Early BN coal operations in the west?

[randgust]

Having been in Nebraska in '83, it sure was hip-deep in Alliance by then in all directions on BN.

ATSF started the York Canyon (French NM to Fontana CA) train in 1968 or so, using Thrall high-top cars.  At the time that was not the first, but it was the longest distance unit coal train, and held that title for quite a while.

I'd suggest to work backwards and research to port facilities to see if they could handle a train like that then.

[fredmoehrle]

One a video tape of B&O steam I got way back in '92, there's a film of a EM-1 pulling 100+ coal cars, about '48.
There were gondola's of coal also, so it wasn't a unit train, but a whole lot o' rocks.

[nkalanaga]

The GN also hauled coal in 4-bay 100 ton cars, which Trainworx once made.  These, and similar CB&Q cars, ended up on the BN, and I say quite a few in the early 80s at Russell, KY, but only for a few months.  These cars were also used for other things, and were seen in the Nothwest, at least after the merger.  I lived along the NP/SP&S, so can't speak for pre-merger GN.

There really wasn't much market for coal in the Northwest by the late 60s, as the only coal burning power plants used local coal, and most industries had switched to electricity or natural gas, much of which came from British Columbia.  Even in steam days, most of the Northwest railroads burned oil, to reduce the risk of fires from sparks and cinders.

[sirenwerks]

The PNW has hydroelectricity, to which coal can't compete.  Hydro power began its upswing with the start of construction of the Grand Coulee and Bonneville dams with the Roosevelt administration, and the last major damns in the Columbia River Basin were completed in the mid-70s.  The use of coal in the region fell significantly as damns went online, and as technologies such as diesel locomotives were adapted.  Aside from industrial usage in coke and cinder forms - such as for smelting, refining, and masonry product - coal didn't have much staying power in the region into the 60s and 70s and its presence on the rails is usually for shipment to export terminals.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

One thing to keep in mind. There's a difference between coal trains in the classic era, where the coal in the trains was typically for many different consignees, and was just all put together for convenience sake before being broken up for delivery, and the modern era where a unit train was all for a single destination, like a power plant or export terminal.

[BCOL 747]

Gentleman thank you all for your suggestions. I was originally thinking that coal transported to west coast would have been for export, but after some further research it looks like this did happen until the 80’s. I was also thinking that several coal trains would have served the Centralia Washington power plant, but again as some of you have pointed out the power plant had its own supply of coal until around 1990. Looks like I may have to spice things up on the layout with a PIG train.

Thanks to all,
Chris

[wazzou]

Actually, the plant in Centralia burned its own coal pretty late into the 90's but the coal always had a very high sulfur content and many blamed it for an increasing acidic rain. 
Despite the addition of "scrubbers" to try to contain the high sulfur, the plant began to experiment with PRB Coal on a small scale. 
Soon, the efficiency and relative cleaner burning PRB coal became the sole source, coming in 100-120 car unit trains and Mining operations at the Centralia open pit ceased.

[nkalanaga]

Yes, there was a lot of TOFC traffic in the early to mid 70s, and some containers.  One of my favorite trains was the BN's "Pacific Zip" on the Spokane-Portland run.  It was actually a Chicago-Seattle train, and originated as a GN train, but the Portland traffic ran through Pasco.

I got a pair of pictures of it at the Pasco yard in July 1978.  Westbound, at about 60 mph, but slowing for the station area in Pasco, it had F45 #6644, 8 flats with 15 trailers, and a BN wide vision caboose, number unknown.  A perfect "pike sized" TOFC train, and typical for that train.  You don't have to have a pig train twenty feet long to be prototypical.  In this case it's even easier, as Athearn made the F45, Atlas has the caboose, and you can use any combination of flats and trailers you like.  Everything off the shelf.