My dad, Andrew Bigelow, and I got up at 3:00am and left to go photograph the Kettle Falls Local.  In north Spokane Andrew dropped off his car and rode with us.  We followed the Railroad tracks all the way up to Chewelea, WA and still had not seen the train.  By the time we got to Colvile, WA we began to worry whether we had missed it somewhere.   Then when we reached Kettle Falls, WA we saw a lot of cars and 10 engines.  Well my dad went up to the office and asked when they would be departing southbound back to Spokane, and the answer he got was "Monday is the only day that we don't run a southbound!"  Talk about disappointed!!!  We drove back to Spokane and arrived there around 7:30am.  So after 150 miles of driving we were back to almost where we had started!  I transferred all my equipment and other things to Andrew's car and said goodbye to my dad (he had to head back home to get some work done).  Then Andrew and I headed for Yardley.

    On the radio we heard of the Z-CHCPTL (BNSF 4310, 5378, BN 9274) and so we quickly drove to the east end of the yard to see it.  In the yard there were several eastbounds waiting to depart so we headed out for ID.  At Hauser yard a westbound stack and auto (BN(BNSF) 7869, 7142, 8089, 6323) was waiting along with a couple other trains or parts of trains.  We continued on but heard the detector at milepost 41.2 go off so we quickly got into position for a photo.  It was the V-CHCPTL with 41 cars (BNSF 971, 8626, 334).  We followed the tracks up to Ramsey where we missed the westbound Z-CHCSSE with 4 units.  At 9:15 we arrived at the big cut just north of Athol, ID and prepared to wait for a train.  Finally after over an hour the eastbound Z-SSECHC showed up with 72 cars (BNSF 4502, 544, 4467, NS 9350).    Following only 5 minutes behind him was another eastbound but stack this time (BNSF 4110, 4802, CSX 7543).  Wow talk about some foreign power, CSX and NS!!!

    We then moved on up the line about 1 mile to a big fill at Granite, ID.  Since there were several other eastbounds that we had seen in Spokane, WA, we thought that another eastbound would be there right away.  But no, after waiting for 2 hours the eastbound B-PTLWAT showed up (BN(BNSF) 7889, 8007).   Over the radio we heard that there was a some MOW work being down at Colburn and that was why it had been slow on trains for awhile.  The baretable stopped and then after 5 minutes proceeded past us.  Following within sight was an eastbound hopper train (BNSF 1036, 7306, BN(BNSF) 6883).  After that we headed up to Sandpoint where we saw several UP engines (UP 3739, 3288, 3238, 3769, 1207(re#), 2574).  The baretables we had seen earlier arrived in Sandpoint, ID and took the MRL line.   Waiting at Sandpoint Jct. was the Sandpoint Local with 4 cars and a caboose (BNSF 2373, BN(BNSF) 2873, 2885).  The local stayed there so we headed to a park for an eastbound which we figured would come next.  And sure enough the hopper train came rumbling over the bridge.

    We tried to beat the local by walking down a bike path towards a good photo spot but it overtook us.  Andrew stopped and just shot it from there while I ran several hundred yards at full speed to get some better pictures.   Then we walked back to the car and drove up to the Amtrak depot.  Hearing of an eastbound coal empties we waited and waited.  Then suddenly 2 BNSF trucks came racing by on the tracks and so we hopped in the car to check things out.  After driving to the other side of the bridge we waited momentarily before the coal train finally moved (BNSF 8212, 5248, 5478, 778).  We never did figure out what the problem was but there was a slow order over that section of track from then on.  An eastbound stack arrived just in time for a photo at Algoma, ID (BNSF 4407, 5297, 5422, 961).   Over the radio we heard the dispatch tell the engineer of the stack that he would be sitting there for 40-45 minutes. 

    Five minutes later another eastbound stack rounded a corner in the distance and stopped a mere 500 feet behind the first.  The wait turned into being an hour and a half long!!!  At 5:15 the second eastbound stack passed us only to stop at the same place as the first (BN(BNSF) 7838, 6707 ATSF(BNSF) 6463, FURX 8125).  An eastbound coal empties rounded the same corner in the distance and stopped just 500 feet behind the stack.  We drove down to see it and were very pleased with the consist which included 3 Oakways (BN 9212, EMD 9026, 9020, 9057).  After that we drove back to Sandpoint to the bike path and walked down to the beach to wait.  A westbound stack came and went at 5:45pm (BNSF 4758, 6329, KCS 6601).  Then a little later the westbound Z-CHCPTL rumbled past (BNSF 5479, 1004, 4614).  The eastbound stack started moving after the Z-train cleared and simultaneously the sun came out, YES!!   At 6:50pm a 107 car stack train flew by heading west (BNSF 4606, 8614).  Finally the eastbound empty coal train got a green light and started out over the bridge.   After he had passed we walked back to the car and headed back home. 

    Just north of Granite, ID we saw an eastbound stack (BN(BNSF) 8037, 7868, 6917).  At Athol, ID a northbound UP train on BNSF tracks flew by us.  We didn't see anything else until Hauser where an eastbound stack with 97 cars throttled past (BN(BNSF) 7842, 7153, 6839, 8065).  At 8:15pm 121 cars of hoppers slowly coasted past us with an EMD in the lead (EMD 9030, BN(BNSF) 9237).  BNSF 5443 lead another eastbound hopper train at Spokane, WA with 109 cars (BNSF 5443, 4693).   Finally at Yardley there were several engines in the servicing area including EMD 9071, and 9058.  After that we drove home reaching there 17 hours after we had left that morning!  It was good to see all the older BN power as well as all the foreign and leased units.  Even though we didn't get to see the Kettle Falls local it turned out to be a pretty good day and I can't wait to go again.  Pictures are posted in the BNSF, Leased and Regional sections of this website.  Enjoy and happy hunting!!