Anybody know more on the almost daily north bound crude oil trains with BNSF power. I’ve seen them many times @ Poplar Bluff (crew change) and parked on the Kingshighway overpass waiting for clearance from TRRA @ Iron Mtn. jct. I was told some are going to Wood River, Ill. and I was also told Joliet, Ill.
Dupo?
A&S?
Rose Lake?
North on the BN K-line?
The latest issue of TRAINS has an article about N. Dakota oil boom. This couldn’t be connected could it?
They are for the terminal in St. James, LA.
I take it that these are North bound emptys. ??? Why the seldom used Desoto sub.? Single main and pretty good grade. Chester sub. overflow? I live less than three miles from Jefferson Barracks (Barracks Jct.) and glad to see traffic on the Desoto. Emptys North bound to N. Dakota? Handed off to BN @ N. St. Louis? Loads South bound over TRRA’s Merchant’s bridge south to Dupo and then Chester bypasing Desoto?
If this is so, it all kind of fits together. I’ve lived here most of my life and I always question foreign power on the Desoto or BN’s river sub. Both are less than three miles from my house.
some links to good articles about the terminal @ St. James
http://www.us-dev.com/news_062911.php
Back in March I spotted a NB at Findlay Junction (on the St. Louis line) awaiting to go north.
I inquired about this and was told the routing for this oil train was CP to Chicgo then UP south. My guess is this is the same movement. How frequently is this running?
Ed
The CP train for St. James goes via Chicago, the BNSF trains to St. James have been running via the St. Louis area. There is Crude Oil from various loadouts moving to St. James, one on CP and several on BNSF. CP has been pushing East Coast destinations so CP traffic for St. James isn’t quite daily. CP makes more money hauling crude to the east.
I’ve seen emptys @ Poplar Bluff at least 6 times in the past two months. Usually around noon. I was told it’s a daily train. I’ve also seen them waiting @ Grand ave. (St. Louis) on BN’s tracks. and twice sitting across Kingshighway waiting.All BN haven’t seen CP yet. If they are going to Chicago, I’m assuming that they cross the Mississippi and go past Lenox tower to get on the Pana sub. Then on to Chicago by way of Findley.
Crew change @ N. Little Rock, Poplar Bluff (Dexter), St. Louis, Villa Grove, Yard Center???
I live in S. St. Louis and have only seen them mid St. Louis and south. Always north bound.
I just got off the phone with someone in the know and they go north and south on Pana past Lenox but alwas BN power. I’'m guessing that south bounds stay in Illinois until the Theebs/ILMO bridge and then south at Dexter. North bounds out of N. Little Rock are lighter and can easily handle the Desoto.
If you hadn’t mentioned seeing them waiting at Findley I would have mentioned that they might get on the BN @ Walsh jct./Toland and north to Beardstown and Galesberg.
I’ve heard that Warren Buffet has BN stock and is trying to block a pipeline. ???
The CP train crosses the Mississippi at Thebes, IL but then follow the old C&EI up the eastern side of Illinois and never gets near St. Louis.
Warren Buffet controls Berkshire Hathaway which owns BNSF Railroad. When asked by a reporter he said that he supports the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
As far as Buffet is concerned, you know how rumors go.
I’m just wondering, do the north bound CP trains still come past Poplar Bluff and then go toward Dexter bypassing the Desoto sub. and going to Ilmo and then @ Chap/Gorham north on the Salem/Chicago sub.?
If so, why the BNs up Desoto? Maybe some BNs go toward Dexter also.
Have I just missed the CP @ Poplar Bluff because of the infrequency? It just dawned… the CP trains, like most north bounds @ Poplar Bluff, change crews @ Dexter, which is the normal crew change point. Thus I’m just missing them because the CPs and maybe some BNs don’t need to stop and wait.
Questions, question, questions. Only Omaha knows.
I am guessing that the BNSF empty trains take the De Soto route to stay on the west side of the Mississippi River, then they take the BNSF KD Sub which runs north through Hannibal, MO also on the west bank of the river.
Lenox says BN north and south past him on and off the UP Pana.
North out of St. Louis on the BN 8th sub. Galesburg div. up to Burlington makes sense.
I had already thought of that, but after talking to Lenox… ???
On the radio the BN disp. announces “K line disp. n St. Louis radio, over” KD sub?
I’ll have to do more digging.