BNSF Crew Change Points (Transcon and Hi Line)

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Good evening,

Someone recently asked me how many crew changes it takes to get from Chicago to LA vs. Chicago to Seattle. Seems I recall a map in trains a while back showing this.

Would this be the right list for the Transcon?

LA / Barstow/ Needles / Seligman? / Belen / Clovis / Avard? / KC / Ft. Madison / Chicago.

Seems like I’m missing at least 1 (maybe btwn Clovis and KC?)

Would this be in the ballpark for the Hi Line?

Seattle / Spokane / Hauser, ID / Whitefish, MT / Havre, MT / Glasgow, MT / Minot, ND / Fargo, ND / MSP, MN / La Crosse, WI / Chicago .

Thanks in advance,

Stack

2

LA - Barstow - Needles - Kingman - Winslow - Belen - Clovis - Amarillo - Wellington - Kansas City - Ft. Madison - Chicago for the fast trains, some additional crew changes for manifest trains.

One thing to remember is there are some long and some short pools. Long pools for some runs where Intermodals can skip crew changes, but slower freights can’t.

Wenatchee, WA

Dilworth, MN (not Fargo,ND)

Williston, ND

Amtrak runs Whitefish to Havre, but I think all freights recrew at Shelby, MT

I think the other crew change is at Wolf Point, MT rather than Glasgow, MT

3

KINGMAN is an AMTRAK only crew change. BNSF needles to Winslow.

4

The western end of the Hi-Line should read like this;

Interbay (Seattle)-Wentachee, WA.-Hauser, ID-Whitefish, MT.-Shelby, MT.-Havre, MT.

The Portland side is

Vancouver, WA (Portland)-Pasco, WA-Hauser,ID

The MRL;

Hauser, ID-Missoula, MT-Helena, MT-Laurel, MT

And the Inside Gateway;

Vancouver, WA or Pasco, WA-Wishram, WA-Bend, OR-Klamath Falls, OR-Keddie, CA-Stockton, CA?

I’m not sure if crews run through from Keddie to Stockton, or if there is a crew change at Marysville, CA.

5

The only BNSF jobs @ Kingman is a daytime rd swtchr followed by a afternoon one. The mainliners just blast through town.

6

Thanks very much guys. Amazing the mass of RR knowledge amongst the members of this forum.

Stack.

7

Like what’s going on for June, when the KO Sub between Minot and Fargo is undergoing MoW work, some trains will re-route over the Devils Lake Sub to Grand Forks (change crews at DL Switch) and then run down the Hillsboro Sub into Fargo…