US - Canada freight?

[bassist118]

Which freight operator in the US or Canada moves freight from Seattle into Canada? Have treid to search google but can't find an operator that goes over the boarder from Seattle. Unless this means that there aren't any freight services into Canada from Seattle.

Also how to US signals denote directions at switches?? In the UK we have a set of four white lights that comeon when the points are set to the turnout Ipresume this isn't the case in the US...

Thanks for the help everyone



Andy

 

[SD45T-2]

It is UP and BNSF with CP.

 

[whitepass]

The directions at switches signals very by railroad and year.

 

[JCitron]

Andy,

When a railroad travels over the borders between countries, they have to carry the customs paperwork. Usually a freight forwarder and a customs agency work together to help expedite the process, so all the crew have to do is display a manifest list to the customs agent at the border, and a duplicate copy of the customs paperwork.

The manufacturer or supplier is required to declare to customs what is being sold to the customer. This is done by using pro-forma invoices, aka commercial invoices, certificates of origin, and Shipping Export Declarations. There are particular codes assigned to different products and goods, and the product sold is listed in one of the categories. These are called Harmonized Tariff Codes. These are used to help set the customs tax rate, and whether the product is allowed into a country or not.

The supplier also has to declare the shipping services and whether the customer pays all including the freight, the forwarding costs, and the customs costs. This means the products are sent Ex-Works instead of DDU, where the supplier wold pay the customs fees in addition to all.

I was involved in international shipping for over 6 years. It was quite an experience.

As said before, signals will vary between the railroad and the era.

John

 

[Tremain]

Which freight operator in the US or Canada moves freight from Seattle into Canada? Have treid to search google but can't find an operator that goes over the boarder from Seattle. Unless this means that there aren't any freight services into Canada from Seattle.

Also how to US signals denote directions at switches?? In the UK we have a set of four white lights that comeon when the points are set to the turnout Ipresume this isn't the case in the US...

Thanks for the help everyone



Andy

Seattle-Canada

The BNSF Railway !!!!!!

 

[magickmaker]

Also how to US signals denote directions at switches?? In the UK we have a set of four white lights that come on when the points are set to the turnout I presume this isn't the case in the US...

In the US it varies by railroad. Typically, there are no lights at all. Most railroads have a simple switch system with a short reflective flag atop it. Red is set for the spur, green for the main.
http://www.bristolwood.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/colorful-railroad-switch-small..jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...tch,_Grain_elevator_district,_Minneapolis.jpg
http://www.bpbcorp.com/switch.jpg

However that doesn't mean that's always the case.

Sometimes they don't even have the little flags on the top. In the case of the more modern switches you rarely see them.

http://www.trainsarefun.com/nycrr/july01images/switchstand.jpg

Note: In the one above the flag is orange on both sides. However, usually this type doesn't even HAVE the flags.

 

[schweitzerdude]

Freight from Seattle to Canada

It may be that because Seattle and Vancouver are both port cities, there may not be much point in moving a lot of freight between the two. But I live in Sandpoint, Idaho (a great railway town - BNSF, UP, Montana Raillink) and I can tell you there is a great deal of freight moving from US <--> Canada, particularly on UP. Often see a lot of the Canadian government-owned grain cars heading south and west.

 

[bassist118]

Cheers everyone , I'll try to research a little deeper into the switch signals, railway practice in the US is very different to over here and a little confusing to a lay Brit like me lol.

Thanks again

:Y:

Andy