Loading train cars not as simple as one might think

Garrett Jensen and Brady Haase were working to load train cars with soft white winter wheat headed for Portland last week. These cars will be headed first to Spokane, then Pasco and eventually, Portland. Jensen said, “Once contracted, the Odessa Union has 48 hours to complete the job of loading the cars.”

Pearson Burke, of the Odessa Union Warehouse, said they load 24 cars at a time. There are two different car sizes, so, after he crunched the numbers, he said that each car holds between 3,250 bushels and 3,700 bushels per car depending on the size.

Jensen explained that each car is divided in...