Map of the Month

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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First,let me say I like the map of the month feature in Trains Magazine. I sometimes wish there were bigger articles accompanying them.

Question:The 2005 map of mainline tonnage shows that most eastbound traffic on BNSF seems to go on the line south to Portland, then east, then northeast to Spokane. A much smaller amount seems to go more or less straight east from Seattle to Spokane. Why is the longer route favored? It looks so much shorter to take the northern route (based on a little green line on the map([;)]) ).

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The map doesn’t break out eastward vs. westward; the tonnage is combined. Tonnage is not the same as train counts or car counts, either. Almost all of the grain travels down the Fallbridge Sub to Vancouver, whether it’s destined for a Columbia River port such as Vancouver or Kalama, or a Puget Sound port such as Tacoma. Intermodal is very light by comparison, and it predominately travels via Stevens Pass. Most of the green lumber also travels via the Fallbridge Sub.

Train counts, if you’re interested, are about 22-24/day via Stephens Pass and 32-35 via the Fallbridge Sub.

Also note that the line weights encompass very large increments, and that if two values happen to fall slightly above and slightly below break points, it can look like they’re quite different.

For traffic to and from Puget Sound, Stevens Pass route is shorter but has heavy grades, whereas the Fallbridge Sub is longer but has only Napavine Hill between Vancouver and Tacoma to contend with. Stevens Pass is currently at its limit of trains per day, restricted tunnel ventilation, siding lengths and spacings, etc. But you knew that …

S. Hadid

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Know what would make a good map? _________________________________________________________________________ Just show the stretches of mainline trackage added in the U.S. since 1980. That would be an eye-opener, too, I’ll bet. UP, BNSF, and CSX would come out looking pretty good (CSX largely due to its restoration of the B&O main line east from Chicago). Of course, you’d have to show the coal line in its entirety–two, three, and even four tracks’ worth. There would be some surprises, too–like the South Shore’s added track east of Gary for a distance.

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You’d need a very big piece of paper to have it show up. There just isn’t that much new main track in the whole scheme of the U.S., and I don’t think it should be limited to just that since there are other ways to add a lot of capacity.

I think a more meaningful map would be to show lines where significant capacity has been added, through the devices of additional main track, siding extensions, signaling improvements, crossover and junction rearrangements, and line changes. For argument’s sake, you could could it if line capacity had improved, say, by 25% or better.

An off-the-cuff list of just UP projects I can think of in the last 20 years are:

UP Sunset Route, El Paso-West Colton, Calif., installation of second main track and new crossovers complete or in progress.

UP TP Line, Fort Worth to El Paso, new or renewed CTC, siding extensions, new sidings, heavy out-of-face replacement of rail and ties

UP Golden State Route, El Paso to Herington, Kansas, new or renewed CTC, siding extensions, new sidings, and heavy out-of-face replacement of rail and ties

UP Cal-P, Oakland-Sacramento, installation of second main track over Yolo Causeway, new crossovers, signal improvements, out-of-face rail and tie work, renewed CTC

UP North Platte Branch, O’Fallons to South Morrill, Nebr., siding extensions, new sidings, CTC installation, out-of-face rail and tie

UP Kansas Pacific, Denver to Topeka, Kans., new sidings, CTC installation, out-of-face rail and tie

UP Overland Route, Mo Valley to Denison, Iowa, new second main track, new crossovers, new signaling

UP Marysvale Cut-off, Gibbon Jct., Nebr., to Topeka, Kans., new second main track, new signaling, new crossovers

UP Overland Route, O’Fallons to Gibbon Jct., Wyo., new third main track, new crossovers

This is by no means a complete list …

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Anyone know of tonnage maps that are available? I would really like to compile tonnages for the mainlines. The last map was interesting. The Georgia DOT has a tonnage map available online, as does either Iowa or Kansas. CN has pretty detailed map in their annual report both written and online.

The comparisons of tonnage now and then are always fascinating to me because that is where the trains are. Also like the idea of showing capacity improvements.

BTW, what would you anticipate the next large scale capacity improvement to be?

ed

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1435mm: Thanks for that explanation. I thought it had something to do with grades on the northern line, as I thought the southern route was the old SP&S line along the Columbia River. It wouldn’t have hurt to have to have a tonnage number listed on the lines either. Fifty million tons would look entirely different than 49.9 million tons, the way the graphics are done.

