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I'm heading east to Montana for the FOBNR convention. I haven't finalized my route yet. Just wondering who else is hitting the road and which way they are going. I'm thinking of hitting the Hi Line to Shelby, go up to Sweet Grass (since I've been by there so many times and haven't gone up to the border), then loop back down through Great Falls, Helena and then to Missoula. I may even leave on Monday the 17th since I have the whole week off. Thanks.
Currently, I'll be heading south to Vancouver after church on Sunday the 16th. Hope to get to Wishram but depends on how many pictures I take around Longview Jct. and Vancouver to document the construction.
It's 12:07 PM, I'm outa here to Longview Jct. to document the work done on the yard bypass to the port, then to Vancouver for the Bypass project there. I'll see what's on the lineup for Gorge trains and see what I can catch with the fading sunlight. Maybe Spokane by tomorrow...
After driving over 2000 miles, I'm back from my trip to Missoula, MT with lots of interesting pictures. I first stopped at Longview Jct. for pictures of the new lead for grain trains and such going around the yard and across the Cowlitz River Bridge to Longview.
1. Looking Southeast is CP Cowlitz and the switch which begins this new 25 MPH LVSW lead. The first switch I believe is operated by the yardmaster over in Longview (LVYM) hence the small signal and this would be 10 MPH track until the control point.
2. A closer view of CP Cowlitz.
3. Looking Northwest the Cowlitz River Bridge and another switch controlled by LVYM this is for the Y toward the north end of the yard.
4. New location of the Longview Jct. South signals. This took the place of MP 102.6 Southbound signals and the cantilever down at the crossover around the curve. The new LVSW lead is on the right and the two old Longview switching leads on the left plus the two mains.
5. This is the very first swing nose frog I have ever seen.
6. A close up of the frog. A seamless switch point which I imagine eliminates all of that extra maintenance and welding. Although taking care of an extra switch machine might counter that.
7. A powered derail to take care of any runaways from the yard.
8. Down in Vancouver, this is looking North from the 39th St bridge at the subgrade work for the Vancouver Yard bypass on the far right next to the hill. No work has gone on for some time it appears. The bypass is planned for opening in 2015.
9. A closer look at the end of the subgrade on the north side of 39th St Bridge. They have to move some offices and the turntable south of the bridge before more subgrade work.
10. A nod to the UP for passing through Vancouver.
11. At the Vancouver Yard office. This is the Middle Lead which will be upgraded this year to at least 20 MPH. Another Middle Lead will be built in 2014 or 2015. Notice 11th Street is closed, traffic is being routed down to 8th Street with also Jefferson Street now closed. According to my plans, 8th Street is also to be closed but I'm not sure if 11th street is permanently closed. There is an underpass, I will show in the next part, which could be the planned route for the future.
12. On the left, there was a side road, now closed, which accessed 8th Street CP which has now moved east a few hundred feet, so this is no longer a crew change point for northbound trains.
Thank you. It takes me awhile to process the images so they can fit on the forum since they are high quality. I'm only working on about 250 of them of which maybe 100+ will be shown.
Notice 11th Street is closed, traffic is being routed down to 8th Street with also Jefferson Street now closed. According to my plans, 8th Street is also to be closed but I'm not sure if 11th street is permanently closed.
8th street is permanently closed (the crossing panels, gates, and pavement have been removed) and Jefferson is open. 8th street runs east/west, Jefferson runs north/south. The tracks run through at an angle. 11th street is closed for 2 months (approximately 1 month has gone by) while non-railroad related construction work is going on. They have been doing some kind of pipeline work in the street. Sewer? Water? Not sure.
13.This is the Jefferson Street crossing looking northwest, yard lead on the right. The two mains are undergoing a change to the alignment to boost speed up to 25 MPH. This will be worked on for most of this year.
14. Looking at the Westbound Control signals for 8th Street. Not sure why there are concrete crossing panels there except for a future M o W on and off location for track equipment.
15. This gravel road is the old Ingalls St. off of West 6th. It looks like this will be restored. To the left, is the bridge and rebuilt fill alignment for Mains 1 & 2. On the right, is the bridge and fill alignment for the new Port of Vancouver access track. In the center in the distance is the Apple Tree Eastbound Control signals cantilever.
17. This is the Westbound Control signals for Apple Tree and the current crew change point for all northbound trains coming off of the Fallbridge sub. Currently a single crossover Main 2 to Main 1 westbound. Another crossover is planned for when the port is to start using the new access.
18. Speaking of the new port access here is where they are putting in whole bunches of steel beams and fill for the new Port of Vancouver track subgrade along the north bank of the Columbia river.
19. Looking farther west as the subgrade goes under BNSFs Columbia River Draw Bridge which is actually a Swing Bridge but we don't call it that on the radio.
I failed miserably trying to get a decent shot along the Gorge of a train due to lack of sunlight and more heavier cloud cover. The next day, in Pasco, I drove around town and just got track shots due to a maintenance window.
20. This is the SP&S Control Point Westbound Control signals, in the distance is the Columbia River Drawbridge. I talked to one of the signal maintainers, who had Track and Time, and he informed me that they combined the SP&S Junction and the Columbia River Drawbridge to make just SP&S which creates a bigger control point spanning both sides of the river.
21. A much closer shot of the Columbia River Drawbridge in Pasco. Notice the signals at the other end, I believe they direct the trains either southwest on the Fallbridge Sub or northwest on the Yakima Valley Sub. I didn't go back across the river to see.
22. Pasco East. Mains on the left and the East Yard lead on the right.
23. Looking back west from the same spot is the remote operated East Yard switches with direction indicators on each control box. The Mains swing to the right.
24. Old NP depot at Connell. Always wanted to visit this town. Actually stopped for lunch.
25. This line comes down from the old Milwaukee Mainline as is currently used by the Columbia Basin Railroad (CBRW) and heads up to Warden, Moses Lake and Othello where it meets the Royal Slope Line. Somebody was being funny and painted over the 1 to make the speed sign a blistering 0 MPH!
26. Looking back down into Connell from the CBRW line.
27. This is from the east end of the yard looking back at Connell.
28. This old switcher owned by CANAC was at the diesel shop at Parkwater in Spokane. It's a SW1200RS, ex CN unit.
37. The award winning picture that wasn't. My simple camera is simply disgusting in that it takes forever to actually take a picture and you have to take it earlier than you want to. I did not on this shot on this nice bridge west of Essex.
38. Always wanted to go to Sweetgrass, Mt and got rewarded with two trains.
39. A crew deadheaded up from Great Falls to gather up this train and a unit that was used on a DP coal train.
40. The next Unit coal train awaits on Sweetgrass siding to depart north after the southbound BNSF freight leaves.
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