Western Railroad Discussion > Bye bye Balmer….

Well…I don’t want to cause a panic here…but word on the street and in the breakroom is that Balmer Yard in Interbay/Seattle, Wash. will be shutdown/closed on June 1st this year…permanently.

Nothing “official” from management, and I know this has been discussed and they’ve been after Balmer for quite some time…but this is different, they are serious now.

No concrete details….BUT…come and get your pictures of Balmer and the switch jobs while you can…you’ve got 2 1/2 weeks.

Grab some of the former GN/BN/BNSF Interbay roundhouse while you are at it too. The 20+ locomotives remaining there, many of which were in good working order or there for minor repairs or inspections when the house closed over a year ago, became stranded when the employees were told to exercise their seniority and the doors closed. These engines will now all be “scrapped on spot” soon, as copper thieves have completely stripped every single one of anything of value.

Even the last remaining SD9 on a class 1, the BNSF 1551 was LUGO in storage over there just waiting to go to work, has been stripped of everything…the entire facility is the sorriest and most disrespectful looking place I have ever seen.

The end of an era…..

Tex

Sad but nothing lasts forever.....

where is the work going?

dan Wrote:
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> where is the work going?


Nowhere. Corporate America is just riding the wave of contraction and making the survivors do more and more with less and less, the “profits” of doing nothing. Of course this cannot last forever as logic dictates, but as long as short term gains and “metrics” (vomit) are met then bonuses and stock options are handed out.

As long as the owners of this country can keep this game going, and retire at 50 to their little private islands in the Caribbean then nothing is going to change.

Of course the Plebs are going to be left holding the bag of burning dog sh!t, but they don’t contribute to profits anyway.

Regards.

Posted from iPhone

BNSF seems to be hell bent on cuts all over the place, and it's really ramped up now.

This week in Spokane WA, BNSF announced the elimination of all the remaining switchman helper positions on jobs that currently utilize an engineer (resulting in only one person on the ground doing the work).  Last year, BNSF wanted to follow the UP's lead and forced on the union the elimination of the 2nd ground working positions (ie switchman and brakeman) with a new contract which was voted down by the workers.  Since then, the carrier has been slowly eliminating all the remaining brakeman positions on locals and switchman off some yard jobs, but this will finish the job.  After this, all jobs that do local work for customers and yard switching will be by either a crew of one engineer and one conductor/switchman, or two ground working switchman on remote control jobs.

Local management seemed to be surprised by this announcement from the "mothership" in Fort Worth as they are now scrambling on how to try to get the customers service work done and the cars in the yard switched with half the amount of ground working employees available.  

Pretty much as stated above, the BNSF or any other Class One railroad couldn't care less about the customer.

Serious bucks for the Real Estate as well.

Post remediation, which can be profitable with the right management 'plan'.

dan Wrote:
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> where is the work going?

The Vancouver, WA locomotive shop was expanded and Interbay closed.

TCnR Wrote:
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> Serious bucks for the Real Estate as well.

Thanks, I was wondering about that.

Texican65 Wrote:
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> Nothing “official” from management, and I know
> this has been discussed and they’ve been after
> Balmer for quite some time…but this is
> different, they are serious now.

I think they are serious.  The Seattle MOW section is moving out of their decades-long facility.  Some are now assembling in Auburn and some are relocating to a smaller office at Stacy Yard.  I heard the Roundhouse Foreman was also looking for a new office, there.

> Grab some of the former GN/BN/BNSF Interbay
> roundhouse while you are at it too.

Apparently the roundhouse has 3 months to go until demolition.

> The 20+
> locomotives remaining there....These engines will now all be “scrapped on
> spot” soon

I heard 1-2 weeks to begin scrapping the locomotives, so late May.
 

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Warren Buffett made it clear last week during it's annual meeting . BNSF.  " performance hasn't been up to expectations particularly reguarding profit margins and revenue." "There's is room for improvement and believes the situation can be rectified". This traslates to Make more profit by closing yards ,selling land  and cutting jobs.

