(The following story by Kim Skornogoski appeared on the Great Falls Tribune website on March 30, 2010.)
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — In the coming weeks, BNSF Railway Co. is putting some 1,100 railcars that were parked idle between Helena and Great Falls back to work.
Some of the cars have been sitting on the rail line for as long as three years because of the global economic downturn.
The company has seen increased demand for moving freight and is now planning to move 11 or 12 miles of the idle cars starting in the next two or three weeks, spokesman Gus Melonas said. About 100 railcars can be stored on a mile of track, though Melonas said the size depends on the type of car.
There are about 32 miles of railcars being stored on track between Helena and Great Falls, including cars used to haul shipping containers and those used to transport timber. One-third of the cars are stored north of Cascade and the remaining cars are in Wolf Creek Canyon.
The cars in the canyon drew particular ire as many tourist-related businesses said the empty flatbeds detracted from the area’s natural beauty. The stretch of river draws anglers from across the country.
Melonas said that in the next two to three weeks, half of the cars parked in Wolf Creek Canyon will be removed and put to use.
Texas-based BNSF, a division of BNSF Railway Co., is storing about 10 percent of its idle cars in Montana. At the peak in April, some 87 miles of Montana track were covered in railcars.
As recently as January, BNSF was storing 28,247 of its North American fleet of about 100,000 cars in Montana.
The cars are stored between Helena and Great Falls, between Big Sandy and Havre, and near Moore and Circle.
Next week, the last mile of what was 13 miles of idle cars also will be removed from northcentral Montana near Big Sandy.
Melonas said the company chose those rail lines for storage based on how little they were used, minding not to block significant views and roadways. Gaps were created to allow animals to pass through to waterways.
There have been rail cars stored in nearly every state in which BNSF operates, the greatest number being in Minnesota, Melonas said.
The cars could be idled again if demand falls.