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BNSF Great Northern corridor

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Posted by MidlandMike on Sunday, January 11, 2015 8:10 PM

greyhounds

...  The BNSF will have to fill in about 7.2 acres of marsh.  The Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources considers this insignificant and BNSF will replace the wetlands with wetlands elsewhere.  I guess by buying a marsh and signing it over to the state.

...

 
I don't know the details of this case, but mitigating wetland loss usually involves excavating or diking dry land, and then flooding it to create new wetland.
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Posted by Victrola1 on Sunday, January 11, 2015 8:01 PM

Beyond Savanah, what % of traffic is from/to Aurora and what % from/to Galesburg?

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Posted by jrbernier on Sunday, January 11, 2015 5:05 PM

Boyd,

  The 'Preferred Route'(ex-NP) from St Paul to Fargo, is basically Double Track or 2 MT-CTC.  The 'gap' in the Big Lake/Becker area is being restored, and that will leave the single track from Gregory to Philbrook.  BNSF has plans to add a 2nd MT between Little Falls and Darling.  The Gregory - Little Falls area will remain single track due to the Mississippi River bridge.  West of Philbrook is all double track or 2 MT-CTC, IIRC.  I suspect 'stitching' the single track sidings together between Darling and Philbrook may be on the BNSF 'wish list'.

Jim

Modeling BNSF  and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin

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Posted by Boyd on Sunday, January 11, 2015 4:09 PM
What about St.Paul to the Dakotas?

Modeling the "Fargo Area Rapid Transit" in O scale 3 rail.

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Posted by jrbernier on Sunday, January 11, 2015 1:53 PM

  Not mentioned; This is ex-CB&Q track, not Great Northern.    The 'CTC Islands' in the Double Track ABS are as follows:

St Croix River Crossing - Burns to Prescott

Bay City, WI - Power Cross-Overs

Chippewa River Crossing - Mears to Trevino

Winona Jct to East Winona(plus siding to CP3236)

La Crosse - Grand Crossing to Graf 2nd MT was laid in 2014 between Sullivan(North end of yard) and Grand Crossing.  Work to lay the 2nd MT between Grand Crossing and Graf starts in 2015.

Wisconsin River Crossing - Crawford to Ports

Joint CN Trackage - East Dubuque to Portage

Galena River Crossing - Portage to Galena Jct

Savanna - CP Crossing to Plum River

From Plum River, it is Single Track CTC to Aurora, except for 2 MT CTC between Flag Center and Steward.

  The Golf Course 'relocation' was in the original BNSF plan.  The 'wetlands' issues was due to the State of Wisconsion getting the funding from BNSF.  The State did not have to secure new wetlands in La Crosse County.  However, the State finally agreed to spend the funding in La Crosse County.  For the love of politics!

  BNSF does not normally turn over traffic to competitors in the Mpls/St Paul area, unless there is a shipper routing order.  Traffic is heavy on this line, but it has not been too heavy unless there is major winter storm action.

Jim

Modeling BNSF  and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin

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Posted by Curious John on Sunday, January 11, 2015 1:16 PM

Does BNSF have to turn over traffic to CP, UP, or CN between St. Paul and Chicago or route traffic through Galesburg due to these stretches of Single Track?

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Posted by greyhounds on Sunday, January 11, 2015 1:38 AM

There is a four mile stretch of single track in La Crosse, WI.  The line runs through a golf course.  The BNSF wants to add a 2nd track on these four miles and has apparently appeased the city government.  The BNSF will have to fill in about 7.2 acres of marsh.  The Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources considers this insignificant and BNSF will replace the wetlands with wetlands elsewhere.  I guess by buying a marsh and signing it over to the state.

The golf course will be modified at BNSF's expense.

But there is still ardent opposition.  What else could there be in this day and age?

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/city-of-la-crosse-won-t-fight-bnsf-line/article_f54a6f10-63e2-52ff-a577-7bc1c75bafce.html

 

"By many measures, the U.S. freight rail system is the safest, most efficient and cost effective in the world." - Federal Railroad Administration, October, 2009. I'm just your average, everyday, uncivilized howling "anti-government" critic of mass government expenditures for "High Speed Rail" in the US. And I'm gosh darn proud of that.
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Posted by beaulieu on Sunday, January 11, 2015 12:27 AM

From St. Paul to LaCrosse it is doubletrack except for the four major river bridges. From St. Paul to St. Croix Interlocking(opposite Hastings, MN) it is 2-Main track, but shared with CP's Soo Line, so heavy traffic. South of there it is doubletrack, with current of traffic, except for a CTC island at each river bridge.

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Posted by CatFoodFlambe on Saturday, January 10, 2015 8:10 PM

BaltACD

 

 
MidlandMike

It is double track from St Paul down the Mississippi to Savanna,IL, to where the line splits inland toward Chicago, which is single track until Aurora, where it joins the Galesburg line and its triple track to CHI.

 

Certanily looks to be double track past the Rochelle Web Cam which I think is located between Savanna and Aurora.

 

BaltACD
There was a recent NewsWire article on the Staples Division.

There are some double-track stretches here and about on the Aurora-Savanna line, including the ten miles stretch from Stewart IL, north (railroad west) through Rochelle to the point where the Burlington's BNSF Rockford branch diverges to the north about three miles west of the UP crossing.

If you see a westbound BNSF taking its sweet time moving through the crossing, it's a good bet they're easing back waiting for an eastbound to clear the single-track section to the west.

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Posted by BaltACD on Saturday, January 10, 2015 7:38 PM

MidlandMike

It is double track from St Paul down the Mississippi to Savanna,IL, to where the line splits inland toward Chicago, which is single track until Aurora, where it joins the Galesburg line and its triple track to CHI.

There was a recent NewsWire article on the Staples Division. 

Certanily looks to be double track past the Rochelle Web Cam which I think is located between Savanna and Aurora.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by MidlandMike on Saturday, January 10, 2015 7:29 PM

It is double track from St Paul down the Mississippi to Savanna,IL, to where the line splits inland toward Chicago, which is single track until Aurora, where it joins the Galesburg line and its triple track to CHI.

There was a recent NewsWire article on the Staples Division.

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BNSF Great Northern corridor
Posted by Curious John on Saturday, January 10, 2015 5:17 PM

This months Trains magazine updated double tracking west of Minot, ND.

How much double track is on the Great Northern corridor.  Is the Chicago - St. Paul portion double tracked?  Is there any double track on the Staples Division?

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