Western Railroad Discussion > Quick Seattle Railfan Tour (Washington State)

I met up with NoGrainer (TO member) on Sunday after Winterail and we were able to get some action in the immediate area near Harbor Island. His tour included a chase of BNSF's Renton Rocket Local with Boeing 737 fuselages, a report I posted earlier.

First train in the video is Amtrak #11 with Chargers elephant style, AMTK #345 and #378.

Next train just finished switching NW from us, led by an NS unit. NS + BNSF, although we were just south of UP's Argo Yard, if people want to make fun of it. After the setout of marine doublestacks, the train consisted of just autoracks and covered gondolas. Entire 3x2 train is not shown.

You might see a tall brick chimney in the background. Part of the former Old Rainier Brewery.
 

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

Next train in this report is a BNSF local heading to Nucor Steel. It is about to cross a drawbridge at the southern tip of Harbor Island. Bridge lowering + entire train is shown. FYI, if people are wondering why the video is on the long side.

- BNSF local waiting for the bridge to lower.
- We caught a garbage train with fresh C44AC (UP 5959) leading later.
- Video as described.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/26 19:50 by cchan006.

---

---

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

Before being dropped off at SeaTac Airport, we caught a UP local switching Ash Grove Cement. NoGrainer didn't expect the job to also switch another industry (Bloch Steel) later, so we documented the local at both locations.

There was more action around the area, but I picked these for the report. That's all folks.

---

---

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

Interesting catches, and nice videos!
GK

Nice vids! Anybody know what the covered gondola loads are in video #1?

Thanks for posting your cool videos!

Tom / Seattle area

Cool stuff. UP 606 has been around the PNW for 20+ years -- I have a photo of it somewhere in Oregon in ~ July, 2005. It had baby wings then...

 

Nice to see the 606 with its as built nose ready for it's SP nose light package.   Was it partnered with a former MoPac unit?  

How about telling us the background on the backyard signal?  

FiestaFoamer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cool stuff. UP 606 has been around the PNW for 20+
> years -- I have a photo of it somewhere in Oregon
> in ~ July, 2005. It had baby wings then...
>
>  

Great reporting as always!

Sasquatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Anybody know what the covered gondola
> loads are in video #1?
>
> Tom / Seattle area

Those look like the gons that handle ore, bound for the smelter in Trail, BC. I think it originates at the Red Dog mine in Alaska; it's taken by BNSF up to the reload at Columbia Gardens in BC (north of Kettle Falls) and trucked across the river to the smelter.

Posted from Android

Darren Boes
Lethbridge, AB
Southern Alberta Railfan

Thank you Darren, I appreciate the info. I've long wondered what was under the lids.

Tom / Seattle area

Anybody know the routing of the covered Gons? Haven't heard about how they get to a smelter, CP routing to Trail would be north out of Seattle.

Curious how that works.
 

Can't say which way they go today with absolute certainty, but this is the way they used to be handled to Columbia Gardens.

IIRC, how it used to be:
The gons were loaded in North Vancouver BC from a ship.  BCR used to get a piece of the pie because they alone had access to port facility that loaded the cars.   

Gons were I/C from BC Rail at North Vancouver BC to CN.  CN took them to Thornton Yard and delivered gons to BN(SF) at Thornton.  BN(SF) usually started two trains a day from Thorton Yard, destined to Everett, WA. 
BN(SF) from Thornton to Everett, Everett to Spokane via Stevens Pass, Spokane to Kettle Falls via the Kettle turn, KF to Columbia Gardens via the Nelson Turn (later the Salmo turn when track from Salmo to Nelson was abandoned), truck CG to smelter at Trail, BC.
Empties via reverse route, although the ore gons sometimes went via Pasco back to Everett before being returned to CN at Thornton.

Now (and this is the questionable part):
BNSF still receives gons from CN at Thornton Yard.  CN now has access to facility in North Vancouver from their acquisition of BCR.
BNSF to Everett, Everett to Spokane and then Spokane to Chewelah via Chewelah Turn.  I/C to Kettle Falls Int'l in Chewelah, Chewelah to KF, KF to Columbia Gardens via the shortline (don't know if KFI operates the Nelson Branch, or if that is another shortline).  Truck from CG to smelter at Trail, BC.

