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Re: Watco as middle man--how much.?
Author: S. L. Murray
Date: 02-12-2007 - 21:24
Ross,
I'm up late and too lazy to reference my maps, but I believe the Thornton to Hooper line segment is actually the Blue Mountain Railroad, which is a UP handling line carrier. The other segements such as the P&L and CW are, for most purposes, closed BN points. This is why the PCC and BLMR are still technically separate railroads, although Watco operates them all as one.
In other words, a shipper on the closed BN part of the P&L won't ever have access to the UP and so would never go out over to the UP at Hooper Jct. And, if there were an open shipper that could go out UP, Watco wouldn't set the rates, the UP would.
Sale of the lines to the state won't affect the handling line agreements which govern UP and BNSF access to the various shippers, the Class 1s still set the rates.
I'm up late and too lazy to reference my maps, but I believe the Thornton to Hooper line segment is actually the Blue Mountain Railroad, which is a UP handling line carrier. The other segements such as the P&L and CW are, for most purposes, closed BN points. This is why the PCC and BLMR are still technically separate railroads, although Watco operates them all as one.
In other words, a shipper on the closed BN part of the P&L won't ever have access to the UP and so would never go out over to the UP at Hooper Jct. And, if there were an open shipper that could go out UP, Watco wouldn't set the rates, the UP would.
Sale of the lines to the state won't affect the handling line agreements which govern UP and BNSF access to the various shippers, the Class 1s still set the rates.
