Sunday, May 4, 2003 was Bloomsday (the largest individual race in the world) and as my yearly custom would have it, I got up around 7:00am and my dad took me in so I could run the race.  While waiting to start the 7.5 mile run, a westbound manifest with several SD40-2s in the lead rumbled through downtown Spokane, WA.  Then several minutes later I saw a westbound stack train.  At 9:00am the gun sounded and I was off on the race.  After completing the 7.5 mile run in 52 minutes and 6 seconds I met back up with my dad and we headed for Yardley.  We were planning on meeting  Andrew Bigelow (another staff member at my school) at 11:00am at Yardley.  My dad and I arrived at the yard around 10:30 just in time to see a eastbound manifest (which terminated at Spokane) enter Yardley (BNSF 4476, 4752).   At the west end of the yard SF 851 sat idling along with several other units.   Driving down to the east end, we photographed the M-HVRPAS1-01A (BNSF 799, 4925, 1052, BN(BNSF) 7023) as it entered the yard.  After that, we quickly drove down to a little bridge in the industrial section of town to photograph the Z-CHCPTL (BNSF 4370, 4547, 887). 

    We drove back to the yard at 11:00am to pick up Andrew but he wasn't there yet and the M-HVRPAS1-01A was leaving, so we headed for a good spot for another pic.  I decided on the big bridge on the west side of town.  We got out of the car and set up just in time only to realize that I had left the video camera's battery back in the car.  I quickly changed batteries so my dad got video but I didn't get any pics.  As we headed back to the yard we saw a westbound Z-train leaving.  Quickly telling Andrew to follow us in his car (he was finally there) we tried to beat the train to Lyons Siding.  Unfortunately we missed the engines by about 20 cars, but the good news was that in Lyons Siding an eastbound stack train (BNSF 4369, 756, 4944, 7834, BN(BNSF) 6841)  was waiting for the Z-train.  The stack train started up and moved out of the siding while the 3 of us took lots of photos.

    Next we headed for Marshall, WA, because back in Spokane, WA, I had seen the V-CHCPTL with an NS unit and so I wanted some photos.   When we arrived at Marshall Andrew dropped off his car and piled in with us.   Then we headed up a hill to get more of a panorama shot, but there were too many trees and so we hiked back to the car.  The signals came on for an eastbound and still the V-CHCPTL had not shown up.  Then detector MP 371.1 went off and it began to rain.  The train came around the corner (BNSF 4873, NS 9253) at Scribner and I took a grab shot but I had rain droplets on the lens and so it didn't turn out.  After that disappointment we headed back to Marshall only to see the Z-PTLCHC (BNSF 4904, SF 866, BN(BNSF) 7024) race by us!  Oh well.  At Marshall we got to talking to another railfan who informed us of two eastbounds (one from each RR, UP and BNSF) coming.   But before either of them had arrived, the S-CHCPTL3-01A rounded the corner and we all shot it with our various cameras.

    We said goodbye to the other railfan and drove a little farther towards Spokane, WA before setting up next to the low side track for an eastbound.   At 1:50pm an empty grainer along with a couple of garbage containers  blasted past us (BNSF 794, NS 9699).  On the scanner I heard the dispatcher give an eastbound empty coal train the green light to enter Spokane, WA so we headed into town to photograph it.  We beat it to the industrial part of town and got several photos (BNSF 8911, 8248(Heritage II), 8203(Warbonnet), SF(BNSF) 8231).  Looking into Yardley I saw the noses of 3 westbounds waiting to exit.  The one that really caught my attention was a whitefaced SD60M on a coal train.  Driving down to Napa St. we took some pictures of a northbound UP manifest (CP 9679, UP 5893, 5895, 548) which was taking the diverging route onto the SI.   After he cleared the interlocking at Napa St. a westbound vehicle train (BNSF 4309, SF 851) came through.  We drove back to the big bridge at the west side of town and took some pics.  While there we saw the Z-CHCPTL enter Spokane, WA (BNSF 4832, 1115).  We gave chase back to Erie St. yard for some photos.

    Andrew and I walked up on a hill to wait for a westbound stack to exit the yard.  And after about 10 minutes it arrived (BNSF 8017, FURX 7262, ATSF(BNSF) 6512, 6307).  Next we drove back to Yardley where we saw the Kettle Falls power sitting in Yardley.  It had a consist of 10 engines: BN(BNSF) 3025, 2286, 2872, 2188, 2924, BNSF 2094, 2276, 2718, 2703, 2877.  The RC switcher 3646 and SD9 6198 were jockeying cars and most of the rest of the yard was empty.  Then the westbound coal train with SD60M leading got permission to proceed to Overlook Siding.   So we hopped in the car and stopped at the UP yard on the way out of town.   The daily SKHK was waiting to depart with some manifest cars (UP 3199, ????, 2931(SD60M), 3464).  We climbed a hill overlooking the big bridge at the west side of town and waited for the coal train.  It arrived and passed as we snapped photos.   We quickly climbed in the car and chased it to Marshall, WA.

    On the scanner we learned it was a Boardman Coal train destined for the UP tracks.  So at Overlook Siding it stopped to change crews from BNSF to UP.  After that was done it slowly started back up puffing and growling.   Just as it reached us the sun came out making for some terrific photos especially with the consist.  The consist was BN 9200, BNSF 8267(Heritage II), BNSF 8298(Warbonnet), BNSF 8291(Warbonnet).  After it passed we dropped Andrew off at his car and proceeded west following the coal train.  We beat it to Cheney, WA and got several more pics as it was now on UP tracks.  Then an eastbound grain train blew its whistle for the BNSF crossing and so we quickly drove over to see it.  After it had passed it was around 5:00pm and we headed for home.  It was another fun trip and I enjoyed seeing the coal trains which is something I don't see very often.  I hope you enjoy and happy hunting!