Western Railroad Discussion > ALM Wood Pellet Unit Trains

I stumbled across this and found it interesting. ALM hauls units trains of wood pellets from the plant near Bastrop, LA to presumably UP or KCS at Monroe, LA. The article says they use former grain cars but they look more like plastic pellet cars.
Satellite view
https://www.draxbiomass.com/plant-port-journey-compressed-wood-pellet-2/

That might explain covered hoppers stored on a few tracks east of KCS Monroe yard under air.
JB

Yep, the largest power plant in the UK burns American wood pellets so they can stop burning coal.

I see they have built the tracks at their LaSalle plant but it does not look like they were in service yet when the satellite flew over.

The Port of Baton Rouge is on the west bank of the Mississippi served by the UP.  I would think given that, and UP's more direct route from Monroe, that this business moves via UP.  But stranger things have happened!

Mexrail

mexrail Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Port of Baton Rouge is on the west bank of the
> Mississippi served by the UP.  I would think
> given that, and UP's more direct route from
> Monroe, that this business moves via UP.  But
> stranger things have happened!
>
> Mexrail

Yes UP has been moving the unit trains of wood pellets for awhile. I've seen the symbol on the lineups but I can't remember what it is right now. I'll see if I can find it.

Allen

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/27/20 14:49 by bradleymckay.

The LaSalle plant is on UP's line from Monroe to Alexandria so if UP gets the ALM trains there should be two symbols.