Vancouver, WA - BNSF Holding-Sort Yard

BNSF 8096 playing second fiddle to ( maybe ) 8064 pulling a mixed freight up and into the north ladder yard. (I've changed a few things / words as this file keeps hanging the system).

BNSF 2781 emerging out of the dense Christmas Eve fog along the side yard between United Grain and the now shrouded water treatment facility in the immediate background.

AMTK 465 completes a double meet and pass of a short BNSF 2959 Lake Shore Ave cut (in the distance to the north, just below the Fruit Valley over-pass) and a BNSF 4008 northbound grain-train on the shared mainline with the shorty ahead. (The meet later confirmed with BNSF 7261 & BNSF 2959 on the other side of the over-pass slipping into the Amtraks lane.)

BNSF 2959 prepares to complete the meet and pass BNSF 4008, the local switcher having slid all the way over to the passing lane next to the two mains, just recently vacating the main BNSF 4008 prepares to charge up, lights coming up & kicking it up several notches.

BNSF 4008 powers a grain train north with BNSF 2959 local disappearing into the background.

BNSF 5078 bursts through the rain and clouds in a slash of sun light cracking under the 39th Street over-pass. Grain-train headed north through the BN yard area.

BNSF 6370 coal drag north passes UP 9796 (tailing headend trio) stack train south along the BN yard main line - the coal-drag is actually on the new multi-mile passing/holding lane brought about by increased rail traffic with coal (initially) and now oil from Montana to North Dakota shale fields.

BNSF 6370 now idles and waits for a crew change for her coal drag headed north under rainy Vancouver skies.

BNSF 7261 pushing BNSF 4008 grain train north - confirming the earlier Amtrak pass was actually a meet, not just a pass.

BNSF 7261 pushing a northbound grain train slips onto the west-most mainline headed out of Vancouver soon to pass through Felida on to Ridgefield, then all points north.

CP 8764 pushes behind a grain train headed north under a short lived riot of sunlight in Vancouver, WA.

PVJR 211 idles up preparing to pull back into the depths of Vancouver for local switching from the Fruit Valley Rd - Lake Shore Ave cut-off.

PVJR 211 disappearing into the sticks around the edge of Burnt Bridge Creek region headed away from the Burlington Northern main line and switching yards.

Rainbow - Hand of God Switchman - Pretty impressive when God throws the switch for you. Wonder what type of benefits package they had to offer.

Rainbow - Off to work another block - Throw your turn-out, clear out for the string & wait to be picked up. Of course, our Heavenly switchman got called away before this one moved all the way through, but not before popping up with four fingers of individual rainbow scattered across the yard - unfortunately secondary, tertiary, and quat being far fainter, and in an act of diety humor, almost all positioned behind the bars of the block lights and other impediments to landing it on the camera sensor... but witnessing it was pretty darn impressive. Sometimes you just have to put down the camera and watch.

BNSF 2100 - BNSF 1599 duo sort in the west side yard off the main sorting yard in the glamourous (and sometimes odorous) waste water treatment zone, just across from United Grain dock.

BNSF 2935 works a small cut out of the Lake Shore Avenue siding onto the main line just north of the north BN sort yard. Yard caboose BN 12345 protects the rear (even though the green caboose has a small BNSF-slash logo on the side, the registry numbers are still BN 12345).

Remote control engive BNSF 2959 idling just south of the Fourth Plain over-pass in Vancouver, WA.

AMTK 466 pushes a business class series of low-rider passenger cars through the first part of the Burlington Northern yards, headed north to Seattle.

AMTK 469 - AMTK 183 - AMTK 192 trio on a five double decker-one baggage car consist. I would hope just moving motive power south and not really needed... although that one middle double decker (not seen) was possibly sagging a little in the center beam.

AMTK 469 and AMTK 183 (third?! not in frame yet) headed south... not politically correct, but, Im presuming "Worlds Biggest Loser" contestants filling the short consist behind them all.

BNSF 1026 in nearly constant rain coming around the first bend into the BN yard area, sliding north through the mains.

BNSF 5874 waits for her chance to push a northbound coal drag out of the passing lane in Vancouver, WA.

BNSF 960 glides under the 39th Street over-pass... you know its a miserable day when you can see the lights behind the number boards.

BNSF 1779 passing under the new 39th St over-pass back into the light (or at least what constitutes light out here in the Pacific Northwest in the last throes of winter).

AMTK 93 leads AMTK458 through dark, rainy skies into the BN yard headed north to Seattle.

BNSF 1599 sort and shuffle duty under rain and wind pulling below the signal posts.

BNSF 1599 just before she disappears below the Fourth Plain Blvd over-pass, giving a better view of the top line and extended decks fore & aft. Stamped SD40-2.

BNSF 1779 nearing the Fourth Plain Blvd bridge, giving a view of her top side - except for the large rain drop that hit the lens just prior to snapping.

BNSF 2236 on work detail near the service sheds in the BN sort yard, looking north.

BCOL 4652 visiting power in the number two position on a grain train northbound.

BNSF 4334 dragging along behind an empty chain of new grain hoppers headed to the heartlands of Canada and Eastern Washington through points north.

BNSF 5011 with BCOL 4652 in number two haul a grain train north through the BN Vancouver yards, just south of the Fourth Plain over-pass.

CP9554 second in line on a coal draw north through Vancouver (USA) yards - well south (opposite end of the state of WA) of the other Vancouver (BC, Canada) - under now what appears to be sunny skies compared to the gray and rainy shots from just hours before.

CREX 1345 pushing behind a northbound coal drag waits for a green while BNSF 1779 does yard duty in the sort tracks of the BN Vancouver Yard.

Crowded Throat at the turn in the BN sorting yard, main line, passing lane, and even a by-pass passing lane making an Easter Basket of color down the line.

BNSF 7400 waits for the green under mostly clear skies and harsh lighting on point with mostly empty trailer train.

AMTK190 just after slipping onto the other main-line rushes north to Seattle out of Vancouver Amtrak Station area.

BNSF1512 and BNSF1746 coming out of the throat of the new north-north yard sorting area.

BNSF 1512 on yard duty north end of the BNSF yard and sorting area at the point of possible new service terminal and a new turn table possibly coming soon.

BNSF 1746 with part of the original Santa Fe livery, in a loose sense of the word, on switching duty befitting the elongated nose and aft platforms.

BNSF 4590 leading (or possibly part of a pushing pair) on a stack train waiting patiently in the rain for the green just to the north of the service yard at Vancouver.

BNSF 5667 leading CP 9554 visiting power on a coal train north through the extended passing spur section of the Vancouver Yard along Fruit Valley Road in Vancouver.

BNSF 7234 prepares to slide forward through the points after a manual switch throw.

BNSF 7234 with hints of a possible barbeque under the back awning, starboard side.

BNSF 7348 grunting a bit more than the lead pair, pushing a coal drag north out of the Vancouver yard passing zone below the auto bridge, transitioning from Fruit Valley Road to Lake Shore.

BNSF 7348 pushing a northbound coal drag under temporary sun.

BNSF 4379 idling at third waiting for the green to head north with a coal drag.

BNSF 5994 waits while BNSF 5093 slips off into the middle tracks for a pass at Vancouver north yards under blue skies.

BNSF5994 in lead with CP 8811 and BNSF 4379 pulling out having got the green, northbound on one of the mains out of the north Vancouver BN yard/holding pen area. Thanks for the wave - made for a very happy young crew member with me also snapping pictures.