Something Doesn't Add Up Here...

[blhanel]

While researching a question posed in another thread, I came across a fascinating website maintained by the Iowa Dept. of Transportation.  It contains a plethora of information about Iowa's railroads, including this map of traffic density in 2006:

http://www.iowarail.com/railroads/maps/Density_07.pdf

One thing on the map that caught my eye and has me puzzled- most of UP's Spine Line shows an annual gross of less than 10 tons per mile, but the segment between Ames and Des Moines is greater than 40!  Des Moines is not known as being much of a manufacturing city, so why the big increase in tonnage?  Paper for the insurance companies (or the politicians)?  Or did Iowarail make a boo-boo here?

EDIT:  Oops, I may have misread the colors- the majority of the Spine Line might actually be in the range of 20-39.99 annual gross tons per mile, which wouldn't be that big of a difference.  The colors of the two ranges are not very distinct.

[arkansasrailfan]

That stupid map made me dizzy!(screams-rants-pouts-bangs head) (kidding-not) (kidding)
(yeah, now we're talking)

[CShaveRR]

I agree--that map is a little rough to look at, even at 100 percent.  And if you just happen to be red-green colorblind, you're going to have even more fun!

Everything's okay for you now, Brian, right?  I don't know if there are any UP trains that run through Des Moines--everything that leaves here on MPRDM gets reclassified there.

[blhanel]

Now that I look at it closer, I realize that I misspoke when I started this- those numbers are in MILLIONS (duh), and the actual amounts are posted next to each segment.  It still seems odd, though, that there's that much of an upper on that one segment of Spine Line track (11 million tons more per mile compared to the segment going north of Nevada).  Is MPRDM a daily run with a normally long consist?  Does Des Moines have a coal power plant served by UP?

[Anonymous]

I stumbled across a traction powered railroad along a Iowa road once in trucking, it had shippers and recievers packed into a very tight area. I recall a giant trolley like locomotive but cannot tell you anything other than it was a bad orange color. I was too pushed for time to stop and take pictures at the time.

[blhanel]

I stumbled across a traction powered railroad along a Iowa road once in trucking, it had shippers and recievers packed into a very tight area. I recall a giant trolley like locomotive but cannot tell you anything other than it was a bad orange color. I was too pushed for time to stop and take pictures at the time.

That would be the Iowa Traction RR in Mason City; I-35 crosses over the west end of it.  Trains Magazine had an article about it a few years back. 

[CShaveRR]

Some of our western-Iowa friends might better be able to answer the question about coal trains to Des Moines.  MPRDM probably leaves here with around 70 cars each day.  Sounds good, but we used to have two DM trains per day when UP took over.  They probably carried other stuff, too, though.  At one time, traffic for Eagle Grove went to Des Moines for classification--that would have added a bit to the totals, but that travels on its own train now, and stays off the Spine Line, AFAIK.

As for the difference between north and south of Nevada, keep in mind that our Des Moines traffic would also include most of the stuff destined for KC and beyond, which would include traffic for anything west of El Paso on the Sunset.  On the other hand, we'd route very little north of Nevada from here (stuff for the Twin Cities usually goes the other way, through Wisconsin).  So anything north of Nevada usually also has traveled south of Nevada.

[JSGreen]

and dont forget rounding errors...

20.3 -> 20, and 19.4 -> 19, and 20 + 19 = 39 

BUT

20.3 + 19.4 = 39.7 which rounds to 40.....

(note, at no time, did my fingers actually leave my hands....) 

 

[jeffhergert]

There aren't any coal fired power plants at Des Moines that receive full train loads on the UP.  There is an ADM facility that gets blocks of coal a few times a week.

There are also 4 trains that only travel the spine between Des Moines and the east-west connection at Nevada.  Two are a pair of manifests between Des Moines and Eagle Grove.  These are the ones that move the coal loads between Ames Yard and Des Moines.

The other two trains are a turn out of Des Moines, MDMDM or the dum dum.  It goes to Marshalltown and links traffic between the north-south and east-west lines.  Once in a while there are grain trains for a couple of facilities in Des Moines that come out of elevators in the northwest quadrant of Iowa.  These too may only use the spine between Nevada and Des Moines. 

Jeff  

[nanaimo73]

Jeff,

Is Hull Yard UP's main yard in Des Moines? Are there many locals or switch jobs based there?

[gabe]

Fascinating map.

The thing that got me is it shows IC's line to Omaha as the greater traffic line.  I always thought that the Soux City line received more traffic.

Gabe

[jeffhergert]

Jeff,

Is Hull Yard UP's main yard in Des Moines? Are there many locals or switch jobs based there?

No, Short Line yard is the main one. 

 Hull originates one industry job per shift, at least it did.  The day job works the Firestone plant and industries up towards the former DM&CI and CNW Ankeny lines. 

The afternoon job works the ADM soy bean oil refinery and industries north of there along the former FDDM&S and spine.  One of those is the Barton Solvent plant that had a big oops awhile back, for those near enough to have it make the news.  

