Few of the grain export sites I discovered when I started railfanning in the early 1990s are the same today.   Two new facilities opened.   Several others, I believe, were closed.  Existing sites were expanded.  Names of owners changed; hence names of facilities changed.

Given the current  18 or so train loads per day streaming into those facilities in the PNW, I decided it was time to update my knowledge.  The trains come from several hundred bulk loading plants throughout the western and middle United States, according to the BNSF website.  Keep in mind that most grain trains are 110-115 cars.

I heard at one time that it takes three train loads to fill most grain ships Not sure if that’s accurate still.

As best I can determine, here is the current state of export grain loading companies in the PNW. The car totals are from the BNSF document downloadable from the BNSF web site. Other information was obtained from public web sites or from personal observations.

A number of these grain export locations are hard to see.  Kalama Export  has two large loop tracks and power is often totally hidden from view from public areas.  LDC in Seattle and Columbia Grain in Portland also are hard to see; operations are often hidden from public view by grain car storage.

Temco (Tacoma Export Marketing Co) operates elevator/loading facilities in Tacoma and Kalama, WA., and Portland, OR. The company is owned by CHS and Cargill.  Both Cargill and CHS are headquartered in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.  CHS is the former Cenex and Harvest States.  The Tacoma site is along Shuster Parkway.  Kalama is located at the south end of the Industrial Park and was formerly known as Harvest States.  Portland is the northern of two elevators along the Willamette next to the Moda Center (Memorial Coliseum-Rose Quarter). Portland is difficult to see operations unless on foot.

Temco Kalama has room for 112 cars. Temco Tacoma has room for 250 cars. Temco Portland holds 54 cars.

Temco Tacoma operates up to four switchers:  two SW1200s, a SW1500 and a GP10.  Temco Kalama has a former BNSF SW1200 and a blue SW1000. They have been using a red LTEX1546, SW1500, but it hasn't been seen in recent months.  I don’t know what Temco Portland currently uses.

Kalama Export is the northern elevator in Kalama.  It is owned by Gavilon, Omaha, which purchased Peavey and ConAgra interests.  Kalama Export recently reached agreements with Columbia Grain of Portland (See below.)

Kalama Export has room for 112 cars in the facility and room for another 200 or so cars on BNSF storage tracks in the Kalama Yard.

For years it used a blue SW1 #632.  Also seen at the site recently were yellow #3186, a chop-nose GP9 and a red & white former Tacoma Rail unit. 

Columbia Grain operates a loading facility at T5 in Portland. It is owned by Marenbui of Japan and recently reached certain agreements with ADM and Agrex to align with Kalama Export.  It can handle 130 cars.  Columbia has had a number of units over the years, including some furnished by Peninsula Terminal Railroad.  It presently uses a B23-7 formerly owned by Modoc Northern and an SW1500 #207.  It is being switched by Pioneer Rail.

United Grain operates in the Port of Vancouver, WA.  It is owned by Mitsui of Japan.  It can hold 115 cars.  It alternates between a former BNSF SW12000 and a GP38-2, both lessors. Multiple different switchers have been seen here over the years.

LDC Grain, owned by Louis Dreyfus Group, has elevators in Portland near the Rose Quarter & Broadway Bridge, and in Seattle.  Louis Dreyfus Group, one of the world’s largest privately owned companies, is headquartered in Belgium. Storage is not listed in the BNSF elevator list for Portland. The Portland facility is undergoing renovation and expansion and appears to be able to handle up to 50 cars.  The Seattle site has room for 160 cars.

The Seattle site was formerly operated by Cargill.  LDC took over in 2000.  Two GP9s switch this plant.

The following two export facilities are new to the PNW.

AGP Grain, based in Omaha, NE, operates an elevator in the Port of Aberdeen, WA.  AGP is descended from Land O’ Lakes, Farmland and Boone Valley Coop in Iowa.  It has room for 110 cars.

EGT, Inc. operates a new elevator in Longview.  It is a cooperative between Bunge, St. Louis, MO.,  and Itochu of Japan.  It has room for 440 cars.

I do not have knowledge of what AGP or EGT uses for unloading power.  My guess is, that with the large loop at EGT, road power pulls the trains through.