On Tuesday, August 12, 2003 I was home on lunch break from work and heard on the scanner via railroadradio.net that there were 7 eastbounds coming up on Spokane from the Pasco line only!!  Well I really wanted to get to town then, so I talked to my boss and he was nice enough to let me off for several hours as long as I would work later that evening.  No problem with me so I was off with my dad into Spokane, WA by 1:20pm.  The first train we encountered was an eastbound empty coal train with a solid lashup of warbonnets (SF(BNSF) 8201, 8241, BNSF 8251).  We continued on into Yardley where we found a westbound manifest leaving the yard (SF(BNSF) 873, ATSF(BNSF) 3038, BNSF 7816).  We chased the train back about a mile to an old wooden bridge over the tracks.  Back in Yardley was an eastbound stack which we decided to follow out of Spokane (BNSF 9263, BN(BNSF) 6787, FURX 8113).   Out in the Spokane Valley I tried several pacing shots with the leader but it was so bright that I couldn't run the shutter speed very low.

     On the way back to town we could see headlights coming at us so we stopped and waited for it.  It was an eastbound manifest chugging away (BNSF 4838, 5479, 8032, BN(BNSF) 7911, FURX 7281).  Then several miles down we met the eastbound coal empties coming out of the yard.  In the yard there was a great consist waiting to be put on a train it went like this: BNSF 2721, BN(BNSF) 9260, NS 9236, BNSF 6905, NS 9597, BN(BNSF) 6142, BNSF 1116 (GP39-2, SD60M, C40-9W, SD40-2, C40-9W, SD9, C44-9W)!!  We walked up on Fancher Rd bridge were we saw the PASKCK come into the yard (BNSF 4111, 4986).  At the same time the M-LAUPAS was entering the yard from the other end with 2 MRL units in the consist (BNSF 5455, 4834, MRL 290, 261).  We walked back to the car and drove to the west end of the yard.  By the time we got there an empty hopper train had already pulled up to re-crew (FURX 7271, BN(BNSF) 6796).

     The M-LAUPAS had already left so we decided to try to beat it over to the west side of town.  On the way we saw 2 more eastbounds waiting to enter the yard (more on them later).  We arrived at the big bridge on the west side of town without seeing it at all.  We weren't sure we had beaten it there and since we knew there were 2 more eastbounds that we had passed we headed back towards the yard.  Then we saw it just as we were going through downtown Spokane but it was moving too quickly to try and beat it anywhere now.  Upon our arrival back at Yardley we found that an eastbound stack and TOFC was in changing crews (BNSF 5421, 4682, 4922, EMD 9021).  Then we heard a whistle over on the UP line towards Canada and decided to go investigate.  It turned out to be the Erie St. switcher with about 5 cars and ATSF(BNSF) 2869.  since it was moving north and the stack and TOFC train was going to be leaving soon we decided to try our luck at the under/over crossing of the UP/BNSF tracks about 3 miles east of Yardley.

     After parking we walked up near the crossover and proceeded to wait.  We could hear the local blowing his horn at the crossings but no other train was to be heard.  Then the local must have gotten to the end of the run because the whistle grew fainter and fainter.  Just about the time the local would have been there the westbound S-CHCTAC arrived (BNSF 4749, 5497, NS 9681).  Oh well!  Back at the yard the stack and TOFC eastbound was leaving and an eastbound auto was in changing crews (BN(BNSF) 7042, 7013).  After these had all cleared the S-TACBPA arrived in the yard around 4:30pm (BN(BNSF) 7072, 6785, BNSF 8080). 

     The Lind Turn was just leaving Yardley with 11 cars heading west so we decided to follow it back home (BNSF 2373, BN(BNSF) 1406).   Just as we were getting onto Hwy. 195 we met a northbound UP manifest and auto (UP 3328, 3699, 1012).  We continued to follow the Lind Turn intending to shoot it at Marshall, WA but halfway between Spokane and Marshall we met and eastbound ballast train.   We quickly stopped at a crossing and I got out to shoot it (BN(BNSF) 3124, ATSF(BNSF) 6316).  By the time we got back on the road and continued, the Lind Turn had passed and was well ahead of us by the time we reached Marshall.  On the scanner we heard that the next eastbound wasn't for an hour or more so we headed back home.   It was an awesome afternoon with seeing 14 trains in just 3 hours!!!  Too bad it isn't always this busy.   Well, have a great day and see you trackside!