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I can’t wait to see this map. [sigh]

The two BNSF lines between Pueblo and Amarillo should have about the same number of trains, but tonnages should be different with loads on one track and MTs on the other. Ditto for UP through Parsons vs Coffeyville, and in NE Kansas.

Ed, Iowa’s excellent website changed its address a while back. If you bookmarked it, it is now at http://www.iowarail.com/railroads/maps/maphome.htm

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Dale:

That is by far the best tonnage map I have seen. Thanks again for the link.

ed

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[#ditto]

Very interesting, and surprising in some areas. I’ve always thought that the CNIC hauled more into and out of Cedar Rapids than Iowa Northern. But then, I seldom get over to railfan the Iowa Northern.

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Another terrific tonnage map is on http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/

You have to join them (no cost) to use it. I’m glad I joined, even though I’ll never post a photo there.

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Dale:

Thanks for the reminder about the tonnage map at rrpictures. I had used that in the past, but found the map rather difficult to read (eyes are the first to go at my age) and difficult to remember how to get around (memory is the first to go at my age). But with a little patience and focus it worked out really well.

The map has pretty good incremental tonnages which is better than the Trains map.

I did a tour of Illinois and found it interesting to note the traffic patterns and how tonnage increases/decreases at certain junctions. For example, according to the Iowa DOT map, the BNSF former Burlington Route has 104 GTM at Burlington. Beyond Galesburg the line drops down to 40-60 GTM. Where does the tonnage go? Probably down the Beardstown line which has 40-60 GTM.

The UP has an interesting pattern on the former C&EI. They have a solid 20 -40 gtm from Woodlawn Jct to Findlay Jct. then 10 -20 frm Findlay to Mt. Vernon. Then the tonnage suddenly bumps up to 40 -60 gtm. Why? What happens at Mt. Vernon? My guess is the map is not completely accurate and the sudden jump at Mt. Vernon is actually based on freight from CSX which runs thru to Salem and also freight from CN at Kinmundy which runs thru to Salem. I know the CN runs 398/399 to UP down there and they are usually big. They also run a pair of auto trains. I dont know how many trains come off hte CSX but would guess 2 to 4 per day. Dale, what does the UP trains per day map from Trains magazine show for that line…if you dont mind my asking?

Likewise, the NS ex Wabash line jumps from 40-60 to 60-100 at Sidney, Il where they interchange with UP. Granted it is hard to say how much is interchanged there as the increments of the map cannot answer…they could go from 59 gtm to 60 and show a change on the map. My guess is there are a couple trains daily, maybe more.

It would be interesting to somehow co

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Ed,

There are actually two UP trains per day MOTM’s. The first one is on a tonnage map in the 11-2001 Trains with 1Q 2001 trains per day added. The other is in the 7-04 Trains with average tonnage per train and trains per day. 7-04 has a white cover with a green Iraqi locomotive and Degman’s tales from Iraq inside.

The C&EI is shown on the 7-04 map as 40 trains Chicago-Woodland Jct, 23 to Findlay Jct, 14 Findlay-St Louis, 18 Findlay-Salem, 19 Salem-Gorham, 46 Gorham-Dexter MO.

The 6-02 MOTM shows all of the Midwest powerplants, and their source of coal.

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Dale:

You never fail to provide info needed. I nominate you as the Trains Forum Reference Director. I do have the November 2001 issue but not the July 2004 issue. I will call Kalmbach and order it.

BTW the Nov 2001 issue is one of the absolute best issues ever published by Trains. I believe it has Mark Hemphill’s fingerprints all over it. Any article written by Fred Frailey is by itself worth the cost of the magazine. But wait…there is more! Mark’s excellent photography accompanies the article and if that isnt enough, just check out the golden photograph of the semaphores on page 46 foldout. Add a route profile map of the Golden State route and one has the prototype of what Trains should do about 2-4 times a year…pickout a mainline and give us the story about it.

Then check out the article on trucking, no doubt required reading for forum discussions. Don Phillips then discusses the politics of moving freight. Tom Murray discusses that often seen but seldom understood company TTX. Then Bill Stephens tells me how those carrots that I used in my chicken noodle soup got to my refrigerator.

Finally…what a map!

This was Trains Magazine at it’s finest, in my opinion.

ed