I am writing this as a request for help. I am interested in modeling an intermodal yard in Z scale after an actual operating BNSF yard. I have the advantage of using Google Earth to view intermodal yards from above. Can anyone supply me with the longitude/latitude coordinates of any existing BNSF intermodal yards, or any photos or websites of any of their intermodal yards? Photos of equipment and buildings would be great also. Most of the building & equipment will have to be scratch built. I have already built a Mi-Jack Translift crane and in the process of finishing a fleet of Ottawa Yard Mules. I will be making this intermodal yard into a Z-Bend module for showing at different Train Shows across the country. As far as diesel loco's, I have 2 brass C44-9's, and a GP35 in either BNSF or Santa Fe paint schemes with the near future additions of a SD75, and hopefully, an SD40-2 or SD45. I have a nice supply of Gunderson Husky TTX singles, a 5 unit BNSF Maxi III, two 5 unit TTX 48' Spine cars, 1 TTX Long Runner, and 3 89' Flats. I'm certain most of these items will be used, plus future rollingstock, in my "Z" scale BNSF Intermodal Yard! All help is Welcomed! Tim
Go to railpictures.net and they have a very good search engine that should yield results. In particular, do a search for "Alliance Texas Yard" and you should get 5 pages. Page 2 has an overhead of the yard from a Cessna, and another on Page 3 that shows more of a side view but a better shot of some of the containers. All five pages have useful stuff, like shots of the switchers used, etc. If you want to do a satellite search (like local.live.com et al) use Haslet, TX and you should see the yard. There are also other yards available just search railpictures.net. Alliance just happens to be local to me. I have shots from inside the yard of some of the cranes and cars and also the main entry security checkpoint. I can send a few of them to you if you'd like but it probably will be a little while before I can get to it.
Doug, I'd very much like some photos of the entry and check points. I looked at the photos on railpictures.net. You were right. Nice large full yard shot and side shot. Lots of info there! Thanks! Tim
Here is a photo, at least partially, of the checkpoint at the BNSF Willow Springs Intermodal facility outside of Chicago: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=151323 Not my photo, but I used this one quite extensively as my layout has this exact same yard. Good luck. GoSteelers ATSF Coriwth Subdivision
Here is a few photos of the Z scale intermodal equipment I have scratch built already. Mi-Jack Translift Crane Ottawa Yard Mule Custom 53' Containers & Decals I need to make lots more equipment! Thinking about making an animated Mi-Jack Crane and perhaps 2 animated Ottawa's in the yard. It's amazing what you can do with "Z" scale! Tim
At the Alliance Yard, what is the usual intermodal consist made up of? What are the usual types of rollingstock and roadnames of that rollingstock? I understand that FEC (Florida East Coast) usually has some mixture in there. What else might an average train be made up of? Your responses are greatly appreciated!!!! Thank you! Tim
Tim, The BNSF intermodal facilities I have seen use basically very similar equipment to the NS and CSX equipment you would see at Inman Yard (NS - Atlanta), Witikar Yard (NS - Austell), or any of the CSX Intermodal yards around Atlanta.
Tim, Consists are different depending on the train. I don't claim to be an expert on Alliance Intermodal, but here's kinda what I believe to be what happens there... There are basically 4 ways Intermodal trains get into and out of Alliance: 1. Trains to and from western terminals travel ex-ATSF transcon to Amarillo, down the ex-FW&D/BN line to Wichita Falls and Fort Worth/Alliance. 2. Trains to and from western terminals travel ex-ATSF transcon and across ex-ATSF Texas line through Sweetwater to Tecific, where they traverse UP lines to Tower 55 in Fort Worth then north to Alliance. 3. Trains to and from midwest/Chicago and eastern terminals travel ex-ATSF line from BNSF Transcon in Kansas through OKC to Alliance. 