UP's Butte line is reported to be close to sale. Spokane to Plummer line has been taken off the sale list for now (it's being used as yard storage for the Spokane Yard may have something to do with it.) Shippers between Spokane and Eastport would love to have the line sold to someone who wants to run it. Idaho Forest Group reports that they have lost 150 car loads worth of lumber sales this summer alone due to poor service related to Precision Scheduled
Railroading, and cars that they do get to load often end up stored at the Spokane Trentwood
Industrial Park Yard for up to a week. Many are surprised that UP continues to back trains two miles into their East Spokane Yard in favor of running the Hinkle hump. The record this summer was a 14,000 foot long monster they shoved into the yard one day this summer during rush hour that had to be broken down into 5 tracks in the short yard. Created a world class traffic jam as several crossings were blocked for nearly an hour in the process. This move will be great once the snow flies. Also of note, the Hinkle Diesel shop was auctioned off early this summer and now bad order locomotives go to either Roseville or North Platte for repair, Hinkle no longer fuels, so it's not uncommon for units to run dry. What switching is
done at Hinkle is flat switched over the hump.