After the ports reopened and traffic picked back up, my dad and I decided to head to the Spokane area for some train watching. We left after lunch on October 13, 2002. around 1:00pm. We drove to Cheney, WA where we saw 3 PCC engines (PCC 4204, 4212, 3651) in their “yard”. Just before leaving Cheney a westbound (BN 3148, 3125, 6198, BN(BNSF) 3020, 3110, 6111) manifest curved into view. The next train was at 1:55pm at Scribner, WA and it was also a westbound (BN(BNSF) 7070 ATSF(BNSF) 6514, 3036) but it pulled a long string of stack cars. At the PCC interchange in Marshall, WA BLMR 790 and 792 were waiting for their assignment. Then in Spokane, WA a westbound manifest (BNSF 4568, 5304, BN(BNSF) 6816) rumbled through downtown. We had almost caught up to an eastbound earthworm with 2 engines when we met D-NTWSEA3-12A with 10 units and no cars (ATSF(BNSF) 6478, 6461, 6473, 6457, 6472, 6480, 6509, 6510, 7511, 7508). So we chased this westbound back downtown to take pictures. By the time we got to Yardley the earthworm was out of sight. Waiting to depart was the Kettle Falls Local manifest with another 10 units (BN(BNSF) 2084, 2732, 2735, 2089, 2900, BNSF 2178, 2262, 2703, 2704, 2085). An eastbound stack showed up at 2:55pm (BNSF 4375, 4493, SF 819). In Yardley there was an assortment of GPs with some SDs splashed here and there. We next visited the UP Yard and saw 4 engines in the engine area along with a westbound manifest and vehicle (UP 8546, 4730) with 45 cars in tow.

    Back at Yardley another eastbound arrived (BNSF 4950, 4955) this time with 112 hopper cars. Next a Z-Train shows up (BNSF 993, 5290, SF 633) with vehicles. Then we heard a southbound UP from Canada (CEFX 110, 105 (DPU), UP 8187, 6443) blowing for crossings so we went to shoot some pictures. It is a hopper train with a CEFX acting in DPU mode as a mid-train helper. At 4:15pm another eastbound stack pulled up to change crews (BNSF 799, 716, 5398). After that we finally see a westbound. It is a stack and TOFC Z-Train (BNSF 4591, 5349, 1084). Afterwards we headed out to the big bridge which splits letting the Seattle line turn north and the Pasco/Portland, OR line turn south. On our way we see Amtrak 158 stopped at the station. At the bridge we saw two more eastbound stack trains. The first is coming off the Pasco/Portland, OR line (BN 6845, 8072, BNSF 7834). The second is a Tacoma-Kansas City from the Seattle line (BNSF 5366, 7844, SF(BNSF) 8245). We headed home by way of Cheney and in Cheney at 6:05pm we saw an eastbound manifest (BNSF 753, SF 644, SF(BNSF) 671, BN 7072). The last train is a eastbound manifest in Cheney at 6:10pm (UP 3299, 3654, CEFX 111). We had a great trip but it didn’t seem like there was that much difference in traffic after the ports reopened compared to before they closed except for the fact that we saw quite a bit of unusual power that I think is normally stored.