Western Railroad Discussion > A Tacoma Rail/UP interchange.

I spent some time at Tacoma Rail and the UP Fife yard this afternoon, watching TR deliver a stack train to UP and UP delivering a train to the SIM yard (South Intermodal yard) and the transfer yard.   1) This is the UP Fife yard on track 104 (I believe). Tacoma Rail has just delivered a train that has two cuts.  The cut at the head end is the ITRBM (Timber!), about 1200’.  Rather short for a TMBR.  On the main is the ZLZTM, having arrived a little bit earlier off the BNSF. 2) TR Job 205 delivered the TMBR and they are just jumping in the truck and heading back to their yard, while the LZTM is starting to shove over to the SIM yard.  3) UP’s work rules result in a very slow, but presumably safe, shove to the SIM.   The distance the tail end moved between shots was about a half mile, but took 21 minutes.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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4) The highway here is SR 509, few of the drivers realize they are driving over a Bullfrog.  Bullfrog Jct, that is!    Now progress gets even slower as each turnout is lined if necessary and every turnout carefully checked (there is a student on the crew). 

5) Now riding the leading car, they’ve made it about a third of the way through the transfer yard.  They’ve also just passed the Bullfrog wye that leads to the Muni yard. 

6) Again, progress slows as there are number of turnouts to line and check.  This scene shows the relationship between the Muni yard and the Transfer yard.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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7) The UP crew decided to walk the distance from the bottom of this shot to the grade crossing.  Meanwhile, a TR job has pulled a cut of cars out of North Intermodal Yard, and is heading off alongside Lincoln Ave.

8) A little more of that TR move.

9) And the answer to my question, why were they headed that way?  To use the Bootjack wye and turn the train.   Notice that along the tracks under the Lincoln Ave overpass (lower left) is the UP crew.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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10) While the UP is now starting to shove into the SIM yard, the TR job is shoving into the Muni.

11) This Three Quarters of a clover leaf would be a nightmare to wire up on a model railroad.   Fortunately, the UP crew only has to worry about bending iron and not electrical reversing districts. 

12) With the first of three tracks filled with empty well cars, the head end is in the middle of the Transfer yard. 

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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13) The light is starting to fade as the second track is filled.  Unfortunately, there were a few empty well cars already in track 803, so they’ll need to shove the last 8 empty well cars into track 804.   The loaded well cars ended up in the Transfer yard.  By the time that happened nearly 2 ½ hours passed into history. 

14) Radio conversations over at the UP, something about command decisions and precision railroading, indicated that the ITMBR was getting ready to leave the Fife yard, cross the Puyallup river and head south to Portland on the BNSF Seattle sub.    Timing was a bit off here, over the Puyallup.  The UP was late, or the BNSF early for the Moon rise over Mt Rainier. 

15) After the TMBR, led by UP 5373, did a backup move (maybe to pick up the Conductor), I was able to catch the train on bridge over the Puyallup, with the Moon rise still visible.   

Just about 2 hours transpired from the first shot to the last.  

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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Excellent narrative and coverage of an area that does not get much attention.

Wow Steve......terrific rail vistas layering the train movements with the surrounding neighborhood. I think I finally get the way this junction can work moving from yard to yard albeit through time consuming movements. Wonderful shot of mountain peak in the far distance.

BB in Spokane

Posted from iPhone

A lot of MILW and NP Reservation memories hidden in the trees and / or covered by concrete.

Greg Stadter
Phoenix, AZ

Thanks for the interesting look of this area.

Larry

GREAT stuff..!!  Thanks for posting.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/19 14:13 by ns1000.

Your posts are always interesting, thanks
Gonut