Eastern Railroad Discussion > Different Grain Export Routing - Are you seeing grain trains?

According to this article, more soybeans are being exported to to South America via the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Gulf of Mexico ports:

  https://gcaptain.com/spoils-of-trade-war-argentina-loads-up-on-cheap-u-s-soybean/

It looks like the St. Lawrence Seaway will be open for a couple more weeks:

  http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/commercial/closing.html

Have folks seen more grain trains because of this?

Brian

Most of this will ride barges. China is getting US soybeans via South America. Leaving the Pacific Northwest out of the export loop.

Posted from iPhone

I haven't seen them on CN through Chicago, which seems like it would be a route since it accesses the Gulf. Barges make sense.

choodude Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> According to this article, more soybeans are being
> exported to to South America via the St. Lawrence
> Seaway and the Gulf of Mexico ports:

Steady stream of ships loading at the Riverland Ag elevator in Duluth, MN
>
>   https://gcaptain.com/spoils-of-trade-war-argen
> tina-loads-up-on-cheap-u-s-soybean/
>
> It looks like the St. Lawrence Seaway will be open
> for a couple more weeks:

The Seaway always closes at Midnight on Christmas Eve, unless cold weather forces an earlier closing. All outbound ships must reach Montreal by 23:59 on December 24, unless special arrangments are made.
>   http://www.greatlakes-seaway.com/en/commercial
> /closing.html
>
> Have folks seen more grain trains because of
> this?
>
> Brian

There was a CN 894 through Montreal this morning with 97 soybean loads from Iowa for Becancour, Qc. Not sure if they are for export, I believe there is a large mill in Becancour that it may be destined for. This is a new train for Eastern Canada and has already run a few times during November, with one of them terminating at the Port of Montreal. Most have originated in Iowa, but one originated on a shortline in Michigan (can't remember which one).

Michael

Soybean farmers are hurting in the US.

I hope this helps.

Posted from Android

The grain trains west may start again since Trump and the Chinese met at the G20 meeting and they promised to immediately start importing more grain. The whole deal is supposed to be worked out in 90 day and who knows what that may look like, but at least they are willing to discuss the worst trading policies they have. I hope it gets worked out becasue here in Illinois a huge porting of our beans go to China as well as corn. The Chinese exports got hit hard when we slowed down buying there stuff.

Bruce Stikkers
St. Joseph, IL

Whatever the price of soybeans to China...the majority of grain handled on the C&O goes to China by whatever means and whatever mode. The season has been somewhat middling but we are hauling quite a bit evenso.