Western Railroad Discussion > Mare Island's New Steel Plate Traffic

Tri-City & Olympia subsidiary Mare Island Rail Service has just started to receive new traffic that should represent a big boost in carloadings to the rail network on Mare Island(Vallejo), CA. XKT Engineering in Building 390 on the island has started to receive loads of steel plate on bulkhead flats and twenty cars were delivered by the California Northern to the MIRS interchange at Flosden this morning. Ten of those were forwarded on to the island by the MIRS crew with their GP15-1 #113(along with one gondola load for Alamillo Rebar). Not just a one time shipment but expected to be the start of a steady traffic flow.

Today's eleven car train is seen in the first two views leaving the mainland on the Mare Island Strait road/rail lift bridge and probably represents the longest train on the bridge in a number of years. In the third photo the 113 edges out onto infrequently used trackage parallel to Azuar Dr. in a mostly undeveloped part of the island.

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The 113 switches out its consist on Mare Island prior to shoving seven loads of steel plate to XKT, whose entry gate is seen in the sixth photo.

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Today's MIRS job shoves into XKT's property on track that hasn't seen revenue freight in years. The 113 is seen running light engine after spotting the loads as seen in the final shot.

http://www.xktengineering.com/facility

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Outstanding! Great to see new traffic up there and nice photo essay.

Thanks!

Z


PS: on a related note, I don't believe that Cal Northern has any traffic south of the Mare Island connection, do they? Do they have any shippers in the Vallejo area?

TIA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/12 16:12 by zephyrus.

These are great! I need to get up there and shoot this operation!

Anyone know the origin of the steel? I see UP bulkhead flats carried the product.

Mexrail

mexrail Wrote:
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> Anyone know the origin of the steel? I see UP
> bulkhead flats carried the product.
>
> Mexrail


Saw the flatcars go past the Dunsmuir Cam a few days ago.

Z......There hasn't been any traffic south of Flosden for many years...At one time the flour Mill was keeping Cal Northern busy at the end of the line...we are talking about 15 to 30 cars a day....but they shut down and moved back east due to labor costs....

SUPER pics!!!! Thanks for sharing.

shed47 Wrote:
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> Today's eleven car train ... probably
> represents the longest train on the bridge in a
> number of years...

Load test accomplished, bridge still intact! Good to see this traffic, hopefully will make Mare Island Rail Service profitable.

mapboy

Anyone know where the Mare Island unit hangs out when not in use? Thanks in advance.

The big fabrication shop appears to be the Shipfitter Shop when it was the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Once the place nuclear submarine sections were fabricated. Good to see it being used again.
Roger Beckett

mapboy Wrote:

> Load test accomplished, bridge still intact! Good
> to see this traffic, hopefully will make Mare
> Island Rail Service profitable.
>
> mapboy

It's interesting to note that the bridge now has a vehicle weight limit of just 3 tons but it's a traffic management issue more than one of weight. This effectively requires all truck traffic to arrive and leave from the island only from the interchange with Hwy. 37.

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Another fabulous photo story from Shed47. I don't know how he does it, but he gets all the best breaking RR news photos!

And, regarding that weight limit: we got ourselves a "lawbreaker" in photo #3, and it looks like he even has a placard for "Poison Gas."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/27/12 22:26 by coach.

What does the insignia on the top of the bridge say? I'm pretty sure it is "Mare Island" across the top, but can't read the bottom.

I will also ask what still hasn't been answered. Where does the steel come from? Where do the platrs originate from?

Posted from Android

If the loads came down through Dunsmuir they might have originated at EVRAZ in Portland or Cascade in McMinnville.

Common-Sense Wrote:
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> I will also ask what still hasn't been answered.
> Where does the steel come from? Where do the
> platrs originate from?
>
> Posted from Android

Common-Sense Wrote:
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> I will also ask what still hasn't been answered.
> Where does the steel come from? Where do the
> platrs originate from?
>
> Posted from Android

I don't know the answer but best guess is the loads are originating from OSM (Oregon Steel Mills, Inc.) in Portland.


Allen

chrisbutts Wrote:
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> If the loads came down through Dunsmuir they might
> have originated at EVRAZ in Portland or Cascade in
> McMinnville.


Just found out there is no more Oregon Steel Mills, Inc.! They are now EVRAZ, so the loads are likey originating there.

http://www.evrazna.com/


Allen



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/12 09:53 by bradleymckay.

lwilton Wrote:
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> What does the insignia on the top of the bridge
> say? I'm pretty sure it is "Mare Island" across
> the top, but can't read the bottom.


The faded sign on the bridge reads Mare Island Naval Shipyard.

G.