The night job used to work over toward Bell Avenue yard.  Bell was the exCGW yard in Des Moines and was the main CNW yard after the CGW merger until they acquired Short Line from the RI.  The bridge over the Des Moines River on the way to Bell needed major work and with only one active and one occasional customer, the line was abandoned.  The night job also switched the ADM flour mill until it closed.  The last I knew, it still worked a few industries around Hull.

While some road trains will sometimes work Hull, most traffic goes forst to Short Line then a day job out of Short Line transfers cars between there and Hull. 

Jeff   

[blhanel]

I guess the Des Moines area has more of an industrial base than I thought.  Thanks for the insight, Jeff.

[Poppa_Zit]

I agree--that map is a little rough to look at, even at 100 percent. 

Right, Carl. But it is a HUGE map for the web (11"x17") and therefore too hi-res to look at even at 100 percent. Try it at 200 percent and above and it's as sharp as a knife.

[RRKen]

The Iowa DOT map is close to accurate and is quite misleading unless you know the traffic patterns. South of Des Moines, the Spine is directional running southbound.   Traffic from Eagle Grove, Mason City, St. Paul, and Council Bluffs run south through DM.   Northbound traffic from the south (KC and N. Little Rock) take the Falls City sub to Omaha, then on the Overland Route to KC Junction. 

Since DM has no direct service to western terminals, MDMDM hauls that tonnage to Marshalltown for MPRCB or MBYNP.  

 Here is a snapshot of trains on the Spine starting with KC Junction to DM.

South:

MDMKS - MDMHN - MCBKS - MCPFW - MEADM - MCBKC - MITDM - MNLDM

North:

MDMDM - MDMEA - MDMMC - MDMCN - LTJ47 (Iowa Falls turn)

Now KC Junction to St. Paul.

North:

MNPSS - MKCCP - MDMCN - MDMMC

South:

MCPFW - MMCDM - MITDM - MSSNP

Coal does run north on the Spine, however there are usually no units running south unless detoured.   Coal is run for Des Moines on CNACY, a "grocery" train.  They set out at Council Bluffs (for Sioux City), Ames (for Eagle Grove and DM), and then onto Clinton.  Empties are collected at Boone and sent on CCYNA or CBONA.   

Unit grain trains from Eagle Grove and Mason City terminals also run via the Spine south via DM as does unit Ethanol and DDGs.   Empties run via Omaha going north.  

So what you see may be confusing, it allows traffic to run more efficient, and overall better transit times.   Traffic that does not have to run through DM no longer does, allowing better capacity on the Spine between DM and KC. 

[RRKen]

Some of our western-Iowa friends might better be able to answer the question about coal trains to Des Moines.  MPRDM probably leaves here with around 70 cars each day.  Sounds good, but we used to have two DM trains per day when UP took over.  They probably carried other stuff, too, though.  At one time, traffic for Eagle Grove went to Des Moines for classification--that would have added a bit to the totals, but that travels on its own train now, and stays off the Spine Line, AFAIK.

Eagle Grove has two manifests now.  MEADM and MEAPR.   Traffic for the south runs on MEADM and is collected at Eagle Grove.   Proviso traffic runs on MEAPR, and it works Callandar to get ethanol traffic there.   MPREA and MDMEA bring empties back to Eagle Grove.   While they might be small trains, the Proviso jobs do eliminate tonnage having to run via DM. 

As for the difference between north and south of Nevada, keep in mind that our Des Moines traffic would also include most of the stuff destined for KC and beyond, which would include traffic for anything west of El Paso on the Sunset.  On the other hand, we'd route very little north of Nevada from here (stuff for the Twin Cities usually goes the other way, through Wisconsin).  So anything north of Nevada usually also has traveled south of Nevada.

Yes, Twin Cities traffic runs via MBUVP (Butler) for both the Spine and Omaha side.  Eastbound is now MVPPR.  From Mason City south, all Proviso traffic still runs via Des Moines.

[RRKen]

I agree--that map is a little rough to look at, even at 100 percent.  And if you just happen to be red-green colorblind, you're going to have even more fun!

Everything's okay for you now, Brian, right?  I don't know if there are any UP trains that run through Des Moines--everything that leaves here on MPRDM gets reclassified there.

The manifests from Council Bluffs for KC are through.  That includes MCBKS and MCBKC plus the occasional extra off the Omaha side (Mankato and Sioux City).

The MCPFW makes a pick up at DM (tonnage originated at MC and DM), then runs through straight to Fort Worth with no further work.  MCPFW originates at St. Paul from CPRS.  Because of congestion and lack of yard capacity, it cannot work Mason City.

[blhanel]

Here is a snapshot of trains on the Spine starting with KC Junction to DM.

South:

MDMKS - MDMHN - MCBKS - MCPFW - MEADM - MCBKC - MITDM - MNLDM

North:

MDMDM - MDMEA - MDMMC - MDMCN - LTJ47 (Iowa Falls turn)

Now KC Junction to St. Paul.

North:

MNPSS - MKCCP - MDMCN - MDMMC

South:

MCPFW - MMCDM - MITDM - MSSNP

That is quite a difference in train quantity.  Thanks, RRKen! 

If I'm ever visiting my daughter and son-in-law in West Des Moines, and have time to spare for railfanning, I know where to go!