Beautiful day for anything in Western Washington, so why not do some railfanning? It started out a bit foggy but that soon burned off to wonderful blue skies and shirt sleeve temperatures. I met up with Bruce from Salem, Oregon at the City Park, then we climbed up the stairs to the pedestrian bridge over the BNSF double-tracked mainline. I’m sure the bridge was intended for folks at the marina to easily get to the businesses in Kalama on the other side of the tracks, but it makes for a handy railfanning platform. Like most overpasses, it’s covered in cyclone fencing, limiting photography, but both Bruce’s and my own camera were able to peek through the mesh. I decided to climb down the stairs to a landing on the east side of the tracks and had a completely open view to the north that was still high enough for a nice shot of the trains. It’s a good idea to bring some warm clothing as there always seems to be a cool breeze coming off the river, especially when you’re up on the bridge.

First train showed its headlight from the north about 09:55. We were in for a nice surprise since as soon as it got within camera range a horn blast from behind us trumpeted the arrival of a northbound. A meet between the two trains occurred right in front of us. Too bad we can’t take credit for planning it!

Southbound: UP 7748 (GE ES44AC), UP7084 (GE AC4400CW) manifest freight
Northbound: UP 8154 (EMD SD90/43AC), UP 4922 (EMD SD70M) manifest freight

A few minutes later, another northbound came around the curve at about 10:10. This time it was a BNSF manifest led by locos 4048 and 4840. Keeping good notes on locomotive road numbers is hard enough without putting together two units like that! As can be readily seen, shooting northbounds can be tough as the position of the sun throughout the day tends to shade the nose of the lead unit.

BNSF 4048 (GE C44-9W), BNSF 4840 (GE C44-9W) manifest freight

We then moved south to Toffett Road, where the large concrete grain elevator is located. Two units in a northbound light power move came through about 10:50. Also the plant switcher was on hand waiting for its next task. This one took a little scrambling around to find a vantage point high enough to clear the chain link fence.

BNSF 2724, NNSS 168 Light power

Plant switcher (former BNSF 3529) at Harvest States Elevator

Our next stop was the former depot site at the Kalama station sign on the east side of the tracks and just north of the pedestrian bridge. We waited for awhile, but finally gave up in favor of getting some lunch at Subway. Here’s where the First Law of Railfanning kicked in: A train will come when you are least prepared for it. Nonetheless, we managed to race back trackside and get off a quick shot at 11:59 just as Amtrak streaked by.

Amtrak 90340 (Cascades, Talgo equipment), southbound

During lunch, the southbound Coast Starlight sneaked past us, but sometimes you just have to stop to do things like eat. We didn’t feel bad, since we were seeing trains everyplace we stopped. Our scanners weren’t picking up the detector broadcasts, though, either the one just to the south at MP 113.5 or the one to the north at Castle Rock, MP 87.4. This meant trains kept taking us by surprise, like this Amtrak we saw after lunch from Kalama River Road.

A second grain export facility (“Peavey”) is located on the north end of town. This one stores grain in covered hoppers instead of silos and uses a large loop of track to facilitate the unloading of rail cars directly into a ship’s holds. Power for the trains is stored in an adjacent siding and is called when the cars are emptied and need to be moved out to make way for the next train. A third set of power occupied the center track earlier in the day, so we figured a train was ready to go. Strings of cars often block the road here, requiring a hop back to the freeway to get to the other side.






Before we could leave, a southbound BNSF blasted across the Kalama River, adjacent to the grain export facility. Again, no warning on this one, either on the radio or by hearing it coming.

13:37 BNSF 5211/5461/5128 (All C44-9W’s) southbound

Sure enough, the missing power was found to be on the other end, waiting for its conductor to finish walking the train.

BNSF 6822 (GE ES44C4), 6974 (GE ES44C4) + Rear DPU 7563 (GE ES44DC) Grain empty, southbound

Before 6822 South could leave, a northbound arrived with more grain to be unloaded. This meant a delay in the train’s departure, but we didn’t mind.

14:05 BNSF 7614 (GE ES44DC), 5098(GE C44-9W) + Rear DPU 5142 (GE C44-9W) Grain loads, northbound

After all the action we’d seen, we were so spoiled we decided to call it a day after a 30-40 minute lull without any trains and more sunshine than we had seen so far this year. Kalama is a great place to railfan, with lots of traffic, and amenities like food and public restrooms close at hand. In between trains, there are also plenty of other sights to keep you occupied:

World's tallest totem cut from a single tree.

