Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF 3966 and DODX Nuclear North of Pocatello

I was enjoying a peaceful Sunday morning, when I heard a train heading North on the line that heads North from Pocatello, ID . Thought it was odd to hear traffic on this line on a Sunday morning, so i went to investigate. The train was moving pretty quick, and after some fancy driving, I caught it at Reservation Road.

In the video you'll see BNSF 3966 with several nuclear cars and a DODX caboose heading for the Idaho National Lab.

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Nice video, very interesting. Never seen more than one or two of those containers on a train before. Is it nuclear waste/spent fuel going from power station to secure storage?

These cars (described as nuclear cask cars) went by the Chehalis, WA, webcam on Saturday, 6/20, as BNSF's J PTLCEW (Portland-Centralia) for interchange to PS&P for the U.S. Navy at Bremerton.  They came back Friday, 7/10, as the J CEWLVJ for Longview Jct., WA, probably for interchange to the UP.  Now you saw them on the UP in Idaho.

mapboy

exhaustED Wrote:
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> Is it nuclear waste/spent fuel going from power
> station to secure storage?

more likely waste from nuclear submarines.

BB

bmarti7 Wrote:
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> exhaustED Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -
> > Is it nuclear waste/spent fuel going from power
> > station to secure storage?
>
> more likely waste from nuclear submarines.
>

Ok, thanks. 

bmarti7 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> exhaustED Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -
> > Is it nuclear waste/spent fuel going from power
> > station to secure storage?

On SP's Cal-P the speed limit for full nukes was 25 mph in wee hours of the AM. They usually had 2 tunnel motors 3-4 "hoppers" (looking like upside down covered hoppers) and a DODX crummy. This BNSF train looks like it is pushing the speed limit. I think Hornby or Bachmann (UK) OO (HOish) made similar casks and flat cars as on the BNSF "express". 

RRBaron Wrote:
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> On SP's Cal-P the speed limit for full nukes was
> 25 mph in wee hours of the AM. They usually had 2
> tunnel motors 3-4 "hoppers" (looking like upside
> down covered hoppers) and a DODX crummy. This BNSF
> train looks like it is pushing the speed limit. I
> think Hornby or Bachmann (UK) OO (HOish) made
> similar casks and flat cars as on the BNSF
> "express". 

N Scale Kits makes them for (obviously) N scale.

Dan

bmarti7 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> exhaustED Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -
> > Is it nuclear waste/spent fuel going from power
> > station to secure storage?
>
> more likely waste from nuclear submarines.
>
> BB

or aircraft carriers. The Navy is the largest operator of nuclear power plants in the US.

As I started watching the video, I thought to myself where is the black hawk helo following. Then I notice the police car. Then I notice he left as the train went by. Coincidence?

There are a whole fleet of those nuclear waste cars at the INL site just west of Idaho Falls,Idaho.  They used to use them all of the time to transport items in and out of the facility, but now it seems like they use trucks more.    Click on " nuclear waste cars" to see what Google maps has to offer.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/20 19:02 by hawkeye.

mapboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> These cars (described as nuclear cask cars) went
> by the Chehalis, WA, webcam on Saturday, 6/20, as
> BNSF's J PTLCEW (Portland-Centralia) for
> interchange to PS&P for the U.S. Navy at
> Bremerton.  They came back Friday, 7/10, as the J
> CEWLVJ for Longview Jct., WA, probably for
> interchange to the UP.  Now you saw them on the
> UP in Idaho.
>
> mapboy

The outbound symbol was actually the J-CEWVLJ9-10, interchanged to the UP at Villard Jct, WA, not Longview Jct(LVJ), WA. 

Who did the Department of Defense buy their cabooses from?

I wondered the same thing. The police car was technically out of his juristiction, but maybe he was assigned to escort. I'm just glad I didn't get a speeding ticket trying to catch up with the train! 

I think DOD bought the cabeese new. Not nuclear waste. Partly depleted fuel that goes to the National Lab for processing.  Waste goes other places. For example the old ship reactors go to be buried at Hanford, WA
RB

In the last 10 days there have been 2 other DODX cabs and some flats go to the INL empty. Unsual to see the cabs go out that way. Any escorts for the train are in the cab. No road escorts that I ever saw. I worked a couple of these in the '80s and '90s. There is quite a reception when you get to Scoville though.

These casks are used for transport from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard of recently decommissioned submarines as they are tasked with dismantling of all Navy submarines..  Nuclear reactor refueling for nuke carriers is only done in Virginia.

amtrak34east Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> mapboy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > These cars (described as nuclear cask cars)
> went
> > by the Chehalis, WA, webcam on Saturday, 6/20,
> as
> > BNSF's J PTLCEW (Portland-Centralia) for
> > interchange to PS&P for the U.S. Navy at
> > Bremerton.  They came back Friday, 7/10, as the
> J
> > CEWLVJ for Longview Jct., WA, probably for
> > interchange to the UP.  Now you saw them on
> the
> > UP in Idaho.
> >
> > mapboy
>
> The outbound symbol was actually the J-CEWVLJ9-10,
> interchanged to the UP at Villard Jct, WA, not
> Longview Jct(LVJ), WA. 

Chehalis webcam people had it as VLJ, then changed it to LVJ.  Thanks for the correction.

mapboy

Sp1110 Wrote:
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> Who did the Department of Defense buy their
> cabooses from?

International Car Company, they were built new for DOD.

PHall Wrote:
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> Sp1110 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Who did the Department of Defense buy their
> > cabooses from?
>
> International Car Company, they were built new for
> DOD.
Thanks. I wonder how old they are.

Posted from iPhone

Very Interesting BNSF unit on EIRR rails.
Borrowed Or Dedicated power for this particular kind of train?

Also still jointed rail on that line!

Like your user name by the way.
Here is your "namesake" I caught in Twin Falls, Id. sometime in the 1990's!

Congrats on VOTD too!

Jim Baker
Riverside, CA



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/20 06:38 by RailRat.

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