Western Railroad Discussion > BNSF Grain Trains to Everett, WA

Over past month or so I’ve seen a couple of approximately 50 car unit grain trains pass through Washington state. One passed the Chehalis this morning with symbol G-SSDEVE. What customer are these trains going to? To my knowledge Everett does not have a grain export terminal.

The trains come off the CN and the BNSF handles them to UP Albina where UP forwards them
South to South of Modesto, or at least that's what it was last year.

Out 

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The trains come off the CN and the BNSF handles
> them to UP Albina where UP forwards them
> South to South of Modesto, or at least that's what
> it was last year.
>
> Out 

Those trains are going the wrong direction to be what the OP is asking about.   

It looks like the Everett trains contain a mixture of area-destinations and gets sorted out in Everett.    So, basically like a manifest train but all grain cars from a single origin.   

zchcsse Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> callum_out Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The trains come off the CN and the BNSF handles
> > them to UP Albina where UP forwards them
> > South to South of Modesto, or at least that's
> what
> > it was last year.
> >
> > Out 
>
> Those trains are going the wrong direction to be
> what the OP is asking about.   
>
> It looks like the Everett trains contain a mixture
> of area-destinations and gets sorted out in
> Everett.    So, basically like a manifest train
> but all grain cars from a single origin.   

Sounds like maybe they resurrected the BN eXplod-A-Pool concept. Customers can divert a shipment to another destination before it is spotted. A feed dealer on the Oregon Trunk south of Portland figured how to use that to get a reduced rate. They ordered a 54 car unit train from some Montana origin billed to their facility on the Trunk. It took three extra units to get up the hill from United Jct. to Bowers Jct. Meanwhile, the customer diverted most of the train to Burlington, Ferndale, and some other places.  Not knowing any different, the OE local stashed the cars wherever they could find room. The next day, there were some 50-odd cars to bring back down to Vancouver. It was just a matter of days before the marketing department came up with the XAP rate - unit train to Pasco (convenient for BN) and carload rate west of there.

TAW

What ever they are they are not coming through Hauser. All G trains are standard or doubles. We do still have the Pasco exploders  TAW mentioned. This could be a exploder that was reduced at Pasco and re-symboled. I kicked out some Pasco cars in one a while back then handed it off to a Vancover crew. Pasco did not have room to switch it. As for Everett itself they do not have a terminal. Most likely it's cars for all the elevators north of there and Everett will switch it out. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/24 17:14 by Pacific5th.

Well crap I was wrong lol. These must be a new symbol. Saw another one today except it's a full 115 car train. I'm gonna assume since the one mentioned was 50 cars long that these are a exploder type train and setting out a chunk at somewhere between Pasco and Everett.