What is questionable is whether BNSF is still moving these cars directly between Everett and Spokane via Stevens Pass, or if they now route them to Pasco (with the majority of manifest traffic) for classification to Spokane.  I'm sure Ted Curphey can correct any errors here, or provide more detail.  Been 40 years since I was TM at Kettle Falls; and I started the conversations about the reload at Columbia Gardens.  What is funny is that the original plan (from the marketing dept) had the ore moving in high sided chip gons from Vancouver to KF/CG, then returning those gons to KF for loading of wood chips that were to be used for MILK CARTON stock (Longview Fibre) - great backhaul load, no doubt!  Sorry about that pesky lead in the ore - after a quick cleaning, I'm sure the kids drinking the milk won't notice - much.

As you might guess, that idea died without the first car load being moved.  The gons, and their covers, were then secured and have been operating from Vancouver to CG since BN took over the operation (they took it from CP who used to serve Trail from Nelson) in around 1989.

 

Thanks Homer. Those last miles to the Smelter seems to be the gotcha.

I did chase around the Kettle Falls / Trail / Nelson area a few times in the 80's and 90's, beautiful area complete with the visual shock of the Trail Smelter next to the bridge in town. Those covered gons seem to show up in all sorts of routings through the years. There are some surprising stories about moving raw materials.

HomerBedloe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can't say which way they go today with absolute
> certainty, but this is the way they used to be
> handled to Columbia Gardens.
>
> IIRC, how it used to be:
> The gons were loaded in North Vancouver BC from a
> ship.  BCR used to get a piece of the pie because
> they alone had access to port facility that loaded
> the cars.   
>
> Gons were I/C from BC Rail at North Vancouver BC
> to CN.  CN took them to Thornton Yard and
> delivered gons to BN(SF) at Thornton.  BN(SF)
> usually started two trains a day from Thorton
> Yard, destined to Everett, WA. 
> BN(SF) from Thornton to Everett, Everett to
> Spokane via Stevens Pass, Spokane to Kettle Falls
> via the Kettle turn, KF to Columbia Gardens via
> the Nelson Turn (later the Salmo turn when track
> from Salmo to Nelson was abandoned), truck CG to
> smelter at Trail, BC.
> Empties via reverse route, although the ore gons
> sometimes went via Pasco back to Everett before
> being returned to CN at Thornton.
>
> Now (and this is the questionable part):
> BNSF still receives gons from CN at Thornton
> Yard.  CN now has access to facility in North
> Vancouver from their acquisition of BCR.
> BNSF to Everett, Everett to Spokane and then
> Spokane to Chewelah via Chewelah Turn.  I/C to
> Kettle Falls Int'l in Chewelah, Chewelah to KF, KF
> to Columbia Gardens via the shortline (don't know
> if KFI operates the Nelson Branch, or if that is
> another shortline).  Truck from CG to smelter at
> Trail, BC.
>
> What is questionable is whether BNSF is still
> moving these cars directly between Everett and
> Spokane via Stevens Pass, or if they now route
> them to Pasco (with the majority of manifest
> traffic) for classification to Spokane.  I'm sure
> Ted Curphey can correct any errors here, or
> provide more detail.  Been 40 years since I was
> TM at Kettle Falls; and I started the
> conversations about the reload at Columbia
> Gardens.  What is funny is that the original plan
> (from the marketing dept) had the ore moving in
> high sided chip gons from Vancouver to KF/CG, then
> returning those gons to KF for loading of wood
> chips that were to be used for MILK CARTON stock
> (Longview Fibre) - great backhaul load, no
> doubt!  Sorry about that pesky lead in the ore -
> after a quick cleaning, I'm sure the kids drinking
> the milk won't notice - much.
>
> As you might guess, that idea died without the
> first car load being moved.  The gons, and their
> covers, were then secured and have been operating
> from Vancouver to CG since BN took over the
> operation (they took it from CP who used to serve
> Trail from Nelson) in around 1989.

Pretty much still the same now, except, the Red Dog ore usually moves via Pasco (as mentioned) in manifest trains to Spokane.  That being said, last week, they added the ore to an empty coal train out of Everett over Stevens Pass.

The empty gons are currently moving back to Everett from Spokane via Stevens Pass on the VSPOTAC trains.

Interesting, I found what a CG is, those re-loads would be new since I was there. Also the Wal-Mart and all those houses. Hopefully somebody new working at the border. The big chute from the Smelter into the river is gone as well. Could be time to scan more slides.

The only chips in Klamath Falls these days are on the shelf next to the doritos.