Balmer was built for carload freight. Carload freight neds switchmen and brakemen.

Everyone Knows that carload freight is bad. Some just won't admit it and must be properly indoctrinated.

It's like exorcism. Wall Street sends a priest who will drive out the evil carloads.

All will be right with the world when those evil carload spirits have been driven out. The chant to the outside is do more with less, but in the hallowed halls, it's make more with less.

(If the people in charge of the country now had been in charge in 1941, would we be writing in German or Japanese?)

TAW

WTF? Where’s all the work allegedly going to be done? There’s still work to do.

I wonder if they’ll scab out pulling the elevator at Cargill, or give Cargill a better rate if the “deliver” a pulled unit train into a track.

I hope BNSF isn’t planning to go the route UP just did at Eugene OR.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/25 11:34 by midwest.

Not if you drive off one car customers.

TAW Wrote:
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> Balmer was built for carload freight. Carload
> freight neds switchmen and brakemen.
>
> Everyone Knows that carload freight is bad. Some
> just won't admit it and must be properly
> indoctrinated.
>
> It's like exorcism. Wall Street sends a priest who
> will drive out the evil carloads.
>If
> All will be right with the world when those evil
> carload spirits have been driven out. The chant to
> the outside is do more with less, but in the
> hallowed halls, it's make more with less.
>
> ( the people in charge of the country now had
> been in charge in 1941, would we be writing in
> German or Japanese?)
>
> TAW

or some crazy calque of both

Drknow Wrote:
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> As long as the owners of this country can keep
> this game going, and retire at 50 to their little
> private islands in the Caribbean then nothing is
> going to change.

The famous "billionaire to millionaire" guy had his property wiped out in the Caribbean from a hurricane. Feel bad, because he's one of the nicer guys, but mother nature doesn't pick sides. >:-)

I wouldn't worry so much where they retire, as areas where most people congregate were picked because they are supposed to be more liveable. It's their fault for looking down on us and try to live in some remote island. So you'll have plenty of chances to see justice.
 

midwest Wrote:
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> WTF? Where’s all the work allegedly going to be
> done? There’s still work to do.
>
> I wonder if they’ll scab out pulling the
> elevator at Cargill, or give Cargill a better rate
> if the “deliver” a pulled unit train into a
> track.
>

It doesn't have a loop for unit train unloading. It doesn't even have a track long enough for what BNSF calls a train, so double in, double out (or more). That is bad. Bad, bad, bad.

Railroads are common carriers and are therefore theoretically  required to take tendered ship[ments. However, the requirements don't specify terms.The railroad industry avoids the traffic they don't want through pricing or (abysmal) service. I'm guessing the Cargill elevator in Seattle does not have a bright future.

TAW

It is absolutely dispicable what BNSF has allowed to transpire at this repair facility. 

No joke...over 20 locomotives, most Layed Up Good Order...and ready to work...just in storage...were left on premises when the facility was shutdown...and have been sitting derelict for a year now....and they have been completely ravaged! It is a sad, scary looking place now, a locomotive graveyard. A place that was once safe...became very dangerous for equipment. 

Look at the BNSF 1551...the last SD9...built in 1954 and up until just a couple years ago was working the lead banging out cars all day and all night long...without issue. But because she wasnt fuel efficient...she was sidelined....and now has been picked-apart and defaced by thieves. Not a very fitting end for a glorious lady who served her people well. 

Their condition is far worse now....these photos were taken 4-5 months ago. 

 

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Every piece of brass, copper, or valuable metal has been taken...

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I noticed all of the numberboards are missing. Unless BNSF removed them for some reason, it looks like some of the thieves may be railfans.

. . . but if there is a railfan with a camera within sight of the property, there is an all points bulletin for cops, FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, and any other troops available.

I saw a demonstration of the drone they use for security. Cute.

TAW