Odessa Union Locations At Time Of Highline Merger

 

Highline Grain Wenatchee Appraisal.

Courtesy of Chelan County.

Hartline Studebaker

Photo courtesy of Lauren Scrafford. 

Lauren says:

"WW2 Studebaker US6 2 1/2 ton 6X6 Cargo Truck in use as the railroad car mover at the Hartline, WA Grain CO-OP, on the Eastern Washington Gateway. This was on April 12, 2012 and the Studebaker was about to move Burlington Northern, BN 449196 a loaded covered hopper. 

"A collector was able to twist the arm of the Grain Co-op and purchased the Studebaker. Hopefully this has been restored."

2018 Highline Grain Shipping Rates

This was shared with me from one of the owners of the Eastern Washington Gateway back in 2018.

Hi Dan,

Please see the attached BNSF tariff schedules for wheat. 4022-43591 covers the shuttle trains from Four Lakes, McCoy and Templin while 4022-43595 covers all of the singles. The best rate from Ephrata is $2,440 PC (24-47 cars, 286,000 lbs.) vs. the Four Lakes shuttle rate of $1916 PC. Now, there are incentives for unloading and loading ($100 PC, I believe) in less than 10 hours which help reduce the shuttle rate. But, you can see that if the scoot tariff is very high, HLG is incentivized to ship smaller lots from other locations.

Best regards, XXXX

Unloading At Highline Grain

Guest post by Bruce Butler.

Yesterday, 1/26/2021, I was assigned to train HG26-1, unloading 72 grain loads brought in by our scoot train. Some breaks in the unloading process gave me the opportunity to shoot some pictures.

 

We have unloaded about 25 cars and a "lot change" situation gave me some time for outside pictures. This view looks north.

 

Same spot, but looking North East with the Highline Grain elevator shown on the right.

Another view, looking North East.

Looking south. The bridge under I-90 is in the distance. The inner loop, used by BNSF unit trains is on the left and curves to the east. The track on the far left (note the derail at the very edge of the picture) is a stub track, mostly used to set out any bad order cars.

 

 Looking east across the stub track at the Highline elevator.

 

We are at the tail track of the wye and I had to align that switch for the west leg, where my train is sitting, before proceeding. Another "lot change" situation delayed unloading the next car and gave me the time to get the switch without having to pause the unloading activity.

We have finished unloading this 72 car train and I have pulled forward enough to clear the unloading shed. This gives the Highline crew the ability to sweep the floor of stray grain and do their clean-up.

 

Another view from the same location above. We are right in the switch at Four Lakes, where the Highline spur switches off of the CW main.

 

For those who might be interested, here is the official WSDOT (Washington Department of Transportation) track plan for the Highline Grain Facility.

 

"Kinetic-Electric"

Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon. 

July 20, 2017

A touch of haze; a thin veil of atmospheric cover; a balmy 83°: An easting Eastern Washington Gateway procession, straight outta Coulee City arrowing towards Hartline in 10 with 20 belly-aching-full hoppers of locally harvested gold, comfortably ambles along – kinetically at times – with ample 6-axle power over a multi-mile tangent just as the electricity it passes under from mega hydro electric near 2,700MW capacity Coulee Dam flows along an endless tangent of high-power lines that electrifies the ever increasing, ceaseless energy demands of the many megatropolises to the south, further south, and between. Note the three – over the years – successively added lattice towers. Because the “CW” no longer reaches Connell as – long ago – it once did (today's terminus Coulee City), loads must first be brought east where trans-loaded into one of BNSF’s 300+ sets of 100+ unit grain trains via the Highline Grain facility at Four Lakes from whence the seed heads west for export or processing for increasing, endless consumption demands.

Highline Grain Four Lakes Loader Track Plan

Co-ops Herald HighLine Groundbreaking

From the "Capitol Press."

November 19, 2014