Tc, your comment about Walmart got me to look at Columbia Gardens via Google Earth for the first time in...well, since GE was developed.  I am shocked at how it has grown since I was last up there in the mid 80s!

So, if you'll indulge me, I'll give you some rememberances about BN's ops in that area in the mid 80s.  First, if you look at the current reload down by the river, look due east and you'll see another small reload.  The smaller reload is up on a grade, and about 100 - 150 feet above the river.  The original concept was to use that location as the dumping facility, with a conveyor running down the hill to the road below.  The trucks to Trail would be loaded via the conveyor, then run to the smelter.  As you can see, BN's tracks did not get to the smelter, so trucking was the only option since CP was not overly excited about BN bidding on "their (CP's)" business.  The plan failed when it was decided that parking the ore cars on a relatively significant grade (IIRC, 1.5 - 2.0%) would not be a good option since they'd have to be switched around to access the conveyor.  This led to the concept that was constructed and is there today, with a new spur track crossing the road and running to the longer track right underneath the old reload.  Don't feel sorry for the operator (or his kin) of the old reload, however, since he was already loading molten sulphur cars there, and as indicated by GE, still is.  Looks like he's added some covered hopper biz (plastics or grain?), and has improved the buildings on the property.  The trailer that he used for an "office" in 1987 still gives me the willies when I think about going to meetings with him to discuss the possibilities...to this day, I'm not sure a murder or a ritualist animal sacrifice had not occurred in that trailer at some time in the recent past!

The second thing is the Canadian Border building at Waneta (a couple miles south).  When I was first assigned there, the "old" TM was tasked with showing me around the territory (which included the Nelson Branch, the Kettle Falls line and the San Poil/Grand Forks branch).  He did this in a bright green BN vehicle, so there wasn't much mystery who we were and why we were there.  As we approached that small building (it has been redesigned and enlarged, by the look today), he looked at me and said "watch this!".  He pulled up to the small window, which looked like a drive through window, rolled down his window and said "two cheeseburges, fries and a coke to go, please".  We spent the next 2 1/2 hours parked in those spots just inside Canada while the border officers searched the BN vehicle for "contraband".  I never said anything other than yes sir and no sir from that day forward (well, at least until I got to know both of the border guards at Northport/Waneta and Laurier (San Poil branch) - we then exchanged pleasantries or I was waved through with a smile.  Always thought I could smuggle just about anything I wanted into or from Canada after that happened, but never tried.  I'm allergic to prison cells.)

Finally, looking at GE, I see the tracks don't even go to Salmo any longer - Fruitvale or maybe to Park.  I don't remember much business in either of those locations in the 80s, but there does appear to be a business in Fruitvale with as short spur and a longer track into a mill facility.  Also, cars on the main north of Fruitvale.  Nice to see that branch paying for itself these days, and I hope the operator is making money above and beyond maintenance and ops.  Since the train at Waneta in the GE photo has 4 locos, I'm thinking there must be some heavy loads that have to be pulled up or down from the border to Fruitvale.  IIRC, the sulphur were loads going south, and the mill would indicate that the loads would also be going south.  Of course the ore went north, but it didn't have to climb the hill between Waneta and Fruitvale (which was another restriction that killed the old reload location for the ore operation).

Wish I'd had a digital camera back then, and had taken some pictures of either branch.  Both were spectacular with their vistas - either along the Columbia (Waneta side) or the Kettle (Laurier side) rivers.  The Waneta/CG side always seemed to get more snow than the San Poil Side - when the track still went to Troup Jct. outside of Nelson, we had to plow from north of Salmo to Troup at least once a year.  On 90 pound jointed rail, that was an experience - got real good at rerailing the wedge plow we used since it seemed to have a mind of its own when it came to where the rails were and where it wanted to go.  I can't say I was overly unhappy when we discontinued service to Nelson, although that was some of the most scenic territory on the entire line. 

Enough. Thanks for giving me a chance to try and recall the Nelson branch.  I have clearer memories of the San Poil side, but that's because it ran daily to/from, while the Nelson only ran north M, Th, with returns on W, F and the side trip from Salmo to Nelson and back on Tu.  At 10 mph, it was a forgettable train, unless of course, it went on the ground! 

Interesting read.

A few years ago another TO post included the Border Officer's thorough inspection at that location. Must be nice to be remembered for one's work.

t4p.