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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by VerMontanan Futuremodal stated: "My understanding of BNSF operations in the PNW is that they do route empty grain shuttles back over Stampede, and (correct me if I'm wrong) I believe they do manage to run from Tacoma to Pasco in one trip. For UP to shuttle a crew between Hinkle and Pasco would only take 20 minutes or so, so there would be no need for increasing crew costs." You are wrong. Train crews run from Seattle or Tacoma only to Ellensburg where crews are changed for the run to Pasco. As for the UP to drive a crew from Hinkle to Pasco in 20 minutes: Unlikely, since it's 35 miles one way. [/quote] Thanks for the clarification. It is 121 miles by rail from Tacoma to Ellensburg, which means either trains are averaging 10 miles an hour over this route, or crews are running round trip Tacoma-Ellensburg-Tacoma (and Pasco-Ellensburg-Pasco). If it's 10 mph, that is just pathetic, especally since eastbound grain trains out of Tacoma are empties, and fewer than 5 or 6 trains a day are currently using the line. For crying out loud, I know people that commute round trip daily from Ellensburg to Seattle to work! If Pasco (or more likely Kennewick ) is too far for a Tacoma origin UP empty to travel in one crew time slot, they could always try for Kiona or Prosser and still shuttle crews from Hinkle. The point is UP could run trains eastbound over the Stampede Pass line without the cost of having to establish a new crew district, and this move would relieve some congestion on UP's Columbia Gorge line, which is the gist of this thread e.g. relieving capacity constraints sans new track construction. And just for the record, I have driven from Kennewick to Umatilla in under 15 minutes.
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