Right-of-way reconstruction on Sound Transit's Lakewood line through South Tacoma has progressed south of SW 50th Street. Track crews have begun tearing up the old tracks and laying new ones between SW 50th and SW 60th, including the station area just south of SW 56th. A short Tacoma Rail construction train of three ballast hoppers and a trackmobile was parked just north of SW 56th (Dec. 30).

While on my way to the Tacoma area today, I drove into downtown Vancouver at around 10:00 a.m. to check out the construction progress on the Port of Vancouver access project. An eastbound BNSF manifest was just coming out of the yard, and I noticed that it had two DPUs on the rear. Does anyone know if this is a Pasco-bound train, or one bound for California? I've seen the Vancouver-Barstow manifests head out of town with DPUs before, but they usually left later in the day.

Returning home, I had stopped in Centralia and noticed what looked like light power on the Puget Sound & Pacific (PSAP), ex-UP industrial track at Blakeslee Junction. I checked it out and found a six-unit set of UP locomotives: three SD90/43MACs, a pair of SD70Ms and one lone four-axle GP. I noticed the road number on the Geep, #1233, and did a roster check. This particular unit is a former Delaware & Hudson GP39-2! Too bad it was too dark for a photo.

I've seen UP and BNSF six-axle light power parked here before, and am curious what kind of trains PSAP hands off that need the heavier units. Do they interchange any kind of unit trains here?