The BNSF Staples Sub Radio Feed has been enhanced! Recently, the antenna was relocated to a tower near Little Falls, which provides enhanced coverage of the eastern portion of the subdivision, while continuing to cover the Staples area and part of the Brainerd Sub. There is also improved coverage of the CP lines in the area.

As before, 3 BNSF and 1 CP frequency are monitored:

BNSF traffic will predominate, as the west end of the Staples Sub handles between 40 and 50 trains a day. 8 to 10 of these will be coal trains headed to or from the Midwest Energy Resources coal terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, and will leave or enter the Staples Sub at Staples as they cycle back and forth between Superior and the Powder River Basin coal fields.

Portions of the subdivision are controlled by CTC, while other sections are TWC control with ABS installed. The section between Wadena (MP 166) and Gregory (near Little Falls, MP 103) is CTC, and you can hear trains clear warrants as they enter the CTC section. Both the Brainerd Sub and the CP Rail Detroit Lakes Sub are also TWC, generating some radio chatter.

The trains you hear will be a mix of coal, intermodal (both stack trains and “Z” trains), merchandise, and grain. In addition, Amtrak’s Empire Builder uses the Staples Sub once a day in each direction, scheduled to pass through the area very early in the morning. A detector announcing a train of 44 to 58 axles is likely Amtrak. Intermodal trains are generally in the 250-300 axle range and coal train axle counts are from 450 on up. Grain and merchandise can fall anywhere in these ranges. I have heard merchandise trains as short as 150 axles. There are a number of coal trains that run through Staples while staying on the Staples Sub, including trains for Xcel Energy’s Becker plant and some bound for Wisconsin locations.

Defect detectors you may hear are located at MP’s 90.7, 108.5, 121.8, 151.6, and if conditions are just right, 75.5 and 174.1, on the Staples Sub. If you hear others, I would like to add them to the list, so This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Hope you enjoy the feed. If you are interested in the area, my web site can be found at look4trains.com. You can also check the Outstate Minnesota Rail group for other information on the area. Thanks for looking, and stop back often.

UPDATE: I have recently started posting my railroad photos to flickr. You can visit my site here to see still more train action, mostly on the Staples Sub but with a smattering of other locations as I get the chance to visit.

Jim