Two Union Pacific trains idle side-by-side just west of Southwest Drive while waiting permission to continue east through the Cheyenne, Wyo., yard on Aug. 20, 2013. Photo by Michael S. Murray […]
Waiting game
Zone & Region: Pacific Northwest
West Coast passenger trains
What you’re seeing here is a transformation that’s nothing short of remarkable. Twenty years ago, a map of West Coast short-haul passenger trains would’ve been little more than a blank page. Back then, Amtrak provided minimal service between Oakland and Bakersfield, Calif., and between Portland and Seattle, though it did field 14 San Diegans a […]
Snowsheds on Great Northern’s Stevens Pass
This Map of the Month appeared in the December 2005 issue of Trains magazine. Among the many hazards of running trains at high elevations in North America are the difficulties of snow, ice, and avalanche. This was well illustrated in Washington state where the Great Northern crossed the Cascades at Stevens Pass, named for John F. […]
Snow fog
Intermodal trains pass at Winton, Wash., a short ride east of the Cascade Tunnel at Stevens Pass. ES44C4 No. 6896 is leading Seattle-Chicago train Z-SSECHC6-19A, while the distributed power unit of Tacoma, Wash.-bound train S-STPTAC3-16A disappears into a fog of snow. Photo by David Honan […]
Talgo speed comparison
Talgo’s pendular suspension lowers the carbody’s center of gravity and relocates its center of rotation, all enabling Talgo cars to take curves faster without causing excessive passenger discomfort due to the centrifugal force. Q How much faster would a Talgo-like train be than a conventional single level or bilevel (Superliner) over the same stretch of […]
Willamette bound
Amtrak train 301, a Seattle-Eugene, Ore., Cascades Service train, kicks up snow as it zips through East Olympia, Wash., on Nov. 23, 2010. F59PH No. 468 is pulling the distinctive Talgo equipment that serves passengers in the corridor. Jeffrey T. Schultz photo […]
One day in March
With the empty SP track to the right, SP&S RS3 78 trundles past with a short freight at Albany, Ore., on March 18, 1967. David Lustig Where were you on March 18, 1967? I was in Albany, Ore., a teenager waiting patiently for a southbound Southern Pacific freight train that I knew in my bones […]
Seattle’s Railroad Scene
A Union Pacific line runs along the east bank of the Duwamish River in Seattle. Benjamin B. Bachman A similar BNSF Railway line follows the west bank, ending at Port of Seattle Terminal 115, where Alaska-bound freight is transferred from trucks and railroad cars to barges. Benjamin B. Bachman Puget sound looks calm enough on […]
Lee Marsh’s HO scale Great Northern Cascade Division
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Lee Marsh’s HO scale Great Northern Ry. Cascade Division features stunning mountain scenery inspired by Stevens Pass in Washington State. In this short video, follow some of the superdetailed transition-era trains and they roll along the main line. […]
Online Bonus: Pend Oreille Valley Railroad
By the time Milwaukee Road pulled the plug on its Western operations in March 1980, the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad had already been in business nearly six months. Local business leaders organized the Port of Pend Oreille in 1978, and on Oct. 1, 1979, they took charge of the trackage between Newport and Metaline Falls, […]
Abandoned rail tunnel for sale NEWSWIRE
PLUMMER, Idaho – A tunnel that used to host Milwaukee Road freights bound for the Puget Sound area is for sale for $650,000, the Associated Press reported. The tunnel has sat vacant since Milwaukee shut down its transcontinental freight line in 1980. “We think it’s time for someone else to own it,” said Don Parker, […]
Spokane, Wash., a railfanning hotspot
Eastbound BNSF freights from Seattle descend into Spokane on the Indian Canyon Bridge, part of a 1970s relocation of the ex-Great Northern main line. Bruce Kelly Spokane is one of three Washington state locales profiled in Kalmbach’s Guide to North American Hot Spots by TRAINS Senior Editor J. David Ingles. Description Spokane is the busy […]
