little foaming.  Unfortunately, the smoke from the Washington wildfores made it's way into the Portland area and kinda messed things up.

Here are some photos from Saturday.

1.  Amtrak train # 506 NB at Lake Yard in Portland.  Normally you would be able to see Mt Hood

2.  Amtrak train # 11  SB at West St Johns in the cut approaching the Willamette Draw

3.  Close up of AMTK 505 GE unit
Nomosantafe
Portland, Oregon
"Pacific Wonderland"

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4. UP train MPDPS  (Portland - PSAP Centralia, WA) NB at the Willamette Draw

5. UP train at the N end of Albina Yard

6. BNSF train M VBCABN waiting at N end of Albina while UP train switches
 

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7.  WB Tri-Met light rail train enters the tunnel under the west Hills

8. View of smokey Portland from the Vista Avenue (aka Suicide Bridge)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/15 10:19 by nomosantafe.

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nice series Randy good to have you back in the NW
Brian
 

Why would the UP train be on the BNSF north from Willamette Draw (since that goes to Willbridge and Lake Yard I believe), and why would BNSF vehicle train be on UP going into Albina?  Do they use each other's routes south of the North Portland Junction? TIA

Bruce

Wow look at all those boxcars...

StStephen Wrote:
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> Why would the UP train be on the BNSF north from
> Willamette Draw (since that goes to Willbridge and
> Lake Yard I believe), and why would BNSF vehicle
> train be on UP going into Albina?  Do they use
> each other's routes south of the North Portland
> Junction? TIA

Yeah, I was wondering that as well.

Tor in Eugene

Torisgod Wrote:
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> StStephen Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Why would the UP train be on the BNSF north
> from
> > Willamette Draw (since that goes to Willbridge
> and
> > Lake Yard I believe), and why would BNSF
> vehicle
> > train be on UP going into Albina?  Do they use
> > each other's routes south of the North Portland
> > Junction? TIA
>
> Yeah, I was wondering that as well.
>
> Tor in Eugene

UP runs 2 trains out of Lake yard north.  The MPDPS  Portland - PSAP (Centralia, WA) and MPTSE  Portland - Seattle.Not sure what the arrangements are, I just know they have done it for a number of years.  These 2 trains typically leave Lake Yard mid mormning, early afternoon, one after the other. UP trains from Hinkle and Eugene go to Lake Yard and cars are forwarded north from the Lake rather than Albina.

UP has also run the ZBRTM  (Brooklyn -Tacoma) over BNSF from Union Station - North Portland Jct. at times.  I'm not sure what they are doing since I retired, but it was a pretty regular thing 2 months ago.

The BNSF train is an M VBCABN  , merchandise -Vancouver, BC - Albina , not a vehicle train..  This train runs either way to Albina, North Portland Jct - Penn Jct - Albina over UP or North Portland Jct - Union Station - Albina over BNSF.  It depends on if and when the UP will take the train.

BNSF has run a version of this train for years also.  It has run as an M EVEABN (Everett, WA - Albina) also.  It handles BNSF traffic that interchanges with the UP at Albina 

Well, Randy while you were up on the Vista St bridge, my sister and her husband  and
my galfriend were below you at old Bud Clarks Goose Hollow eating an early dinner and
having a couple of cold ones out on the deck. I told Darlene that someone was taking pictures
so for her to be sure and smile!    8>)

Larry Dodgion
Wilsonville, OR

Great shots, glad you're already out takin shots and sharing them with us

Are all those boxcars in that photo stored or is there actually a customer there that ship/receives that many cars?  Wish there were a lot more of those loose cars customers (but the railroads' do a good job of driving them away with very poor and variable "service" (seems like a very inappropriate term when describing railroads' loose car operations!?!?)).

I wonder what UP's operations for Lake Yard are (since it's also used by BNSF and their intermodal facility is next door)?  Is it a switching relief valve for Albina?

cpn456 Wrote:
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> Are all those boxcars in that photo stored or is
> there actually a customer there that ship/receives
> that many cars?  Wish there were a lot more of
> those loose cars customers (but the railroads' do
> a good job of driving them away with very poor and
> variable "service" (seems like a very
> inappropriate term when describing railroads'
> loose car operations!?!?)).
>

Those boxes are loaded/unloaded at those sidings, known as the Beer track north of Albina. I've heard the 67R crew move them around.



> I wonder what UP's operations for Lake Yard are
> (since it's also used by BNSF and their intermodal
> facility is next door)?  Is it a switching relief
> valve for Albina?


The consists of the MPTSE, MPTPS, and the MPTFI appear to me to come from the UP's MHKPT, MNPPT, and possibly the MRVPT. One will note that the power from the HKPT and NPPT proceed north the next morning with many of the same cars. UP used to run an HKFI (sometimes the HKSE) which has since been mothballed, I think in favor of two regular runs originating from Lake Yard, which I think makes some logistics sense if PT,PS,FI, and SE have similar rolling stock demand.


A question I have is that I noticed today that the Lake Transfer was entirely Canadian. I thought for a moment that the VBCABN had simply pulled all the way through Lake, across the Steel Bridge, and then North in to Albina, but I was able to confirm that this was the transfer... So I guess my question is why not have those cars come down on the VBCABN?