Yeah, the north end of Brownsville is kinda messed up with the Thornton connection. Appears that there are certain tracks that cannot fulfill both the traffic off the bridge and from CN there. Add in a couple of switching duties, and VOILA - instant headache!

Your reply reminded me of a few years ago, I happened to witness a NB BNSF freight pull out of Brownsville. It went up the approach to the Fraser River Bridge, stopped, backed up after a SB cleared a different track, backed into the track that the SB was on, and then headed north to Brownsville. I was parked in the union hall on Tannery Rd, so I got to observe that it wasn't switching duties being performed. I don't know if that kind of thing happens a lot, but would explain that an added siding where proposed would be a good idea.

You would not believe how many people will walk the tracks in White Rock, iPODs blaring tunes, wearing hoodies, well you get the picture. I even saw a wedding party getting pictures taken on the tracks near the pier at sunset, and as one person from the party noted that a train was coming, the photographer jumped at the opportunity to stage a "save-the-woman-from-the-speeding-train-as-you-carry-her-to-safety pose. Grease on some of their cherished/rented clothing afterwards. Yeah, real potential disaster that was too close for comfort to the train crew. Asides from chain-link electric fences, stupidity will prevail when there is a perfectly good, wide promanade right beside the tracks. Amtrak isn't the only kind of train to kill these people, I think it's about half/half passenger and freight. White Rock is a great tourist day trip from Vancouver. The restaurants are all awesome, and the "dinner theatre" of a train passing by adds to the experience. Nice grass hills to lay on, ocean front views south into Semiahmoo Bay; (seh-mee-ah-moo). See it before the chain-link gets put up.........

almo