Western Railroad Discussion > Interesting train this morning through Truckee

Three power units and a grand total of eight cars - five single stacked shipping containers and three UPS truck trailers - that's it.  First time I've ever seen anything quite like that, anyone speculate on the "why" behind it?

Eastbound, right?  A minor derailment at Lathrop that temporarily blocked movement of the cars?

Two similar Overland Route examples:
UP ran a special train Tuesday, 12/2/14, in addition to the usual ZOAG2 (on duty Oakland 0300) that ran back then. Even though it was a ZOAG2X, it originated in Sparks, with one unit and 3 loads (had to be UPS), and ran all the way to Chicago! It was not far behind the ZOAG2 when it got to Chicago.
A ZSPG2X-4 ran Wednesday, 3/4/15, on duty at Sparks in the afternoon (ZOAG2 due at Sparks around noon) with one unit, one load! Yee-haw, it passed the ZOAG2 in Nebraska. By 0900 Friday at Belle Plaine, IA, it was 60 miles ahead of the ZOAG2-4.

It shows you how much leverage UPS has. UP is the only game in town at Sparks.

mapboy

No BNSF in sparks?

dan Wrote:
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> No BNSF in sparks?

BNSF does not have access to the intermodal traffic in Sparks.  It is not traffic that had access to Western Pacific prior to it's merger with UP.  Therefore, UP the only game in town.

mapboy

dan Wrote:
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> No BNSF in sparks?

FYI, you might know this already, but BNSF trains (manifests and locals) that come to Sparks are run by UP crews.

These Z extras remind me of the ZOAG2/ZG2OA days, when UP (before PSR) was trying to gain new business.

It no secret UP wants more UPS and FedEx business.

The ILBSP (Intermodal ICTF/Long Beach to Spring, TX) has been seen with some Schneider containers on it.

Allen

Posted from Android

An EB broke apart here in Dutch Flat Thursday evening. I didn’t follow the situation too closely, just noticed the bells & lights at the crossing (time to turn up the stereo), but it’s possible they set cars out at Gold Run.
You maybe saw the repaired cars heading East?
SR

cchan006 Wrote:
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> dan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > No BNSF in sparks?
>
> FYI, you might know this already, but BNSF trains
> (manifests and locals) that come to Sparks are run
> by UP crews.
>
> These Z extras remind me of the ZOAG2/ZG2OA days,
> when UP (before PSR) was trying to gain new
> business.

Yup. This happened as well with the ZBRG1/ZG1BR trains happened at the beginning here in the Northwest. I saw one instance from a few months after the onset of service that was three westbound locomotives and like three or four trailers -- I believe it was part of a short-lived attempt to run a Sunday departure of the ZG1BR(B), probably the first or second run of it. Similar things happened with the Oakland trains, as you say.

The train I saw this morning as described was going West.

WoodrowStool Wrote:
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> The train I saw this morning as described was
> going West.

Okay, I'm stumped.

mapboy

bradleymckay Wrote:
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> It no secret UP wants more UPS and FedEx
> business.
>
> The ILBSP (Intermodal ICTF/Long Beach to Spring,
> TX) has been seen with some Schneider containers
> on it.
>
> Allen
>
> Posted from Android

Another gargantuan ILBSP just came into Tucson, counted 13 Schneider containers.  Schneider also using UP for Chicago-Houston, Dupo-Pac NW, Denver-LA, some on the coast line.  A couple of years ago UP carried virtually zero Schneider National.   

I'll ask this again since no response last time I asked. Spring sounds like an odd terminus fo a IM train (regadrless of domestic, international or a mix).

I thought they consolidated all the Houston IM at Settegast.

I think there's a SIT yard in Spring for locally produced plastic pellets, maybe this is some PSR special where this symbol drops the well cars at Settegast and then grabs some hoppers for Spring?

What am I missing?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/21 01:17 by pbouzide.