Taconite trains at Eola

[eolafan]

Yesterday (Easter Sunday) and today I was out at Eola yard at about 3:30 p.m. and in came (both days) a really long taconite unit train with (also both days) two Dash-9's up front pulling and one in the back pushing. This two sightings are the first I have ever seen here and I am told by some of my railfanning buddies that any sort of DP powered train through Eola is very rare and perhaps indicates a problem somewhere else on the BNSF and that they are detouring the taconite trains somehow.

The two trains I saw came into Eola and were put onto the "running track" but I did not see where they went from here or when.

Anybody care to speculate?

[shrek623]

QUOTE: Originally posted by eolafan

Yesterday (Easter Sunday) and today I was out at Eola yard at about 3:30 p.m. and in came (both days) a really long taconite unit train with (also both days) two Dash-9's up front pulling and one in the back pushing. This two sightings are the first I have ever seen here and I am told by some of my railfanning buddies that any sort of DP powered train through Eola is very rare and perhaps indicates a problem somewhere else on the BNSF and that they are detouring the taconite trains somehow.

The two trains I saw came into Eola and were put onto the "running track" but I did not see where they went from here or when.

Anybody care to speculate?

Eolafan,

There is no problem, but there is maintenance. What you are seeing ARE detours because they are working on the Barstow sub and are detouring. I know some engineers were recently getting qualified for this purpose. Having been on a taconite train that stalled out west of Oregon a couple months ago that wasn't DP, this is a welcome site.

Shrek

[DPD1]

So these were running through, and not going onto the J? Or were they dropped for the J? I assume you know the car sets, but I know USX coal comes that way once in a while too.

Dave

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