Jeff Moore Wrote:
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> In response to Nudge's comment about a potential
> transload in Montague...since the middle 1980s,
> the Hi-Ridge Lumber Company mill provided the bulk
> of the YW freight business. The closure of that
> mill in 1999 left Timber Products as the only
> other shipper of real consequence and is what
> prompted the remnants of the Kyle empire to file
> (and receive approval) for abandonment of the
> railroad, but they sold it to the current group
> before they could consummate the abandonment.
>
> The Timber Products plant next door to Hi-Ridge
> exists to produce peeler cores and veneer, which
> are sent north to TP's plywood plants in Medford
> and Grants Pass. This traffic traditionally went
> by truck, which limited TP's rail shipments from
> Yreka to 2-4 woodchip loads a week. Clearly
> nowhere near enough to sustain the railroad.
> Sometime shortly after 2000 the Central Oregon &
> Pacific made a run at the peeler core and veneer
> traffic, and lured TP away from I-5 with a
> same-day service guarantee between Yreka and the
> Oregon facilities. Normally this would not be the
> kind of move for which rail would be competitive
> or economic, but in as much as it was an intraline
> movement save for the 4 or so miles over the YW,
> CORP could make the kind of operational and
> pricing decisions required to land the traffic.
> TP did go back to trucks during the lengthy
> shutdown of the line over the Siskiyous while CORP
> rebuilt Tunnel 13 after the fire, and was
> apparently satisfied enough with the service they
> cam back to rail after the line reopened. This
> traffic went back to trucks when CORP stopped
> running trains over the Siskiyous around 2008,
> which is what really plunged the YW into the
> present economic abyss.
>
> All this is a long way of saying that, while CORP
> has now reopened the line, it makes little sense
> to load its cores and veneer onto trucks for the
> 3-4 miles to Montague, unload it there, and then
> reload it onto railcars for the short haul north.
> Once its one a truck out of the loading dock at
> Yreka, it might as well stay on the truck for the
> run up I-5 to Medford and/or Grants Pass. I
> suspect given its history that TP might consider
> coming back to rail if the circumstances were
> right and if CORP was interested and capable of
> handling the traffic, but as has been said on this
> board TP has pretty clearly stated they will have
> nothing to do with the YW as long as it remains
> affiliated with the present ownership and
> management.
>
> As for the new mill, Fruit Growers Supply Company
> built it on the old Hi-Ridge site. I understand
> that plant exists almost entirely to cut lumber
> from trees harvested off of FGS's extensive land
> base in northeastern California and destined to
> FGS pallet manufacturing plants in the central
> valley. I find it very difficult to believe that
> rail could be in any way competitive for that
> haul, especially since most of it would rely on
> Union Pacific.
>
> Those are my thoughts.
>
> Jeff Moore
> Elko, NV

A great explanation on the YW's recent freight situation Jeff. Not to beat a dead horse, but Timber Products wants to renew shipping by rail, but will not have anything to do with the current operator. Also, the new Fruit Growers Supply mill has expressed interest in shipping by rail. However, I think they are taking the same route as TP unless another operator comes into the picture. FGS mentioned about a year ago about putting in a reload in Montague for traffic to be shipped via rail to their plant in Visalia. We haven't seen anything come of that yet, that doesn't mean it won't. Too me, that reaffirms their interest in moving product by rail. Time will tell.

Matt Starman
Yreka, CA