Western Railroad Discussion > New BNSF San Bernardino - Austell / Atlanta symbols?

BNSF and NS recently started a new service lane between San Bernardino, CA and Austell / Atlanta, GA.  This new service replaced the Los Angeles - Austell / Atlanta lane.  In the old service, BNSF Q LACAUG ran 6x a week from Los Angeles Hobart Yard to the NS interchange in Memphis in which it became NS 264.  In reverse, NS 265 became BNSF Q AUGLAC in Memphis and ran to Hobart 3x a week.  Under the new plan, the eastbound train departs San Bernardino now 5x a week for NS at Memphis and the westbound train departs NS Memphis for San Bernardino 5x a week.  I do believe this new service replaces the Q LACAUG / Q AUGLAC trains.  Would someone be able to provide the new symbols for this service lane (if they did indeed change)?

Andrew

Still running Q-LACAUG/Q-AUGLAC. Have not seen any new symbols.

Quick sample this morning:
Q-LACAUG6-14 at Barstow
Q-AUGLAC6-12 on the Gallup Sub

Still 264 eastward and 265 westward on NS.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/20 08:22 by Juniata.

In this lane how much longer is BNSF via Springfield compared to UP via Meridian Speedway?

Good question, harder to piece the former mileage estimate using road distances compared to the latter but doable with effort.

But not only longer, but I would presume slower east of Springfield, MO to Memphis, threading through the Memphis terminal district, then on NS to B'Ham via Sheffield. Which means more expensive because more crew districts per mile.

millerdc Wrote:
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> In this lane how much longer is BNSF via
> Springfield compared to UP via Meridian Speedway?

The Q LACAUGs and Q LACATGs have been staged at Daggett recently, being coupled together, and ran as one train across the transcon. Not sure where they split off.

Posted from Android

pbouzide Wrote:
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> Good question, harder to piece the former mileage
> estimate using road distances compared to the
> latter but doable with effort.
>
> But not only longer, but I would presume slower
> east of Springfield, MO to Memphis, threading
> through the Memphis terminal district, then on NS
> to B'Ham via Sheffield. Which means more expensive
> because more crew districts per mile.
>
> millerdc Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > In this lane how much longer is BNSF via
> > Springfield compared to UP via Meridian
> Speedway?

Both trains operate via Chattanooga and the Atlanta North District. I believe this is handled with three crews - Memphis / Sheffield; Sheffield / Chattanooga; Chattanooga / Atlanta.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/20 18:33 by Juniata.

Thanks for that info Juniata. Will help when I try to estimate the mileage difference. And at 340 miles (or so) Memphis-Chattanooga two crews isn't bad at all.

I guess the slow part of the Crescent Corridor is Chattanooga-Bristol-Roanoke-Front Royal.

Juniata Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> pbouzide Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Good question, harder to piece the former
> mileage
> > estimate using road distances compared to the
> > latter but doable with effort.
> >
> > But not only longer, but I would presume slower
> > east of Springfield, MO to Memphis, threading
> > through the Memphis terminal district, then on
> NS
> > to B'Ham via Sheffield. Which means more
> expensive
> > because more crew districts per mile.
> >
> > millerdc Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > In this lane how much longer is BNSF via
> > > Springfield compared to UP via Meridian
> > Speedway?
>
> Both trains operate via Chattanooga and the
> Atlanta North District. I believe this is handled
> with three crews - Memphis / Sheffield; Sheffield
> / Chattanooga; Chattanooga / Atlanta.
>
> Posted from iPhone

Althought I don't have the exact mileage, I would expect that routing the trains to Atlanta via the Los Angeles-Amarillo-Alliance-Shreveport-Meridian-Birmingham-Atlanta route would be slightly shorter.  However, it doesn't matter if it is 10 miles or 100 miles shorter if the trains aren't moved expeditiously across the railroad.  KCS failed to do that when the BNSF was using the Meridian Speedway in the early 2000s and lost the BNSF traffic.  I don't guess it mattered to them because they were being paid on a per train basis and received no revenue from the traffic.  During that period, it was not uncommon to see between 20 and 24 trains daily on the Meridian Speedway.  Now, we're lucky to see 10 on a busy day.

Was the problem on the Meridian Speedway physical plant limitations or poor  dispatching?

Not sure if it was a factor, but SoCal-Memphis thence interchange is a longer haul for BNSF than SoCal-Alliance thence interchange.

pbouzide Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not sure if it was a factor, but SoCal-Memphis
> thence interchange is a longer haul for BNSF than
> SoCal-Alliance thence interchange.

Excellent point! With revenue split two ways versus three over Alliance. I’d be willing to bet this is why the traffic no longer uses the Speedway.

Posted from iPhone

millerdc Wrote:
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> Was the problem on the Meridian Speedway physical
> plant limitations or poor  dispatching?

KCS simply could not, or would not, move the BNSF trains to BNSF's expectations.  KCS was paid a flat rate to move each train from point A to point B.  KCS had no incentive to move the trains more expeditiously than a slop freight.  BNSF customers like J.B. Hunt wouldn't tolerate substandard service, so BNSF moved their Atlanta trains to a CSX routing between Birmingham and Atlanta.  I keep hoping that the BNSF will eventually start using the Dallas to Meridian routing again, but KCS will have to be oart of their system or part of the NS system for that to happen.