I’m told the Cocolalla to W Algoma second main will be laid this spring.
Thank you for your responses. No apology necessary; winter and other issues often get in the way of posting here …
I surmised that the track laying would be deferred to construction season, sounds like Minnesota [;)].
are you sure you got your symbols right? pass-kICK GENERALLY refers to Pasco - Kansas City, PTLKCK would be pronounced “Piddle-Kick” I used to dispatch trains into Minot and my ex used to be a chief in the Northwqest Zone
all coal traffic from the Powder River Basin fuels and inspects at Amarillo fuel pad is on the east end of the yard just before the Red River Valley sub
BNSF has released a few state-specific details of its 2019 plans. The only expansion projects I’ve found so far are building two miles of second MT near Wishram, WA (northern transcon) and a “multi-year project to install double track on portions of the Emporia Subdivision” (southern transcon in KS). The longest single track section of the latter is between CP 1271 and CP East El Dorado (MP 171), about 44 miles.
Smaller, ongoing projects are often not mentioned. Perhaps the three mile single track section near Alva, OK needs some reconnaissance when construction season starts.
It would appear that the quadruple track in Belen and Needles are related to the crew change points. At Belen it is also related to the climb out of the river valley, but with 4 tracks, one can stack quite a few trains on two of the tracks to wait for a re-crew while still having double track capacity open. And one could also stack lower priority trains on the additional tracks while allowing higher priority trains to pass them.
If followers of this thread will study aerials of Belen, New Mexico, they will find at least EIGHT crew change tracks, four westbound on the north end of town, and four eastbound on the south end, positioned for the trains direction of travel.
Westbound:
https://goo.gl/maps/H9GXA6ZeKo12
Eastbound:
https://goo.gl/maps/jVMHr9gUQeB2
At Winslow, AZ and Needles, CA trains stack up for changing crews. It has to be wondered why hotshots go 70 M.P.H. just to sit a long time trying to make relief at Winslow and Needles. They could save much fuel if trains were limited to 30 M.P.H. across the territory, and stagger arrivals.
My colleague was actually in Needles very recently, and he saw no track work or grading west of town up to Ibis. BNSF really should rethink the current additional track efforts before too much money is spent, maybe relocating the relief spot, so trains have a NUMBER of tracks to utilize for reliefs and quickly move on, as at Belen. THAT is more like the Transcon, and not a bunch of trains stacked up unproductively!
Isn’t Belen a refueling stop?
Yes, and a crew change stop. But, significantly, it is a train inspection stop where the train is walked on both sides.
1000 Mile air brake inspection?
You can see the many refueling tanks on KP’s map.The need to save some time for track work might be why the trains are stacked up? Awaiting release of track by MOW?
One of two remaining single-track bottlenecks on the Southern Transcon - the massive bridge over the Missouri River at Sibley, MO. This will be an expensive gap to close.
Interesting video at the end of this article by BNSF on how changes at Amarillo increase capacity.
https://www.bnsf.com/news-media/railtalk/service/southern-transcon.html
Here is the other single track gap on the BNSF Southern Transcon - the crossing of the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River at Alva OK.
interestingly, there has been a lot of grading completed on the Oklahoma side of the river, including what looks like sub-base laid on a substantial portion of the graded section.
BNSF indicates that they will be installing some double track on portions of the Emporia Subdivision between Wellington, KS and Kansas City, ostensibly to handle growing intermodal traffic.
http://www.bnsf.com/news-media/news-releases/bnsf-capital-program-kansas-2019.html
I wonder if that means that they plan to operate fewer trains through Wichita on the “paired main lines” section of the Southern Transcon?
Or perhaps they will route merchandise trains through Wichita both ways and intermodal will go both ways on the Emporia Subdivision.
Time will tell and it will be interesting to see what happens!
They might downgrade the line thru Newton, so more problems for the SW Chief.
The line thru Newton follows the Cottonwood River (ie. “water level route”) thru the Flint Hills, whereas the line thru El Dorado goes over the hills. I wonder if that might favor your scenario?
Found this … not sure if it was shared previously …
It will be intereating to see if the last two bridge projects at Alva, OK and Sibley, MO ever get the green light for double tracking.
I know that they take a long time with all the permitting required, and they have to fight for capital with all the other priorities.
Of the two, it seems the one at Alva over the Salt Fork Arkansas River is closest, with the approach grading on the north side already completed.
Alva is just northeast (railroad east) of Avard, OK where traffic for St. Louis, Memphis, Birmingham and Atlanta breaks off the Transcon on former Frisco trackage.
Not likely; BNSF is getting good value out of the LaJunta sub for rerouting due to upstream flooding.
I think the Alva bridge project is ‘shovel ready’ since it was suspended around 2016, presumably to use the budget for the Ft. Sumner, NM bridge and second MT. I would be surprised if the Sibley crossing upgrade made any progress until the similarly massive Lake Pend Orielle bridge (Sandpoint, ID) build is well underway.
Sort of related, I went down to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha today 03/31/19) and took the Wisconsin side because the highway hugs the BNSF Northern Transcon for a majority of the distance between Prescott, WI and Nelson, WI where you cross to Wabasha.
It is two-main-track territory. Main 2 (which is predominantly eastbound traffic under normal conditions) was a parking lot, with 9 trains parked on it with no crews. Main 1 was functioning as a single track mainline, with traffic passing in both directions.