Railroad fuel suppliers?

[Xengeance]

With the exception of typical electrified trains (for obvious reasons), where do railroads typically obtain the fuel for their locomotives? Do they have special contracts with their respective gov't or a local production or refining facility? Do they outsource to a private contractor/supplier? Or do they simply just ship it in to their facilities themselves from a hundred miles away at their own expense? It doesn't seem sensible (legal, profitable, or otherwise) if they just dropped off a few extra tankers at the back of the train at the servicing facility on their way to deliver an entire train load of diesel somewhere.

I'd like to clarify this question also extends to older types of fuel, such as wood, oil, and coal, as well as common modern day fuels.

 

[alpha11]

Most small railroads get there fuel from the local heating oil companies. Larger railroads most likely tank in their own from a refinery and store large quantity on site. It hell of a bill for 3500 gallons of fuel every other week

With the class 1s why wouldn't it be

(legal, profitable, or otherwise)

they own or lease the tank cars add can purchase the fuel cheaper in one area and move it to another? As a customer you pay a fee for your car to be moved, and that fee would be the same if the train has 100 cars or 10 cars.

 

[jkinzel]

I believe (and anyone who knows can correct me) that the BNSF yard at Interbay, Seattle, WA gets there diesel from a nearby tank farm via pipeline as they seldom have any tank cars near the storage tanks.

 

[schweitzerdude]

BNSF fuel depot

Not far from where I live (northern Idaho, USA), the Burlington Northern Santa Fe recently built a refueling facility on their mainline just west of Rathrum, Idaho. It was controversial due to the fear of diesel fuel leakage into the aquifer that supplies drinking water to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Spokane, Washington. But it was built and you can see it if you use Google Earth and go to 47 degrees 47 minutes north, 116 degrees 57 minutes west.