Getting Washington Apples to The Big Apple

There is a new streamlined way to get fresh Washington produce to the East Coast, and the young company Railex is a big part of it. Railex takes fresh apples, onions, and pears from the growers to the consumers, using a combination of their own trucks and specially designed rail cars. While the idea of express shipping isn't new, Railex is using optimization, technology, and priority trains to achieve the same result as Western Fruit Express and all the other produce shipping methods that have come before it. Their western yard is in Wallula WA, with another yard in Rotterdam NY.

Recently the Tri-City Herald ran this great article describing the company and its mission.

Railfanning Starts Early

Every railfan has a first train memory of a train. I recall the Northern Pacific running through my town on a branch line. For my oldest son David - now six years old - it would probably be one of the many trips he and I took to go see trains while he was still a toddler, as a way to get him out of the house and doing something other than watching TV. Possibly the entire series of I Love Toy Trains videos had something to do with it too; he watched them from the time he was about six months old. It turned out that he remained interested in trains as he got older; he can now discuss ALCOs (his favorite), the rail crossings through SODO, and the activity of the UP GP15 switcher that moves in and out of the Argo Yard north of Georgetown. David uses the Sony FD75 floppy-disk camera that we've owned since 1999, to take pictures of trains (plus many of his little brother Jack and then his own face...up close...with a flash) For some, like me, railfanning started later in life; for David it was the exact opposite.

What's your earliest memory of a train?

This week at the YMCA David drew what could be considered an 0-6-4 steam engine, complete with cab to the left and pistons behind the cow catcher to the right. I am so proud of him to have even attempted something as intricate and complicated as a steam locomotive. Considering his age he pulled it off pretty well! Now I know the railfanning gene has emerged.
Nice work David!

Happy Thanksgiving from WARail

Happy Thanksgiving from WARail!

We enjoy freedoms and life here that others don't have, so it's a day to be thankful for what America provides us as a country and people.

My hope for you, the WARail readers, is that this Holiday season starts with a great Thanksgiving and ends with a wonderful New Year!

Regards, Kurt

Sound Transit Urged to Try Again

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels told Sound Transit to try again in 2008 in their efforts to get buy in for future transit projects, stating that younger voters in the coming year will better understand the motives of the Authority.

Like all us current voters are decrepit and don't understand the regional value of a good train...

New Track: Chehalis To Blakeslee

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It's not every day that you hear of a railroad actually adding tracks in this State. This project essentially ties three railroads to together, in an effort to reduce congestion in the rail traffic coming out of Grays Harbor County on the Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad. BNSF and Tacoma Rail are also named in this project.