Having returned to this site & forums after a long break I may have missed the question I am asking now. Do the freights we see daily, run to a scheduled timetable? If so has some dedicated enthusiast posted it for us all to use? I will cheat and insert another question if I may. What has been the most interesting freight or locomotive seen passing since the webcam began? I find nightfreights most interesting because of the advance warning given by the light on the loco.The trouble with modern day railways of course is the apparent similarity of locomotives used.(I bet I get corrected on that comment)I wonder if the steam days had variations of classes used?
Basically, the answer is no. One might be able to vouch for westbound UP manifests, which depart Proviso at roughly the same time every day that they run, but that’s because Proviso is relatively close to Rochelle. Stuff coming from the other direction has much more of an opportunity to be delayed by anything and everything that might delay trains along the route.
I’m not familiar enough with intermodal, coal, other unit trains, or any aspect of BNSF’s operation, to comment on those things. You’d need to have a pretty good eye to distinguish between the cars on various coal trains to know where they’re headed, or could be headed. If stack trains are operated dependent on the arrival of a ship, the schedule would have even more latitude, one would think. There are also trains that run less than daily, or extras that would increase the frequency of some runs to beyond daily.
As for exotic motive power, we’ve had runs of UP 3985 since the webcam was put up. Also UP 6936 (fairly recently), the E9s, and a number of Heritage units or engines otherwise specially painted. One doesn’t get heads-up for units on BNSF as often, but they may be out there.
from previous post: “One doesn’t get heads-up for units on BNSF as often, but they may be out there.”
Carl, your post was right-on IMO. The last time I was in Rochelle, Thursday last week, the only BNSF EB I saw was headed by UP, then Santa Fe with no patches, then 2 BNSF’s. This would have been around 6:00 p.m. IIRC.
Even so, I gather that kind of lash-up isn’t all that unusual anymore. Beforehand, I’d seen the UP Overland Route on the other side of the RR Park going WB with all kinds of power, even BNSF.
But if I were to spot any kind of exx-NP yin-yang seal, even a decal, then I truly would not believe my eyes! [8D]