Homestake Pass?

[Boyd]

I see that Homestake Pass came up on the news board. How long is this RR line and in how rough of shape is in it? Is all the track still there? Senator Jim Keane asked BNSF if it would reopen the pass and they replied no because of grades and sharp curves. Can anyone post a map showing where it is?

[MikeF90]

Quick Google search shows it is at latitude 45.922498, longitude -112.416079 .

More from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestake_Pass 

I'd give you more BNSF specifics but I'm away from my timetables. 

[Boyd]

OK I see the stipulation that BNSF return the ROW to its previous natural state if it is removed. They would be better off if it was turned into a bike trail. 

[Bruce Kelly]

Go here:

http://issuu.com/railwayage/docs/july_2014_railway_age/1?e=5256929/8540691

Flip to page 30 (page 65 in the web navigator), bottom right paragraph, and continue through page 32.

[PNWRMNM]

This is a classic case of a politician saying something, anything, to get his name in the local paper. The (State) Senator offered no reason that BNSF should reopen the line.

The only reason would be to handle through traffic. BNSF already has access to Butte, which is a mere shadow of itself in terms of local traffic.

Homestake is obviously BNSF's third choice of routes across Montana. The common points are Laurel, near Billings, and Sandpoint Idaho. Laurel to Sandpoint via Helena is the former NP main line now operated by Montana Rail Link under lease. BNSF is obligated by contract to give MRL a certain amount of traffic. This route is the natural route between the Pacific Northwest and former CBQ territory, except Chicago.

The BNSF's favorite route is the former GN via Havre to Chicago. It has only one mountain crossing and its grades, and thus operating costs, are lower than MRL which has two widely separated steep grades in each direction. The GN is congested in North Dakota due to the oil boom but BNSF spent about $500 million on capacity improvements in 2014 and will do about the same in 2015 because this is THE low cost route across Montana.

BNSF also has a line between Laurel and Shelby via Great Falls. This line gives BNSF the ability to route traffic via either MRL or its own line. In GN days this was a 1-2 pair of thruough trains branch line, but I understand that it has been improved since.

On a micro level, Homestake is an alternative to Mullen Pass which is MRL's active route. Mullen is no prize with a longish 2.2% grade ascending westward. IIRC eastward grade is not as steep.

Homestake is 2.2% both ways. As long as traffic does not overwhelm Mullen there is no reason to mess with Homestake. Traffic is very unlikely to overwhelm Mullen because BNSF can route around it all on own rails and MRL could expand capacity over Mullen. If I were a betting man, I would bet BNSF will route increased PNW - Laurel traffic over its own line via Great Falls.

Why would anyone even think about reopening Homestake?

Mac McCulloch  

[Deggesty]

The beautiful view you can get of your own train as you look straight out your window. I remeber seeing this when I went to Portland in April of 1971.

[mudchicken]

Why would anyone even think about reopening Homestake? - Go ask ma nature..She might want to collapse Mullan Tunnel plus there is restrictive special language in the original acquisition docs (and grants) that make it unattractive as a rail-trail or to any other railroad (unintentional poison pill the original NP folks never saw, but were subject to after Villard made such a mess of things with some of his doings on earlier grants)...FD-26728 shows that this almost went away pre-BN merger in 1971 and started the discontinuance of svc.

BN made such a mess of the MRL deal that this was also offered to MRL as a relief route and a potential additional expense to BNSF if they ever wanted out.Ulterior motive of the state representative most likely is all about taxes and the lower tax value of the ICC/STB discontinued line which now has depreciated out post-Staggers.

Best solution is to leave it be.

[GN_Fan]

I've been over Homestake about a dozen times in the mid-60's riding the North Coast Ltd between Missoula and Chicago. It is indeed steep with many sharp curves and is all ABS. I have a BN employee timetable dated Nov 14, 1971, and lists that line as the 4th sub of the Rocky Mtn Division. Back in those days, sidings were listed in 40' car lengths rather than feet. between Logan and Butte, a distance of 72.2 miles, there are a total of 9 sidings, the longest of which holds 69 cars at Whitehall on the eastward side just before the climb to the pass. The next 5 sidings from Whitehall to Butte hold 50 cars or less, mostly in the 45 car range, hardly a length for anything but a local -- very local. I can understand why BNSF does not want to re-open this line, but I cannot understand why an ignorant politician wants them to.

[Overmod]

mudchicken

Ulterior motive of the state representative most likely is all about taxes

Or looking good in the media about being proactive 'solving the congestion delays' or whatever.  "Look, here's a whole PASS, complete with track; why not run trains over it if you say there's insufficient capacity on the tracks you're now using..."

[Deggesty]

Quoting GN_fan: "  I can understand why BNSF does not want to re-open this line, but I cannot understand why an ignorant politician wants them to.

The poor man simply has no knowledge of what would have to be done to make the line usuable for heavy freight usage. He may have had a train to play with when he was young, and believes that there is little, if any, difference between his operation and that of the real world.

Spel Czech would not have caught an error in my typing; I omitted a letter from one word, making another word, but I did catch the error. I still miss the help it gave.