Yakima Industrial lead getting a HUGE face-lift!!!

[washy]

This is a different place for me to write a thread.. But, I had a day off and went across the river to the Tri-Cities to see where all the ballast has been going the last week or so.. (I been on three ballast train from Harney pit to Hinkle the last few weeks).. And what a shock I got in Kenniwick!! Twenty to thirty cars of ties at iether Hedges or Kenniwick, with ties already laying on the ground between Hedges thru Kenniwick. I asked the crew that was working unloading ties in the siding at Kenniwick how many ties and why? 11.3 miles of track from Wallula to Richland Jct., 19,000 ties!! Now, I know that the UP deosn't spend money unless there is a good revenue reason. This foreman told me that there is a new couple customers moving out to Hanford that wanted to recieve 5-10 unit corn and grain trains a month, and also, that there is a survey crew working on a new interchange between the UP and BNSF off the Yakima Sub just west of Kenniwick for future use.. Hmm, future use.. I wondered how far in the future.. Well, I kinda got an answer. All the tunnel work thats going to be going on on Donner to be able to run stacks will re-route the stack traffic off the old WP to Donner, would mean that the UP wouldn'r have a lot of traffic on the WP.. Insert the BNSF, kinda trackage rights swop, trackage right rights from Stockton to K.C... For rights over Stampede.. I have always said that I wouldn't believe anything about Stampede until the UP did something with the Yakima branch, well they are rebuilding the Yakima branch, and in a big way, 19,000 ties complete sub-grade and new rail.. I'm not starting a rumor, this is coming from the special projects manager woring on this, and from the company.. The UP approached the BNSF in September about selling it to the UP, now I think there are things in motion that there maybe a big change coming sooner than later...

[washy]

Damn, I need to start using the spell check!!!

[GE Power]

Interesting speculation, Washy. The UP on Stampede rumors just won't go away.

I always thought the Stampede route would be more valuable to the UP than to BNSF. Traffic between Seattle and Hinkle and to the east could avoid the bottlenecks in Tacoma, down the Seattle Sub, Vancouver, Portland, and the Gorge. An easy, clean shot between Auburn and TriCities. Just one little mountain pass, which shouldn't bother UP much. All you gotta do is fix the tunnels!

[washy]

Not much of a problem if the UP is flat committed to run over that pass.. With the UP already approaching the BNSF to out right buy it, I'm pretty sure the UP has the money to cut that tunnel, it wouldn't take 14 years either!!

[Trackside]

It would be nice to have some UP mountain RR'ing in Washington State. Who knows how many years before this comes to pass.

[washy]

Rosco... it won't be years....

[ES44AC]

I rekon you should

Originally Posted by washy

Damn, I need to start using the spell check!!!

[washy]

Thanks ES!!!! lol

[Captain92]

Confirming a new corn facility being built in north Richland. The Tri-City and Olympia Railroad says in can now accept shuttle and unit trains at it's Richland facility. There has been a cattle feed (I think) transolading operation going on for some time now. I see the trucks going across the tracks to a siding with covered hoppers. Tank cars of methanol are also being transloaded. Getting to be busy place out there.
Lynn

[steveeshom]

Interesting find washy. From this map (http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=...cl=1&encType=1) it looks like there is an interchange track of sorts is in place already. I'm sure its not regularly used and its condition reflects that. Based on my recollections of the terrain in the area the current location is about the only spot where the two lines are close in elevation.