The following trains are regulars at Black Butte. Most operate everyday, except as noted:

On the evening of May 6, 2008, the last northbound CORP freight over the Siskiyous to Medford departed. Service north of Weed is now suspended and it is unclear when, if ever, it will resume. For the time being CORP will continue to base a local in Weed. The Weed switcher should normally go on duty at 4pm (Monday-Friday). It will work the lumber mill in Weed and then go up the hill to Black Butte for interchange with UP. After working the Black Butte yard it returns to Weed. Hopefully through service to Medford will be restored at some point in the future - either by CORP or another operator.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the economic downturn, some of these trains are now running less than daily, some may not be running at all.

UP trains use symbols indicating the type of train and the origin/destination, rather than train numbers. These are the most common symbols used on the Shasta Division:

A - Autoracks
Z - Fast intermodal train of trailers (piggybacks), containers, doublestacks
I - Other intermodal/double stack train
Q - High priority mixed (general manifest) freight
M - Lower priority mixed freight

BR - Portland (Brooklyn Yard)
PD - Portland (Albina Yard)
PT - Portland (Lake Yard)
PW - For interchange to/from Portland & Western RR
SE - Seattle (Argo Yard)
EU - Eugene
RV - Roseville (near Sacramento)
WC - West Colton Yard (southern California)
LC - Los Angeles Transportation Center (LATC Yard)

Northbound
AMLBAR This is a autorack unit train that departs from a large auto plant in the Bay Area at Milpitas and goes to Barnes Yard (aka "the barnyard") on the north side of Portland. It runs less than daily, maybe a couple times a week?
IOASE This is an "Oakland (West Oakland Yard) to Seattle (Argo Yard)" doublestack train. It leaves Oakland late in the evening, except for Sundays, but occasionally on other evenings as well. This usually puts it through Black Butte around the middle of the day following its departure from West Oakland.
MRVEU The "Roseville-Eugene" is a low-priority mixed freight. It is often seen at Black Butte mid-morning and at times may work here. It often has gondolas of scrap at or near the front end.
MRVHK The "Roseville to Hinkle" mainly hauls empty Canadian Pacific cars headed back to Canada via Hinkle Yard in eastern Oregon. From Hinkle most of the train will continue north into Idaho, crossing the border at Eastport, and going on to Calgary. This train is often seen at Black Butte in the afternoon.
MRVPT This is a Roseville to Portland (Portland Terminal's Lake Yard) general manifest freight. May run less than daily.
MRVPW This Roseville to Portland train is often another morning visitor to Black Butte. It is headed for eventual interchange with the Portland & Western RR - either in Salem or Albany, Oregon. Sometimes the train is split and one part goes to each destination.
MWCPT The "West Colton to Portland" is probably the longest distance northbound mixed freights running through Black Butte. In early 2008 this train was rerouted. It no longer takes the coast line but not goes via the central valley (Bakersfield and Roseville). Daily but times vary. Can sometimes be spotted because it will have one or a couple Mexican boxcars on it.
ZLCBR The "Los Angeles (LATC Yard) to Portland (Brooklyn Yard)" hotshot is now six days a week, often through Black Butte in the early evening except on Mondays, although it can vary from late afternoon to mid-evening. Mostly piggybacks, containers on flat cars, and a few single stacks.
ZLCSE This is the "Los Angeles (LATC Yard) to Seattle (Argo Yard)" hotshot. It usually follows the ZLCBR by an hour or so. It can be easily distinguished from that train, however, because it consists mainly of doublestack container cars with some pigs, sometimes some "pigs in buckets." It seems to run less often than the ZLCBR, however, maybe three or four times per week.

Southbound
MEURV The "Eugene-Roseville" is a low priority mixed freight that may work en-route.
QHKRV This is the "Canadian Pacific" train, mostly loads of wood, grain, and other products coming down from Canada via UP's Hinkle Yard in eastern Oregon. It terminates at Roseville where the cars are humped and then sent to various destinations. This is often an afternoon train through Black Butte and it seems to go in the hole to wait for a northbound fairly often here. It often, but not always, has DPUs.
QPDRV This is one of several Portland to Roseville mixed freights that pass through Black Butte on a daily basis. At times it may have a second section "QPDRV2" and it often has DPUs.
QPWRV This train is handed off to UP by the Portland and Western RR and goes to Roseville.
ZBRLC This is the "Brooklyn Yard (Portland) to Los Angeles (LATC Yard)" hotshot with mostly piggyback and COFC (containers on flat cars). The "Brooklyn" is usually through Black Butte in the late morning. It doesn't run out of Portland on Sunday evenings so we don't see it here on Mondays.
ZSELC After hardly running in 2007, this Seattle to LA stack train has been running more frequently lately. Times and days of operation seem to vary.

Northbound
^#14 "Coast Starlight" On the rare occasions it is on-time, Amtrak's premier Los Angeles to Seattle west coast train passes through Black Butte around 6am. More often it is seen later in the morning.

Southbound
^#11 "Coast Starlight" If on time, the southbound Starlight passes through Black Butte shortly before midnight. But it frequently runs considerably later.

* For a schedule of various trains running throughout the Pacific Northwest, please see this page...