I assume the 2 tracks in this picture were team tracks. This is Vancouver Washington. I loved seeing what was here when I went up there, because it could be anything. Often as not it was some form of tank cars and regularly a 4 axle typically a GP35M . In this case, it was the assorted cars for the track gang and a GP38-2. And of course, the stormy clouds behind them and the filtered sunlight behind me was classic pacific northwest
"Bottleneck" Grain loads labor upgrade out of Minot and leaves 2 main track territory under a golden sunset.
NS's rebuilt SD-40-2s look great, with the 3241 striking a fine pose on 08/17/2019 in Columbia, SC. She's former SOU 3241, built 01/1974. The rebuilds sport a new cab and short hood.
I went to drop an empty trailer at the Kellogg's warehouse in Tracy, Ca. and found these Union Pacific locos sitting lonely on the other side of the fence:
Dead Line. Sad, but railroads got so used to point-to-point unit trains that they lost the incentive, and ability to market to small and medium sized companies. Those are the companies that the trucking industry has taken out from under the railroads' noses. The regionals are trying desperately to market those companies. But without cooperation from the Class-Is, they can't build a competitive price package for long interstate hauls. Fred Frailey's column in this month's Trains is on this same subject. He sites figures, where I can present only the overall situation.
Yes. I have pointed at this for many, many years. They essentially cherry-picked those trains you mention. Letting all else fall aside. Take away oil, ethanol and coal, many will be in trouble. Closed all their agencies in favor of the cold, distant phone to someone who has no clue who you are... Now there is nobody to solicit traffic, more familiar with that local territory. That leaves pretty much just the TOFC/COFC, and grain with it's swings up and down. Manifests carry a lot of traffic for which they must fight with the truckers. Short term gain, long term loss.