I drove Alturas/Lakeview/LaPine this past Sept. The hoppers described were on the ground then. I did the trip on a Friday and met the NREX4263 (ex BNSF) at the State Line. It had 15 cars. Two loaded center beams and 13 hoppers. I was told in Lakeview that the railroad was hauling pearlite. The pearlite was loaded in Lakeview and had been trucked from a mine near Paisley. I drove Lakeview to LaPine thru Paisley and didn't meet any trucks on the highway that looked like they were hauling pearlite and didn't see anything that looked like a mine near Paisley.

The speed the train was going was hardly walking speed. They could not have made a round trip in one day so it must be north on one day and south the next. Maybe once a week. There are some good places to take pictures in the area where the hoppers were but I would have had to backtrack and then wait several hours for the train. Guess I've lost my dedication to getting a photo at a good spot.

Also read in the Klamath Falls newspaper that the railroad was going to be getting some business hauling material for a natural gas pipeline that was being built from Wyoming to connect with a Canada/California pipeline at Malin. Something like 600 loads of material. (pipe?)

jdb