4. Trains to and from eastern and southeastern terminals travel from Alliance about 10 miles to Metro where the hop on KCS rails (ex-ATSF) for the trip east. How trains travel from that point I don't know. For 1 & 2, the trains are the same, just the route is different. Route 1 is mostly preferred since it doesn't depend on UP, but that line is pretty busy with a lot of coal traffic so they split them up as needed. (It's probably more scientific than that, but I don't know the logic) Some of these trains are all stacks, while some are a mix of stacks and trailers, and some of these are sometimes so big the are split into two sections whereby one looks to be a solid stack train (maybe) and the other has a mix or maybe trailers only depending on the split. Equipment is mostly TTX, then BN, BNSF, ATSF, et al well car sets, hodgepodge of husky stack cars, any type and variation of spine cars, 89-foot TTX, FEC, CP Rail, et al flats, and commonly some 57, 60, and 63-foot CP Rail TOFC cars. FEC and CP Rail are far and away the most common "foreign roads" showing up. Containers are largely JB Hunt, followed by BN, BNSF, ATSF, Hyundai, Maersk Sealand, OOCL, NACS, and then mostly random bits after those. Lots of trailers including UPS, Roadway, CF, etc. pups and just about any 48 or 53 foot trailers you can think of. Commonly Schneider, XTRA, Roadway, TIP, etc. 3 is mostly Chicago to Alliance, although there is a KC to Saginaw (about 15 miles south of Alliance at the "old" intermodal facility) Triple Crown Roadrailer train also in the mix there. 4, I think, handles Memphis and/or Austelle, GA bound trains (and possibly others) but I don't really know much about 3 & 4 to know exactly. Likewise, I know little about their payloads. For grins, here is a sample of trains in the past 6 months or so... Fruitland, Texas Z ALTSBD1 28A (Hot Intermodal Alliance, TX - San Bernardino, CA) Direction: W/B BNSF Wichita Falls Sub. BNSF 4066 C44-9W BNSF 637 C44-9W (Warbonnet) BNSF 1043 C44-9W (Pumpkin) 34 Cars 110 Trailers/Containers Fort Worth, Texas - Tower 55 Z ALTRIC9 08A (Hot Intermodal Alliance, TX - Richmond, CA) Direction: S/B BNSF Fort Worth Sub. - W/B UP Dallas Sub. BNSF 4522 C44-9W BNSF 7706 ES44DC BNSF 4611 C44-9W 20 Cars 66 Trailers/Containers Saginaw, Texas S ALTSCO3 28B (Stacks Alliance, TX - Long Beach, CA) Direction: S/B BNSF Fort Worth Sub. BNSF 4027 C44-9W BNSF 4828 C44-9W 37 Cars 211 Containers Saginaw, Texas Q RICALT1 26B (Intermodal Richmond, CA - Alliance, TX) Direction: N/B BNSF Fort Worth Sub. BNSF 4572 C44-9W BNSF 5494 C44-9W 25 Cars 83 Trailers/Containers Northbound BNSF FTW Sub QLACALT (Quality intermodal, Los Angeles, CA - Alliance, TX) BNSF4584 (C44-9W) H2 NREX9926 (SD40-2) ex-UP Union Pacific lined out on side BNSF4490 (C44-9W) H2 badly faded EMP stacks, JB Hunt stacks and trailers, Schneider trailers, Hub Grouptrailers, Dart Advantage trailers, NACS/BNSF stacks Bowie, Texas - BNSF/UP Crossing Q LACAUG6 08W (Intermodal Los Angeles, CA - Austell, GA) Direction: E/B BNSF Wichita Falls Sub. BNSF 4724 C44-9W BNSF 936 C41-8W (In Santa Fe Warbonnet paint) CSXT 116 AC4400CW 46 Cars 218 Containers Bowie, Texas - BNSF/UP Crossing Q RICALT1 09B (Intermodal Richmond, CA - Alliance, TX) Direction: E/B BNSF Wichita Falls Sub. BNSF 5499 C44-9W CSXT 419 AC4400CW 41 Cars 103 Trailers/Containers Herman, Texas Q CLOALT1 22A (Intermodal Clovis, NM - Alliance, TX) Direction: E/B BNSF Wichita Falls Sub. BNSF 5348 C44-9W BNSF 5065 C44-9W 37 Cars 188 Trailers/Containers Big Canyon, Oklahoma Z WSPALT1 14B (Hot Intermodal Willow Springs, IL - Alliance, TX) Direction: S/B BNSF Red Rock Sub. BNSF 5067 C44-9W CN 5420 SD50F BNSF 342 GP60B 47 Cars 157 Trailers/Containers Gainesville, Texas Q KCKFTW1 10A (Intermodal Kansas City, KS - Fort Worth, TX) Direction: S/B BNSF Red Rock Sub. UP 5492 ES44AC 110 Triple Crown Roadrailers Seward, Oklahoma Z ALTWSP8 12B (Hot Intermodal Alliance, TX - Willow Springs, IL) Direction: N/B BNSF Red Rock Sub. BNSF 4760 C44-9W BNSF 4090 C44-9W 22 Cars 78 Trailers/Containers Saginaw, Texas 11:25 a.m. Q KCKFTW1 20A (Intermodal Kansas City, KS - Fort Worth, TX) Direction: S/B BNSF Fort Worth Sub. NS 8406 C40-8W (In Conrail Quality paint) 85 Triple Crown Roadrailers Thanks to Steve Grabman and Wes Carr and the rest of the gang from the Railspot Yahoo group for these reports.
