Western Railroad Discussion > Belen NM Questions

Having observed the new webcam at Belen NM

What is the length of the two eastbound arrival tracks from the crossing in the background to the last fuel station on each track?

How many fuel trucks work the Belen refueling—-it looks like two straight tankers and one semi tanker?

What is the capacity of the fuel trucks my guess is three thousand gallons on the straight tankers and six thousand on the semi?

Do they load there fuel from the BNSF tanks in Belen or do they go to and outside source?

I am sure this has been ask but what trains are built on Belen besides AQE and ELP

Thanks in advance for any replies

Dale Smith

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/18 01:44 by mearsksealand.

Trains that originate/terminate at Belen include:

HALTBEL Alliance, TX - Belen, NM 2-3x a week
HBARBEL Barstow, CA - Belen, NM
HBELAMA Belen, NM - Amarillo, TX (North Yard)
HBELBAR Belen, NM - Barstow, CA
HBELCLO Belen, NM - Clovis, NM
HBELDEN Belen, NM - Denver, CO
HBELELP Belen, NM - El Paso, TX
HBELLUB Belen, NM - Lubbock, TX Wed, Fri, Sun
HBELKCK Belen, NM - Kansas City, KS
HBELPHX Belen, NM - Phoenix, AZ
HBELTPL Belen, NM - Temple, TX
HBWWBEL Brownwood, TX - Belen, NM
HDENBEL Denver, CO - Belen, NM
HKCKBEL Kansas City, KS - Belen, NM
HPHXBEL Phoenix, AZ - Belen, NM
HSLABEL Slaton, TX - Belen, NM

Andrew might be able to come up with some more.
Not already mentioned:H BELTUL9H CLOBEL1H ELPBEL1H PUEBEL1 V ABQRIC4 (probably to various destinations when a trainload has accumulated)V KCKBEL1 Z ABQWSP9 on TuesdaysZ BELALT9 on Thursdays (other days traffic switched onto other Zs)

mapboy

I'm not sure about the straight tankers but the tractor trailers are usually between 8 and 10 thousand gallon capacity. At least they are here in Missouri.

Duane Witte
Holt, MO

mearsksealand Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Having observed the new webcam at Belen NM

Almost as good as the yard cams I used to look at. Only then I got paid to look at those cams, now I have to pay.


> What is the length of the two eastbound arrival
> tracks from the crossing in the background to the
> last fuel station on each track?

Belen has 8 Fuel Pads (FP) - four eastbound pads (FP1-FP4) and four westbound pads (FP5-FP8).

FP1 - 8500'
FP2 - 8350'
FP3 - 8000'
FP4 - 7900'
FP5 through FP8 - 8200'

The eastbound tracks curve around the yard. The westbound tracks run along the bottom of the yard and are straight until just before the fuel racks.

> How many fuel trucks work the Belen
> refueling—-it looks like two straight tankers
> and one semi tanker?

On a good day when they were all running Belen had 5 tanker trucks. One or perhaps two of them were a tanker pulling a trailer. 


> What is the capacity of the fuel trucks my guess
> is three thousand gallons on the straight tankers
> and six thousand on the semi?

I never did ask. I just wanted them to get the DP units gassed up and get the train the HECK (not the word I want to use) out of town.

> Do they load there fuel from the BNSF tanks in
> Belen or do they go to and outside source?

Tankers are loaded at Belen. Belen is fed by a pipeline.

> I am sure this has been ask but what trains are
> built on Belen besides AQE and ELP

I see someone up thread has provided a nice list of Belen originators and terminators. Not all those trains run daily and not all of them run in both directions.

> Thanks in advance for any replies
>
> Dale Smith

3rd_Raton - aka Belen terminal dispatcher, now retired.

 

 A truck carrying 10,000 gallons of diesel would have a payload of 77,000 lbs and I doubt any state will allow a tractor trailer way over 100,000 lbs without some additional axles.

dcfbalcoS1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>  A truck carrying 10,000 gallons of diesel would
> have a payload of 77,000 lbs and I doubt any state
> will allow a tractor trailer way over 100,000 lbs
> without some additional axles.
You're right they wouldn't. 80,000 lbs is max gross in most states..
My post only said that they have an 8 to 10 thousand gallon capacity not that they haul that.  A load of diesel would be probably around 8000 gallons, however they also haul gasoline in the same trucks which weighs less so they can haul more of it. A gallon of diesel weighs in at just under 7 pounds.

Duane Witte
Holt, MO

DWitte Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> dcfbalcoS1 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >  A truck carrying 10,000 gallons of diesel
> would
> > have a payload of 77,000 lbs and I doubt any
> state
> > will allow a tractor trailer way over 100,000
> lbs
> > without some additional axles.

While I don't know if they do this, but since the trucks only service trains on BNSF property and the load fuel on BNSF property, the trucks need to be "street legal" and under 80,000 lbs if they stayed on railroad property.  The regulation only applies to vehicles on the public roads.  BNSF of course would have to operate safely and not exceed the safe capacity of the fuel truck.

Fuel trucks do operate through town as the use the overpass and perimeter streets to also get around the yard.