Trains at Black Butte

This list is current as of September, 2023:

Since the fire at the Roseburg Mill in Weed in September, 2022, CORP operations have been sporadic. Currently a northbound train departs from downtown Weed about once or twice a week. Most trains are short.

UP trains use symbols indicating the type of train and the origin/destination, rather than train numbers. These are the most common symbols used on the Shasta Division:

A - Autoracks
I - Other intermodal/double stack train
BR - Portland (Brooklyn Yard)
EU - Eugene
LA - East Los Angeles
LC - Los Angeles Transportation Center (LATC Yard)
M - Mixed, or manifest, freights
PD - Portland (Albina Yard)
PT - Portland (Lake Yard)
PW - For interchange to/from Portland & Western RR
RV - Roseville (near Sacramento)
SE - Seattle (Argo Yard)
TM - Tacoma intermodal
WC - West Colton Yard (southern California)
Z - Fast intermodal train of trailers (piggybacks), containers, doublestacks

Note that since the advent of "Precision Scheduled Railroading" in early 2019, many train symbols and some routings changed, and they have continued to change since that time.

ZLCTM — Intermodal Los Angeles (LATC Yard) to Portland/Brooklyn Yard. A small portion then continues to Tacoma. Runs daily and is through Black Butte in the evening, Most often early evening but sometimes several hours later. Domestic double stacks, may have a few international containers up front and pigs. Usually has DPUs (except on Mondays when it is shorter), the only northbound to have them.

MRVHK — Manifest originating in the Roseville departure yard to Hinkle, Oregon. Will work Eugene, Albany/Salem, and Albina Yard in Portland. Usually a wee hours departure out of Roseville, meaning it will come through Black Butte late morning/mid-day. Often has a few CP cars and/or pinkish Potash Corp grainers. In mid-2023 it was common for this train to depart Roseville southbound and then turn north onto the ex-WP in Sacramento and then get back on the ex-SP at Marysville.

MRVPD — Roseville, CA to Portland (Portland Terminal's Lake Yard) general manifest freight. May have coil cars, autoracks, BNSF and CN boxcars and empty lumber.

MRVEU — Roseville, CA to Eugene mixed freight, often with lots of empty lumber racks. Often does a set out at Redding, CA and may also work at Klamath Falls, OR - and, rarely, at Black Butte when there is interchange traffic with CORP. It has sections for CORP, P & W, Coos Bay and local traffic in Eugene. Mostly empty lumber racks, UP/SP/Golden West boxcars, maybe a few covered hoppers (aka grainers). Unlikely to have coil or autorack cars nor CN/BNSF boxcars.

Note: At times one or more of these general manifests may go dead at Lakehead (north of Redding) then eventually get a new crew and roll straight through Dunsmuir, unless they need to stop for clearance, then on to the next crew change location at Klamath Falls.

ISELC — Seattle (Argo Yard) to Los Angeles (LATC Yard). This is the downgraded southbound daily intermodal train. It originates in Seattle but sets out and picks up at Portland (Brooklyn Yard). It is most often an evening departure out of Portland, putting it through Black Butte mid-day. However, it varies widely. Mainly domestic 53s and some pigs.

MHKRV — Manifest originating at Hinkle Yard in eastern Oregon. Will work Portland/Albina Yard and perhaps Eugene before continuing south to Roseville, CA. May have a few Canadian cars.

MEURV — This train is built in Eugene from hand offs from the CORP Roseburg train as well as from the Portland and Western and Coos Bay Rail Link. Identifiable from it many Oregon loaded lumber cars (Roseburg, Roseboro, etc). Unlikely to have CN/BNSF boxcars, autoracks, nor coil cars. Often seen mid-afternoon at Black Butte.

MPDRV — Portland/Albina Yard to Roseville manifest. May work Eugene Yard. May have Canadian lumber loads.

Note: Not all of these GM trains always operate every day and, at times, more than one section of one of these trains can run. In addition to these listed trains, UP also operates occasional unit oil trains (tar sands oil going via CP/Hinkle to a refinery near Bakersfield) and unit grain trains (often BNSF reroutes or with CP power). Other unit trains are very rare these days.

^#14 "Coast Starlight" — Amtrak's premier Los Angeles to Seattle west coast train passes through Black Butte around 6am daily.

^#11 "Coast Starlight" — If on time, the southbound Starlight passes through Black Butte shortly before midnight daily.