Blue heron

Ocean going ships pass on the Columbia to get to Portland and Vancouver.

Editor’s Note: Steam locomotive No. 844 is experiencing mechanical issues, changing plans for Union Pacific’s 150th Anniversary celebration in San Antonio.

The E-9 locomotives will pull a rail car that was converted into a traveling exhibit that honors Union Pacific’s rich history. Using dramatic graphics and the latest in interactive touch screen technology, the Union Pacific 150th Anniversary Traveling Exhibit shares the history of the development of the first transcontinental railroad and culminates with the modern railroad we know today.

It was 150 years ago that Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of July 1, 1862, creating the original Union Pacific. One of America’s iconic companies, today, Union Pacific Railroad links 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail and providing freight solutions and logistics expertise to the global supply chain. From 2000 through 2011, Union Pacific spent more than $31 billion on its network and operations, making needed investments in America’s infrastructure and enhancing its ability to provide safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible freight transportation.

Schedule for the UP 150 Express:

Arrival at Sunset Station

Location: Commerce Street Crossing
Thursday, April 19 at 1 p.m.

Union Pacific 150th Anniversary Traveling Exhibit Public Display

Location: San Antonio Amtrak Depot, 350 Hoefgen Street
Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Source: UP News Release dated Apr.13, 2012

Major expansion to key Norfolk Southern rail facility in Ohio supports the economy and moves freight
Project to add 275 new railroad jobs to the community of Bellevue

BELLEVUE, OHIO – Norfolk Southern this month will begin a $160 million project to expand its Bellevue rail yard in Northern Ohio, a project that will double the yard’s capacity in order to meet rising demand for freight rail transportation.
“Bellevue is already an important terminal for the classification and movement of freight, and this investment will expand and modernize Bellevue, contributing to the fluid movement of long-distance freight across our rail system,” said Mark Manion, Norfolk Southern’s chief operating officer. “This project will help us improve asset utilization and efficiency, enhance customer service, strengthen our entire 22-state system, and further confirm Ohio’s importance to freight rail transportation.”
Some 275 new railroad jobs will be added to the 700 positions currently based in Bellevue. NS employs about 3,600 people across Ohio and plans to hire another 60 in the state by the end of 2012 to address attrition and shipper needs.
Other key elements of the project include:
38 new tracks, bringing the total number of classification tracks to 80.
38.5 miles of new rail, which will allow NS to increase the number of cars classified from about 1,800 to as many as 3,600 a day.
145 miles of underground cable for communication and signal systems.
140 new automated switches to direct train traffic to the proper tracks.
11 upgraded control points, signals that will make train access to the Bellevue facility more efficient.
Bellevue is one of 12 NS classification facilities, where freight cars are collected and sorted for their final destinations. When completed in 2015, Bellevue will be the largest classification yard on the NS system.
The community of Bellevue has been a railroading center since the late 19th century, when NS’ Nickel Plate Road predecessor line came to town. Bellevue Yard opened in 1966 on NS’ Norfolk and Western Railway predecessor line. Today, 100 to 110 trains pass through daily, while 20 to 30 originate in the area and a like number terminate in the area. For the most part, the trains carry vehicles, vehicle parts, agricultural products, and consumer products.

Montana Rail Link’s yearly calendar has fast become a collector’s item. It is distributed to hundreds of businesses in the U.S. and Canada and is sought by railroad enthusiasts throughout the world. MRL is currently accepting photographs for consideration for publication in our upcoming 2013 calendar.
We encourage you to submit your entries by 5:00p.m. Friday, July 2, 2012.

We look forward to sharing your photos of MRL’s people and equipment in action!

Submission information available on MRL’s website.

MONTREAL, March 22, 2012 — CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI) announced today a major locomotive acquisition program to accommodate anticipated traffic growth and to improve operational efficiency, enabling the railway to better serve its customers.

CN will acquire 65 new high-horsepower locomotives as well as 96 second-hand high-horsepower locomotives that will be upgraded.

Keith Creel, executive vice-president and chief operating officer, said: “CN’s locomotive acquisition program represents a balanced, capital-effective approach to handle expected volume growth over the next two to five years and to meet the locomotive requirements resulting from customer focused service plans.

“The new and used motive power will enhance operational efficiency and reduce fuel consumption by permitting the retirement of older, high-maintenance locomotives and the cascading of less fuel-efficient main-line units into less-demanding yard and local switching operations, while providing additional locomotives to accommodate increased traffic.”

CN will take delivery in 2013-14 of 35 new ES44AC locomotives from GE Transportation (GE), and 30 new SD70ACe locomotives from Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD). The GE units have 4,400 and the SD70ACe units 4,300 horsepower.

