Appendage Wrote:
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> All this grain is inbound traffic, right? Correct
> me if I'm wrong (as if I need to ask), but I
> thought there was very little revenue in handling
> inbound loads that originate on another line. Can
> the NWP make a living handling a couple dozen
> inbounds per week?
>
> 20 years ago, I lived in Novato, and could watch
> the train from my living room. It was 30-60 cars
> on a daily basis. Yes, I counted them. Grain was
> always a big part of the traffic base. The reason
> it looks bigger now ("solid grain trains") is
> because the other traffic- outbound lumber,
> primarily- is gone.

This is true about the inbound only traffic. This is why they need the lumber company who is going to use the Standard Structures spur in Windsor to start shipping out trans-loaded lumber. It would only be a few cars per week, but they would be making a lot more money on even 3 outbound lumber loads per week. (I have heard estimates of as many as a dozen loaded centerbeams per week out of Windsor, but lets keep it conservative!) The last train the ran on Thursday was 10 cars of grain. If they can keep that up they should be covering operating costs plus a little extra.

I was having trouble finding the correct information on the NWP Company website about pricing for inbound vs. outbound loads, but it looks to be around $150-$200 per inbound car+$75 per day after 2 days for unloading. This could be wrong though.