Lumber reload

ILL LUKE had a problem.

The sales manager for Crow's Nest Forest Products of Elko, British Columbia, had lumber to sell, a market to sell it-and a shipper plagued with chronic car shortages.

Searching for a transportation alternative, Luke crossed the Canadian border into Eureka, Mt., a town on the end of a Burlington Northern Railroad branch line in the northeast corner of the state.

Story at a Glance

British Columbia forest products firm solves shipping problems with across border reload center. .. lower freight rate and adequate car suPPlY .. smooth operation attracts attention ol other lumber shippers.

There he contracted for the building and operation of a second loading point for Crow's Nest's lumber. The abandoned Tobacco River Lumber Co. sawmill at the south end of town became the area's first lumber reload center in October, 1972.

It began as an experiment. The contractor loaded three to four BN cars a week from Crow's Nest's Eureka inventory. Satisfied with the car supply, Crow's Nest expanded its inventory at the reload center and increased carloadings.

Luke soon discovered another advantage of the operation. BN could provide a lower freight rate out of Eureka than his other rail carrier could offer out of Elko. As a result of the lower rate and adequate car supply, they now ship 8090 of the 90 mbf production each year from the reload center to customers throughout the Southwest.

The reloading facility occupies a 40-acre site adjacent to the BN sta- tion in Eureka. The actual unloading and loading operation requires about 20 acres, and includes a 12 mbf capacity storage area and a 170 ft. loading platform next to the siding, which was extended last year to accommodate l0 railcars.

The contractor's trucks average l2 30-mile trips to the Crow's Nest Elko mill each day, returning to the reload center with lumber and paperwork for new orders.

On arrival, a large forklift unloads the lumber and stacks it in the storage yard according to width, length and species. About 8590 of the lumber is kiln-dried spruce-pinefir. The rest is fir and larch.

In the inventory area, a second forklift pulls a lumber order out of storage and sets it up near the platform for carloading. This forklift loads one side of the car while a smaller forklift loads the opposite side from the loading dock. A strapper secures the load, which averages

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