Imported Autos - Exported Wheat

UP 7443 E. at East Portland, Oregon

UP 7443 E. at East Portland, Oregon

UP 7443 E. at East Portland, Oregon.
 Louis Dreyfus ain't goin' away any time soon, as the UP is seen here busily working  on their lead.

UP 7443 E. at East Portland, Oregon

UP 7443 E. at East Portland, Oregon
18 inch radius?

UP 7443 E. at East Portland, Oregon

Remember, during the last big round of railroad mergers, and how important access to ocean ports loomed in the considerations? These photos taken from the eastern approach to the Steel Bridge in Portland, Oregon, make a good case in point as to why. According to the Port of Portland website, the port handled 385,000 automobiles in 2010.  The Port has auto facilities at both Terminal 4,  and Terminal 6.  The Columbia River ports have long been the world's leading wheat exporter. On the left is the Louis Dreyfus grain terminal,  which some very shallow people consider to be an eyesore. Portland ranks 19th as a container terminal in the U.S. , and the port has struggled to keep the big Asian shipping lines calling.