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Post Info TOPIC: BNSF Everett 2017


The Forum Celestial Advisor

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BNSF Everett 2017
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BNSF has changed the once sleepy BN town of Everett into a major terminal with many new tracks and

and trains all day/night. Every train that goes to Canada needs a crew qualified to run to Canada. Every

crew that goes east across Stevens Pass and the 2.2% needs a qualified crew. The rest of the crews today

are known as "K-crews" as those crews run trains from Auburn to Everett and catch a train from Everett

to Auburn. Sounds like every existing GN/NP/CBQ/BN local agreements from past mergers have been shitcanned.

The new age of the 2-person crews that have a lot of flexibility. Everett is the place full of utility personel to 

be out assisting the trains that originate and the trains that have to make a "triple set-out" in the yard.

Crew hauling has grown to become huge/ever present. Crew hauling around the all the yard extremity points

and the "long-haul crew haulers". The new Delta Yard Office looks like a bus station with numerous PTI vans

waiting like taxi's. 

So this Saturday I heard of an empty coal train coming in from the north and got into position on the bridge

over the north end of Delta Yard overlooking the Rogers Mainline (ex-NP). This was my neighborhood working

at Bridge 37 as I would have lined the power switches and set the signal for Rogers. Then the middle group of

pictures is the same train going up the Sealine and to the Lowell Running track. I love "heatwaves and distortion

from distance". It was mid-80'sF and it looks it in these pictures. Then the pictures at Lowell with this empty coal

and a EB "Z-train" and the AMTK Empire Builder was as much excitement as I could handle in one hour. 

 



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The Forum Celestial Advisor

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I forgot you only can post 10 pictures at once so here are the AMTK Empire Builder
passing by the BNSF Duo at Lowell pictures. Getting a 3-wide train picture is excitement
for me. Left for home after these pictures feeling pretty good.



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Pictures look great Krink..  People don't get a chance at a group of three lined-up

like that to often...



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The Forum Celestial Advisor

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I made a trip into Everett early June that took me to Mukilteo. Wow has that place
changed as its now got that commuter station look with the overhead pedestrian bridge.
3-Sounder trains run from Everett to Seattle and back every weekday. On the weekends
a Sounder train will run to a Seahawks/Mariners/Sounders game. Not sure what the occasion
was but I caught an "extra-Sounder" making a stop at Mukilteo and accelerating to Everett
to get out of the way of the AMTK Empire Builder that showed up minutes later doing the
50MPH for passenger trains. Fast trains you may get 2-shots and I'm happy with them.
So as the crow flies its a quick trip from Muk to Lowell and beat the Builder and get more
pictures. The "41st Street Bridge" to nowhere since 2012 actually goes somewhere now but
the traffic is almost nil and can park on it for a few minutes to take train pictures. New views
of the Scenic Sub mainline and Lowell Siding to add to my Everett history of railroad pictures.
So a WB Z-train holding the mainline at Lowell forcing the Empire Builder to leave Everett on
Lowell Siding. Notice the Builder only running one GE P42 from Seattle to Spokane. The Builder
from Seattle will meet up with the Builder from Portland OR which probly has one GE P42 also.

 



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Headed into Everett Saturday afternoon and as usual NB I-5 was stop and go and
SR 529 to Marysville all jammed up. Needed a place to watch trains with some peace
and quiet and I found it. The Port of Everett and the BNSF teamed up to create a safe
pathway to Pigeon Creek beach. So after my 3rd trip to this POE location adjacent to the
BNSF "HiLine and LowLine" I decided to checkout this trail open to the public a try.
I should have packed my tripod and portable chair but it was the first time down this path
and traveled light with just my Lumix camera. I was getting pretty excited as I was walking
about all the photo possibilities from this path of the BNSF HiLine and LowLine and kept
walking some more and went past the point of the views I just saw. I already walked about a
mile in 80F smokey skies and never made it to end of the trail/beach. Turned around and headed
back to a couple place I thought would work. Turns out I was about 40 minutes early for BNSF's
hottest northern corridor train the westbound "Z" train. So only met with 2-3 other persons the
whole 2hrs standing there all by my self and some crows and some distant barking seals. While
I appreciated some quite space to take some train pictures it was too quiet for too long and I was
getting tired standing around. But nothing perks me up more than the headlight of the train I was
waiting for...BNSF's hottest WB Z-train going past my old haunts GN/BN/BNSF depot down the
Hiline to Everett Jct with it standard 5-bigs for power. Then an eastbound stack probly a Tacoma-
Chicago or South Seattle-Chicago was next by me. I love it when trains that have DPU's that the
rear units are pointing "front/face" out. I could very well say BNSF 692 was a westbound train
past Everett but its was a DPU. BNSF 692's patch paint has worn off to the point its "unpatched".
I really liked how these pictures turned out.



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Uke


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Nice shots. All. Did ya notice that BIG EMD 70-ACe in that 5 unit consist? Fourth from the lead in an all GE power assembly... 'Bout time 2LARRCO started running 'em on trains. After all they spent big bucks on 'em! Might's well get their money's worth...

That 629 showed up alla time at interbay. For minor repairs mostly. That was one of sf's first GE Dash-9s. Must have about six-million miles on her by now! Old junk wagon... Most of the rest of the fleet of GEs is pretty well taken care of. GE pays BNsf back for maint. and repairs for 'em!

