Vancouver Jct, Washington

[auburnrails]

Hi all,

I've posted a question to a long dormant thread over on the Trackside Guide forum, but I thought I'd add it here.

In regards to the ex-NP line from Vancouver Jct - Chelatchie, WA, which has also been the Longview, Portland, and Northern Railroad and the Lewis and Clark Railroad, does anybody know if the UP has ever interchanged with any of the railroads operating this line?

I'm curious, as they obviously do a brisk business up and down the line, particularly in Centralia and Longview, but I don't know about this interchange point.

Also, does/has the UP ever had access to the Port of Vancouver?

Thanks for any info you could share.

Dave

[kenneo]

I can not with absolute authority answer you, but to the best of my knowledge, the lease/purchase agreement for the Lewis and Clark restricts interchange with the NP (BNSF). Prior to becomming the Lewis and Clark, the NP (BN) owned the line from Vancouver Jct. to Battle Ground and the LP&N byond. The LP&N (International Paper Company) sold its various LPN operations or abandond them outright, and the Battle Ground operation was purchased by a private party who in turn did a lease/purchase with the BN for their section of the route.

Again, with the above disclaimer, the UP is a tenant on the line from North Portland Jct to Tacoma (actual station name I don't know) and owns most of the line it uses North of there to Seattle (Argo Yard) - don't know the exact locations involved.

UP's traffic source at Longview is the CoLumbia and Cowlitz (CLC) and the Centralia traffic mentioned is restricted interchage traffic off the former UP branch to Aberdeen (Gray's Harbor) which I think is now a RailAmerica operation.

[auburnrails]

Thanks for the reply, Eric. I haven't been able to confirm that the UP had ever interchanged directly with this branch, but I thought I once saw on UP's website that were able to or had previously offered a rate to Yacolt, which is up the line past Battle Ground.

I guess I'll keep looking. I appreciate all your info!

Dave

[rrock]

Hmmm...was it last fall? I was loitering trackside at the Amtrak station, and to my wondering eyes a UP grain train lumbered north from PDX, over the Columbia and slowly disappeared into the Port of Vancouver. I recall from radio chatter that a BNSF pilot was on board.