This evening 20:20 hours the thire unit grain train came through town. Three GE C44-9's up front 112 grain hoppers and a fourth GE C44-9 in DPU on the rear. Last week I attended a public meeting about the railroad here in town. The President of Cascade Ethanol was there and stated the unit trains would be starting the middle of this month. There are supposed to be two trains per week. I guess he was right on it is the middle of June and the train arrived. Sure great to see a line BN wanted to abandon being used. When the BN took over the SP&S was running to Seaside and the train as far as Astoria was around 40 or so cars. BN stopped service to Seaside and removed the track. As time went by the BN train got down to one train per week to Astoria then to as needed with just a car or two. Since P&W has taken over the train dosen't go to Astoria yet but the local is sometimes 60 cars on the eastbound trip. BN was almost successful in running off what business there was.
That was part of their irrationalization program. After the Frisco merger. Which ended in such boondoggles as MRL, WCRC, and many more oops. Boxcab E50
