Today, I saw an eastbound go through St. Paul with both units CSX, and the entire train of nothing but covered hoppers, everyone of them with reporting marks for CSXT. I have seen BNSF unit grain trains in BNSF territory, but I thought it unusual to see a pure CSX train in BNSF territory. Anybody know if this is a regular train through here or an anomaly? Any info on this train at all? Thanks.

Unscheduled but regular train. It hauls something that's used in fertilizer but the name escapes me at the moment...

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potash, fly ash maybe???

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A BNSF fan by default.

I believe its a phosphate train. Destination is somewhere in North Dakota-cars are mainly older family lines cars that have a bunch of dark streaking.

It's one of those neat unit trains that the BNSF has-like the Havre fuel trains. Really interesting modelable train.

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Dave Burman
Modeling the Modern Twin Cities

it was eastbound so it wasnt going to North Dakota.

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A BNSF fan by default.

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Eastbound....That'll teach me to read the whole thing before I reply.......

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Dave Burman
Modeling the Modern Twin Cities

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Dave Burman
Modeling the Modern Twin Cities

Where did this CSX phosphate train originate from?

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John Fladung
Saint Paul, MN

I seemed to catch this train a few times a month last year. The destination in NoDak also seemed to vary each time. Trains had an article within the last couple years on Bone Valley and CSX's operation there.

On a related note, has the CP picked up some of the phosphate traffic? I have seen a few CP trains with cuts of the CSX and Seaboard hoppers heading east through Shoreham.

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The railfan side

My pictures

Anyone catch a unit number? How about a car number?

I can find it if somebody has that info.

When I said "Originate", I meant on BNSF lines. Cicero/Aberdeen