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So its been since Aug 5th since it was possible to further add to my BNSF photo album.
Weather not a factor Saturday but I think Everett is always a hard place to get the right sun
angle. Favors Southbounds and Westbounds and Northbounds and Eastbounds are "projects"
for your photo-program. Back in the 35mm photo days some of these pictures would end up
being a nearly black photograph/print. Digital photography is always going to need "some processing".
So another chance to put my new Lumix to work on railroad photography and hit a busy period.
BNSF has re-fitted numerous SW1500's to be remotes and I saw one at Delta Yard Saturday.
The Delta Yard switch jobs faced with making switch moves with 5000 tons on a regular basis
really need another unit and the SW1500's perfect. Then it was to Bayside where a CN powered
empty oil train going south just came into view and followed it. You know its going to be a good day
when the DPU is a CN pointed the right way too. Then hardly a wait before a northbound "Lakeyard/VBC"
came to me. The worst sun angle for a photograph but I made it work in my photo program.
There was a loaded coal train behind this train but I opted to see if I could catch the WB BNSF Z-train
instead. The Lowe's in Everett occupy the east-side of the tracks across from Everett Station and the
BNSF Scenic Sub mainline. Many places to slip between the bushes to the fence and get some decent shots
of the "heart of Everett". I really do like the "heatwaves above 4-bigs all pointed the same way".



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Uke


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2LARRCO has gone with GE for most of its big power, main line fleet for one simple reason:cost. Operating 'em IS considerably less than equivalent EMD power. GE's maint/repair policy is akin to a 'lease' in which you use the unit, but they pay you back for ALL the normal/periodic maintenance, and necessary repairs, whether their fault or undetermined causes.

EMD on the other hand does not. You buy it, you maintain/fix it if it breaks. But certain necessary repair work is covered, and reimbursed.

Your quote: "I really do like the "heatwaves above 4-bigs all pointed the same way". A well tuned diesel, running hot (190+ degrees M) will burn that fuel, and give ya full power from idle to notch 8...

EMD recently/finally made Tier 4 EPA standards for exhaust emissions! A big step up for 'em using the old H engines in the 70 ACe units! They may have done the trick with the 710 G-3A by lowering idle speed, super-lean running injectors, and allowing the engine to run hotter (cooling system mods). However GE has won the race for high-HP main line locomotives in North America. For EMD to regain lost ground now...they'd hafta offer at least as good a deal (maint/repairs) and lower initial cost per unit as GE!

IUHO...it's doable CAT... Yes it is!



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The BNSF Z-trains and Q-trains westbound anyway usually runs 5-bigs of the most
dependable power the railroad owns and its almost all GE-bigs. Also BNSF's newest
GE orders show up first on the "Z-trains". The BNSF EMD's SD70MAC's and ACE's seem
to be in the "heavy hauling" like mules with all the coal/oil trains the BNSF runs.
They must be doing the job well as pretty much 1300 of them running to this day.
Can still find BN Grenstien Green and white SD70MACS running around.



-- Edited by Uke on Wednesday 27th of September 2017 07:39:10 AM

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It's because our very own Poster *** fixed them.

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Uke


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The MACs were damn good power when BN first got 'em. They bought 'em specifically for coal service, where early A/C traction proved best for drag type service, where extreme amperage loads were the 'norm' every day! The unit trains were ridiculously heavy, and long, and ran long distances.

Wyoming's "Powder River Basin" area to Roberts Bank coal terminal, crossing a couple mountain grades of 2.2%, and long tunnels. The MACs were up to the task. When they were new, which most aren't now! But our grunts at West Burlington Shops (now closed) kept 'em going strong! Now they've been relegated to whatever service 2LARRCO decides to toss 'em into...like multi power stackers.

But most MACs are worn out, regardless of being totally overhauled/rebuilt. The rest of the machinery is worn out after decades of heavy haul service to BN

                      bn9714aga.jpg

 



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2062532?AWSAccessKeyId=1XXJBWHKN0QBQS6TGThe Krink wrote:

 I was getting pretty excited as I was walking
about all the photo possibilities from this path of the BNSF HiLine and LowLine and kept
walking some more and went past the point of the views I just saw. I already walked about a
mile in 80F smokey skies and never made it to end of the trail/beach. Turned around and headed
back to a couple place I thought would work. 


 Nice pics, Is this close ta where you took pics maybe last year when land slides were shutting down the tracks?

Looking at yer pics and the fences just makes me think one thing......Where ya gonna go if the shit hits the fan?

Yer certainly not younger than me and Im not a spring Chicken who could scale those fences. If you walked a mile surrounded by fencing

then yer options are limited.

Take care out there Krink...



-- Edited by Calvin on Thursday 28th of September 2017 06:18:01 AM

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The Forum Celestial Advisor

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I like your choice of picture Calvin. As a railroad photographer you just cant resist
"wasting a few pictures of the train going away". 1 in 20 end up interesting and this
one I can look at for a few minutes. It is a picture worth a 1000 words. WB Z-train
with 5-bigs and the most time sensitive cargo nearing the end of its 2200-2300 mile
journey from Chicago to Seattle. Back in the BN days this would be train #3 "The Pacific Zip".
The BNSF Northern Corridor probly has the fewest Z-trains running but Chicago to LA has
them by the dozens. Going to hard to assess the potential mudslide dangers between Everett
and Seattle because it hasn't rained any since mid-June. But if the dirt in my garden has cracks
due to no rain I'm not if the cliffsides are dry enough to be cracking as well. Every year a new
problem to contend with.

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Force Majeure

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Why do they need the second tall fence lining the bike trail/MUP? (Multi-Use Path)

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The Forum Celestial Advisor

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The second tall fence protects the Port of Everett facilities.

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