Nice catch, Bob. The train on the left is a Berthold (Enbridge) train, the middle is Manitou (Plains) and the right is Stanley (EOG Resources). This is the Old Yard, or now the Crude Staging Yard (aptly named!). They stage oil empties here due to the facilities not being able to handle them.
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Nicely done: composition; lighting and subject matter. Sun on snow helps as well!
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That's an interesting caption.
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Can someone explain the boxcar behind the engine before the tankers? A buffer car of some sort? A supply car? What purpose does it serve?
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It's neat to see the flow of a train with new glistening tankers and having 3 is that much better with the curve in the yard. Boy they are moving lots of crude from the Dakotas and nice to see the rails getting the business. Chris, to answer your question on the spacer/buffer car, here is quote from a Trains 2008 article "Buffer cars are used for two reasons: They provide some distance between the train crew and the hazardous materials in case of a wreck, and isolate hazardous materials from a possible ignition source. Vapors can travel to an ignition source, such as an engine, and could result in a fire or an explosion."
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Fascinating how we're now seeing "oil train" scenes reminiscent of coal trains side-by-side waiting to depart the Powder River Basin.
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Fantastic photo, Robert. The snow just makes everything better. Well done!
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Fantastic!
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| Posted by BNSF511 on March 25, 2013 | |
Awesome!
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The Cars behind the Locomotives are yes inded buffer cars to seperate motive power from the cars. A common railroad practice when dealing with cars loaded with hazardous materials.
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| Posted by Meaux23 on April 11, 2013 | |
Due to ignition source proximity, safety precautions for hazardous materials is also the reason for the wide spaces between the tracks.
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