Creel added: “The program includes the acquisition of alternating-current locomotives (AC), which will represent a first for CN. Our current fleet of approximately 1,900 locomotives employs direct-current (DC) traction technology, which has served us well because of the overall favourable grades of our network.

“We will harness the key advantage of AC traction – much higher adhesion or train-pulling ability at low speeds — in assigning the new AC units to heavy-haul coal service in northern British Columbia and Alberta, where steep grades and sharp rail curvature make heavy demands on our locomotives.”

CN will purchase this year 42 second-hand GE Dash 8-40C locomotives, 11 leased GE Dash 8-40C locomotives, and 43 second-hand EMD SD60 locomotives. The Dash 8 units have 4,000 and the SD60s 3,800 horsepower. These direct-current technology locomotives will be upgraded to CN specifications.
The new locomotives CN is purchasing are equipped with distributed power technology (DP), a GE product, which improves train handling and fuel efficiency. The company expects that 50 per cent of its high-horsepower locomotive fleet will have DP by the end of 2013.

DP technology permits remote control of a locomotive or locomotives throughout a train from the lead control unit. DP provides faster, smoother train starts, improved braking and lower pulling forces at the head-end and within a train, contributing significantly to improved safety. With more optimum matching of motive power to train weight, DP locomotives also allow CN to reduce fuel consumption and reduce emissions.

Creel said: “A robust, fuel-efficient locomotive fleet is critical to CN’s plan to take advantage of the traffic growth we expect in the years ahead and to ensure we have the motive-power assets to improve the supply chains of our customers and enhance their competitiveness in domestic and global markets.”

Source: CN press release dated 3/22/12

Historical connection to Union Pacific featured at www.up150.com as part of railroad’s 150th anniversary celebration

Omaha, Neb., March 16, 2012 – Rochelle, Ill., has been awarded the first membership in Union Pacific’s Train Town USA Registry as part of the railroad’s year-long 150th anniversary celebration.

Rochelle received an official Train Town USA resolution signed by Union Pacific Chairman Jim Young, and Rochelle’s historical connection with Union Pacific will be featured at www.up150.com.

“We are proud to recognize Rochelle as we commemorate our railroad’s sesquicentennial celebration and growing up together,” said Wes Lujan, Union Pacific director – Public Affairs for Illinois. “Union Pacific has been part of the country’s fabric throughout the railroad’s 150-year history. That bond between us and the nearly 7,300 communities we serve continues to strengthen.”

“Our shared heritage with Rochelle is a source of pride as we remember our past while serving and connecting our nation for years to come.”

The history of railroads in Rochelle began in 1854, with the completion of the Air Line Railroad between Chicago and the town of Lane, which would later be renamed Rochelle. A forerunner of the Union Pacific Railroad, the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad built into Rochelle in 1855. A second main line track was built by the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company between 1898 and 1899. Union Pacific merged with the C&NW in 1995.

One year after Rochelle became a city in 1853, the railroad was built through the town. A few years later, a second railroad was constructed and then the advent of the automobile saw two major highways developed through Rochelle that intersected each other, thus making Rochelle known as the “Hub City”.

Source: Union pacific press release dated March 16, 2012

Remember to visit Rochelle’s Railroad Park with its viewing platform designed for railfans. While you’re there, pick up a copy of Sonrisa’s Illinois Railroad Maps at the gift shop!

ALTOONA, PA. – The first locomotive to be painted in Norfolk Southern’s 30th anniversary heritage paint schemes rolled out of the company’s Juniata Locomotive Shop here yesterday. Locomotive NS 8098, a GE ES44AC, bears the “Conrail Blue” scheme. It is a 4,400-horsepower, EPA Tier-3 compliant Evolution Series locomotive equipped with distributed power capability. It will be run to Conway, Pa., and enter active transportation service.
Norfolk Southern also announced that an additional legacy railroad, Penn Central, has been added to the 18 heritage schemes previously announced. This will be an SD70Ace to be painted at Progress Rail Services’ facility in Muncie, Ind. The Penn Central Transportation Company was created in 1968 from the merger of the New York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the New York, New Haven and Hartford was added shortly afterward. Penn Central formed the core of Conrail when Conrail was created in 1976.

A photo of the first unit and a rendering of the Penn Central paint scheme, as well as the original heritage scheme announcement and graphics are available at Norfolk Southern’s website.

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products.

Source: Norfolk Southern press release dated Mar. 16, 2012