Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Train Symbols Please

Could anyone out there in TO land find the symbols for the BNSF 5134 West and the BNSF 6613 East for me? These two stack trains met at Oreapolis Nebraska (on the Creston Sub) around 1:00 this afternoon. Both trains were all stacks--no trailers. The BNSF does run a Chgo-Den intermodal train but it usually has stacks and trailers. I guess that would mean these trains either come from the PNW by way of Crawford Hill--I didn't know stacks were regular visitors to Crawford, at least I have seen few intermodal trains when I've been there, or they come across the ex-Rio Grande into Denver from the west coast? I didn't know the BNSF ran any intermodal trains that way either. Thanks for your help.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/12 16:43 by WichitaJct.

It sounds like you caught one of the lower priority stack trains that run from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest. I haven't seen a Q CHIDEN and Q DENCHI in months or so. I'm sure others can give you the actual symbol of the trains you saw. Chances are they are S-Trains.

John Crisanti
Longmont, CO

BNSF 5134 West ~ S-LPCTAC2-08D
BNSF 6613 East ~ S-SEALPC1-05D

Mr. MRL

These trains have been rerouted over MRL and BNSF through Nebraska since summer or so. They were supposed to go back to the Hi-Line this fall, but have stayed on the current route. I would guess this routing remains due to Bakken traffic in Montana and North Dakota and available capacity through Nebraska due to fewer coal trains.

Paul Birkholz
Sheridan, WY

mtnwestrail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> These trains have been rerouted over MRL and BNSF
> through Nebraska since summer or so. They were
> supposed to go back to the Hi-Line this fall, but
> have stayed on the current route. I would guess
> this routing remains due to Bakken traffic in
> Montana and North Dakota and available capacity
> through Nebraska due to fewer coal trains.

Not so much Bakken traffic - when the snow flies the oil trains slow down, because the trucks that transload it to the facility can't get to the loading area as quickly. We lost the stacks on the Hi-Line during the flooding in 2011 in Minot, and never really got some back. As Winter sets in, some more trains will go via Mandan or Lincoln to try to ease the pain on the rails - we encountered 14 broken rails today on my Z-SSECHC, a broken drawbar, and eight poorly timed meets - which resulted a Z train being dogcaught... No oil trains or Bakken traffic whatsoever.

That is why I said I 'would guess.' ;-] Thanks for the on the rails verification. I was wondering if a harsh, North Dakota winter would slow down the transportation of the product. I think the other reason that some of the traffic moved off the Hi-Line was MOW activity beyond the flooded areas?

Can anyone confirm that that the transit times have been competitive for the stack traffic via MRL? I've heard that based on the Chicago location of the origination/destination of the traffic that they gained time in the Chicago area by taking the 'southern' route.

Paul Birkholz
Sheridan, WY

I have noticed between Chicago and The Twin Cities, there is not any stack traffic, just ZCHCPTL, ZCHCSSE, and counterpart trains, plus VCHCPTL and ZSSPCHC.

I think most of the other stack traffic is coming across Iowa.

MILW86A

And there is the CHC to Tacoma with international containers filled out with tons of autos.

Makes some sense via Iowa, when you get to Galesburg, you have two double track mainlines into Chicago, versus what looks like a crowded single track between Aurora and Savanna.