The Kettle Falls International Railway acquired all of the lines north of Kettle Falls along with the line south as far as Chewelah from BNSF.   Currently BNSF still operates the M-KFAPAS and will until later sometime when the interchange tracks/yard is built.  I decided that I would go and chase the M-KFAPAS another time before the transition occurred.  With this in mind I got up and left home at 4am on Saturday, April 23.  I figured that since the train usually doesn't leave Kettle Falls until 5 or 6am I would just head right on up there.  Well I arrived at the yard without seeing anything of the train.  I was a little worried but I decided to check out the KFI's power before looking into the problem any more.  In the yard there were four ex-CN units (9634, 9552, 9659, 9469) lettered for OMLX or HLCX and 4 other OMLX engines (2253, 2250, 6558, ????).  Also in the yard was MRL 132.

     After taking a look at the power I noticed that all of the cars in the yard were all empties and with this came the realization that the train had already come and gone instead of just really late like I had hoped.  Well I drove back south and finally found it curving along Loon Lake about 60 miles south.  After this disappointment I chased it the rest of the 30 some miles into Spokane.  It must have left Kettle Falls between 4 and 4:30am because it arrived in Spokane by 9am.   The power for the train was great too with an all green lashup (BN 3120, 3018, 3029, 3015, 3014 (all patched)).  As I arrived at Yardley I found the Z-SSECHC heading into the yard for a pickup (BNSF 4603, 1121, BN 9272 (patched)).  I drove down to the east end and found 3 more eastbounds waiting to leave or switching cars.

    At 9:40am the M-PASNTW1-22A started pulling and I chased it east to get a couple photos (BNSF 4396, 6919, FURX 7243, CSX 8210).  The train stopped at Irvin because of power troubles with the FURX and so I waited for the next eastbound.   In a few minutes an E-SPBBKM train rumbled by (ATSF 8200, 8223(both patched), EMD 9033).  Next I chased a northbound UP train without being able to get far enough ahead for a shot.  On the scanner the detector at 60.1 went off for a westbound and so I headed back to Yardley.  I caught up to the westbound just before it entered the yard and it had a NS in primer paint (9632) along with ATSF 612.  The train was the H-CSXPAS3-20A and as I arrived the M-PASDIL1-22A started to pull out of the east end (BNSF 7892, BN 8037(patched), CN 5526).  After grabbing a few shots of the consist I headed to Parkwater only to find an eastbound X-VAWHFM9-21A getting ready to leave (BNSF 4520, NS 9130).

     After a quick stop at the UP yard (UP 5848, 6677, 524, 1210, 307), I headed to Marshall Canyon for some action.  On the way I ran into the eastbound X-PASMAN1-22A entering Spokane with an ex-CP engine (BNSF 8064, NREX 6406).   As I arrived at Scribner the S-TCPCHC6-22V rolled through before I could get set up for a photo (BNSF 743, ATSF 695 (patched)).  Next I knew there was still another eastbound because of the westbound hopper train stopped at Lakeside Jct.  So I parked my car and walked down to Lakeside Jct. area where I set up for the V-PTLKCM3-21A which arrived a few minutes later (BN 8025(patched), ATSF 6348 (patched), BNSF 7163).  Next the hopper train got the light to leave and the engines throttled up to pull the heavy train uphill (BNSF 4329, 4629, 817, BN 7817(patched)).  I ran over to UP Jct. to catch the northbound M-HKSK which was running short on time before heading back to my car (UP 2273, 2314).

     I decided to head up to the Seattle line and hope to catch some action.  I arrived at Edwall around 1:15 and heard of an eastbound coming soon.   So I set up for a shot coming out of town and a couple minutes later the S-SEACHI3-22A rumbled by (BNSF 8053, BN 8008(patched), FURX 8096).  Next I drove west to Canby, WA where a railgrinder was just clearing up for another couple trains.  I met up with a fellow railfan and around 2pm the P-TACKCK1-21A curved into view (BNSF 8090, FURX 7207, NREX 5917, BN 6792(patched)).  This train met a westbound in the siding at Edwall and so we set up for him.  It turned out to be the Z-CHCSSE1-21A with the usual power (BNSF 5127, 7890, ATSF 921(patched)).  The railgrinder got more track and time on the single main track so I drove over to grab a few photos of him working.

     At 3:30pm he cleared back up onto the double track west of Bluestem and so I thought that another eastbound was headed my way.  But just about then the dispatcher called up the railgrinder to tell him that the next train was a good hour away and would be an eastbound.  It was getting stormy about this time and I was tired of waiting so I headed down to Fishtrap to see if I could find something moving.   The C-BKMSPB0-60A rolled into Wells siding on the UP for a met with a northbound around 4pm.  I drove down to Sprague and on my way back I ran into a westbound manifest train with three MRL units for power (MRL 200, 204, 211).  After I got a quick photo I headed down to Tokio for another shot.  Unfortunately I ran right into a storm and so the picture turned out a little rainy.  On the way back east I missed another westbound manifest train at Sprague.  I headed east trying to find some sun.   Near Overlook I stopped and waited a bit for the Q-EDHK which soon arrived (CP 8624, 8619, CEFX 138, 133).  After that I headed back home since it was getting dark and rainy.  It wasn't too bad a day but definitely not the best I have had.