BNSF train Symbols in and out of SoCal

[MrMRL]

I gathered all the info below for a friend on another online site a few months back. I recently dug it out and thought it may be interesting for some of the members here to read through. Basically a buddy of mine was interested in the different BNSF train symbols, types and train lengths commonly found running in and out of Southern California. Here it is now for the folks here to chew through...

Mr. MRL


BNSF usually runs intermodal trains ("Z", "Q") between 6500-8000 ft. Occasionally the trains are shorter based on traffic demand. There are a number solid double stack trains ("Q", "S") authorized to exceed the 8K mark called "10Ks", ~10,000 ft. in length. The 10Ks have to be 100% double stacks, no trailers, no autoracks, no empties. The 10Ks will typically have 2 DPUs on the rear.

BNSF's double stack and intermodal traffic divides into three major terminal eastbound terminal origins / westbound destinations in Southern California:

SBD - San Bernardino (A-Yard)
LAC - Los Angeles (Hobart Intermodal Facility)

The third destination/origin is tricky because it divides into the various Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The ports are unique because train symbols into and out of the ports are based on the specific shipping terminal they come from. Examples include...

Ports of Los Angeles:
LAH - Los Angeles Harbor "mixed terminals"
LHA - Los Angeles Pier 400 "Maersk"
LHG - Global Gateway South "APM"
LHT - TICTF "NYK" "Greenland"
LHW - West Basin "China Shipping"
SCO - West Thenard/PHL "mixed terminals" <- very common destination

Ports of Long Beach:
LGB - Long Beach Harbor "mixed terminals"
LBA - APL Terminal
LBC - Cal United Terminals
LBI - Long Beach ITS
LBJ - Long Beach Pier J
LBL - Long Beach Container
LBP - COSCO Terminal
LBT - Pier T "Hanjin"

The list of westbound terminal origins / eastbound destinations can be as diverse as the list above including...

ALT - Alliance, TX
ATG - Atlanta, GA (via NS)
BIR - Birmingham, AL
CHI - Chicago, IL (Corwith Yard)
CLO - Clovis, NM
ELP - El Paso, TX
FTM - Fort Madison, IA
HOU - Houston
KCK - Kansas City, KS
LPC - Logistic's Park, IL (Joliet)
MEM - Memphis, TN
NBY - North Bay, CA
NSA - Chicago, IL (NS Yard)
NWO - New Orleans, LA
NYC - New York City (via CSX)
PEA - Pearland, TX
RIC - Richmond, CA
STL - St. Louis, MO
WSP - Chicago, IL (Willow Springs Yard)

You can pretty much mix & match most of the above symbols and recreate a BNSF stack train found at some point on Cajon Pass. San Bernardino Yard doesn't have as wide a variety of destinations as Los Angeles though.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BNSF's few General Manifests ("M") that run over Cajon average 4500-6000 ft. in length, and are typically loaded heavies westbound, and light empties eastbound, though not 100% empty or loaded either way.

Typical daily Manifest train symbols include:
M-WCLBAR / M-BARWCL - (West Colton (UP) to Barstow & back)
M-SDGBAR / M-BARSDG - (San Diego to Barstow & back)
M-LACBAR / M-BARLAC - (Los Angeles (LAJ) to Barstow & back)
M-WATBAR / M-BARWAT - (Watson Yard to Barstow & back)

Other Manifest symbols rarely or no longer used include:
M-KAIBAR / M-BARKAI - (Kaiser Yard to Barstow & back) - unscheduled
M-SBDBAR / M-BARSBD - (San Bernardino to Barstow & back) - unscheduled
M-JACBAR / M-BARJAC - (San Jacinto Branch to Barstow & back) - no longer run
M-LAMBAR / M-BARLAM - (La Mirada Yard to Barstow & back) - now part of LACBAR trains
M-PICBAR / M-BARPIC - (Pico Rivera Yard to Barstow & back) - now part of LACBAR trains

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are also a few exotics I can think of off the top of my head...

U-PITKAI/U-KAIPIT - Unit steel coil trains between Kaiser and Pittsburg, CA. Short and heavy, ~6000 tons, in 4000 ft.

Unit Ethanol tank trains "G" for loaded westbounds, "X" for empty eastbounds. All loads end up at Watson Yard (WAT), the empty eastbounds then leave from there. Trains run on average 95-125 tank cars plus up to 2 buffer cars on each end. Westbound loads will have DPUs on the rear and can approach 12,500 tons in 6500 ft.

Origin/destination locations include:
ABE - Aberdeen, SD
BEN - Berea, ND
CNB - Columbus, NE
DIL - Dilworth, MN
GDN - Garden City, KS
PLX - Plainview, TX

There are also a couple Auto trains that run down to and from San Diego too, but I am unfamiliar with the specific symbols for those.


I hope this information is interesting and or useful. There are always exceptions to the info included above, but this is the 'jist' of it all.

[AmtrakFan454]

One of the auto trains to San Diego would be the V-CLOSDG / V-SDGCLO.
CLO - Clovis, NM

[erielackawanna]

Great info... appreciate it.

[orange choo choo]

Excellent, thanks for taking the time to compile and post this info!

[orange choo choo]

Is there any way to know which train it is (aside from seeing it) since they use the engine number over the radio? Any reason for that instead of using the actual train symbol?

[TC Smith]

Yes, because you can identify a train by it's engine number by sight.
If they used their symbol they could be almost anything you see.


TCS - zest

[orange choo choo]

(01-09-2012 02:57 PM)TC Smith Wrote:  Yes, because you can identify a train by it's engine number by sight.
If they used their symbol they could be almost anything you see.


TCS - zest

I forgot about that part.

OCC- infected by SP virus

[MrMRL]

(01-09-2012 02:54 PM)orange choo choo Wrote:  Is there any way to know which train it is (aside from seeing it) since they use the engine number over the radio? Any reason for that instead of using the actual train symbol?

Determining a specific train symbol from simple observation is near impossible. You can narrow down your possibilities though fairly quickly.

For example, say you're spending the afternoon at Fullerton Station. A BNSF train passes by, west or east doesn't matter. If it is solid double stacks and all the containers are between 45' and 20' in length, good bet that train is full of international containers running to or from one of the 15 or so LA/LB Ports. If there are any 53' containers or piggy-back trailers on the train, now it is a train running to or from Hobart Yard (LAC). Pinning down the other half of the train symbol is essentially impossible without the aid of a dispatching setup, or access to area train lineup information. If the train is running 2x2 or 3x2 power wise (headend and DP) and the train length seems to go on forever, well you've got a 10K passing by.

For Manifests passing Fullerton... If there is a large block of rusty grey three-bay hoppers some labeled "BORAX" on the side, large white BNSF reefer boxes, and a high percentage of LPG tank cars, that would be a WAT train. If there are more smaller mixed RR boxcars, random grain hoppers, and a small cut of ethanol tank cars, that would be a LAC train.

For the Unit Ethanols, loads always run west "G", empties always run east "X". Loads 99% of the time run with DP, empties will have all power on the headend.

Mr. MRL -

[orange choo choo]

Robert, you're the man! I got to hang out with you for a day so I can pick your brain.

[penguingeneral]

Mr MRL- you are the man.