Does anyone have any ideas why UP runs trains on the Stockton Sub between Stockton and Port Chicago (San Francisco Bay Area)
My guess would be trackage rights granted from the BN-ATSF and UP-SP mergers. ------------------ Brent Tidaback, Member #234 BNSF Railfan-to-the Max and a N-Scaler to boot! "Ship it on the Route of The Roadrunners!" The Aransas Odessa & Western, a division of the BNSF
Trains magazine as recently as a year ago published an article on this subject. Now it would be a terrible thing for me to have to sit down and go through all my Trains magazines to find it...grin. Trains website may have a search engine that would help. In the meantime here is my best recollection. WP had tracks into the Port of Chicago accessed by a train car ferry. For reasons unknown to this railfan the WP ceased it's operations via the Sacramento Northern into the port. An agreement with AT&SF secured trackage rights and the WP continued to service the port. I believe the switching of the port was done by a WP subsidiary that is still provding said services...but don't quote me on that. Stockton is becoming a major player as a port of entry. Expect bigger and better things in that arena. I understand the port authorities, civil authorities and the railroads are working out some sort of arrangement. I hope this helps.
