11-06-16 PHOTOS: Cascades

Now of course I wasn't just going to fly out to Seattle just to fly back. I'd have to check my pound of Copper Creek smoked salmon...or worse have to dump it at the TSA checkpoint. Besides, since I was already hanging around the King Street Station and the Light Rail line back to the airport was such a pill the most logical course of action was to take the 4pm departure of Amtrak's Empire Builder all the way back to Chicago.

The Builder departs Seattle around 4pm, but as this was close enough to the summer solstice I stood to have usable light until about 9pm which if the train kept to schedule would have my taking photos all the way to Wenatchee, WA. Interestingly enough this would coincide with the entire length of the BNSF Scenic Subdivision, which begins just north of King Street Station, heads up to Everett then makes a right hand turn to head over the Cascade Range before entering the Columbia River valley at Wenatchee. Of course as this is Superliner equipment a reverse view railfan window was included in the price of the ticket so I am able to both report and show you that the the Scenic Sub isn't just named for some small town in the mountains.

The former Great Northern Railway line between Seattle and Everett the line is mostly double track and serves the Sounder commuter rail and Cascades Amtrak service in additional to the Builder. However past Evererr the line is your typical western style single track with passing sidings. While everything is CTC nowadays you still have that old Train Order feel as the only break from the constructed single track RoW are the occasional restricted speed passing points. Not at all like single tracking in the east where one can easily see where the second or third mains were lifted after manufacturing collapsed.

The highlight of the trip is of course the world famous Cascade Tunnel, longest in the United States at 7.8 miles. Now the route two and from the tunnel isn't quite as epic as other mountain climbs like the PRR Horseshoe Curve or some of the continental divide routes, but most of that is because of the dense temperate rain forest that closely surrounds the tracks and generally blocks any sense of scale, as well as the single track RoW, which almost by definition cannot be considered "epic".

Of course a major downside to the combination of a railfan window, 5 hour trip and a DSLR camera is that you wind up with a dizzying amount of photos to process, even weeding out all of the unfocused and duplicates. You can view the entire set of ~400 photos in roughly chronological order by clicking this link here. If you get lost you can tun to page 41 in the BNSF Northwest Div timetable.

We begin on the banks of the Puget Sound on the double track portion of the line. For much of the route to Everett the tracks are right up against the water providing views like these. In the foreground is a BNSF Approach Permanent Speed Restriction sign with three speeds for freight, passenger and Talgo. The payoff for those cramped low floor coaches with inflexible articulation is a whopping 5mph over regular passenger train speeds.

Between CP-16 and CP-18 in Edmonds, WA the line was single tracked back in the day to simplify the grade crossing arrangements. However the bottleneck is now set for removal and the trackbed for the restored second track has been graded out. The Edmonds station was designed with this restored second track in mind with a temporary platform extension.

Running reverse on track #1 my train began to overtake a BNSF unit grain train on the banks of Puget Sound.

That train was being lead by C44-9W #5355.

He was following another merchandise train lead by ATSF Warbonnet C40-8W #702.

There was another single track bottleneck beginning at CP-28 in Everett which was in the process of being eliminated, however it was time for my first trip to the dining car for a lovely fresh cooked salmon dinner. As Amtrak's premier train, the Empire Builder was not subjected to the same sort of airline food now being served on Amtrak's other services. While eating I managed to catch CVN-72, the USS Abraham Lincoln, at Naval Base Everett. One can say that Nimitz class carriers are the Superliners of naval ships.

From the side window in the dining car one could see some very pretty, yet invasive, Scotch Brush, and the still snow covered peaks of the Cascade Range, far in the distance.

At this point our train began its climb to the Cascade summit by using the Skykomish River Valley passing throw towns like Index and the shadow of the associated Mount Index. 

Just north of there we passed over the Sunset Falls.

On the single track system you have line segments broken up by stations which include a (usually) restricted speed passing siding, MoW/setout tracks and some sort of fixed station infrastructure with simple repair equipment for broken couplers and air hoses. Here we catch BNSF C40-8W #4355 sitting in the Baring siding.

Here the Skykomish river runs just a few feel from the main line.

The next major location on the line is the town of Skykomish, WA. This was the western terminus of the Cascade Tunnel electrification district which operated from 1929 to 1957 de to the inability of steam locomotives to operate in the 8 mile long bore. Today the yard serves as a helper base for those trains that need it. Here we see the Skykomish yard office.

Here we see the old Skykomish station which also served as a block and train order office. Before direct dispatcher control the operator at Skykomish controlled either end of the local siding and has a CTC display of the line in either direction.

11-06-15 PHOTOS: Seattle Trains

This week we cast the namby pamby world of transit and light rail aside and move into the world of FRA regulated railroads. While Seattle used to have a number of different railroads serving it including the CMStP&P and Union Pacific, today the city is basically a one horse town with BNSF, having originally been the territory of the Great Northern Railway, which ended up putting the Northern in Burlington Northern Santa Fe. To be fair there are some UP trackage rights on the BNSF main line to Portland to reach one of the ports, but make no mistake about it Seattle is a stronghold of the BNSF.

Seattle has rather significant passenger operations with the Souther Commuter Rail service, Amtrak's regional Cascades service and the termination of two Long Distance services, the Empire Builder and Coast Starlight. These services are centered about the City's King Street Station.

In this section I will start at the Olympic Sculpture Park and move south along the Great Northern tunnel under downtown to King Street Station with a short trip south to the sports complex.

You can view the entire set of photos here in alphabetical order.

We begin at twilight on my first day. While the sculpture park did spell the death of the Waterfront Streetcar, it does contain some pretty cool sculpture. The BNSF Main Line to points north and east cuts through the middle of the park. This line also hosts the passenger train services, but when I got there around 7 or 8pm the rush hour was over and it was time to run some freight trains. A Clear signal was displayed on the eastbound home signal of NORTH PORTAL interlocking and a few minutes later a mixed freight train lead by C44-9Ws #5093 and #5399 rolled by. Also, if you are interested I can un-meta that photos for you

While most of the main line through the city is in a cut or tunnel, the part near the park is actually interposed between the city and the waterfront through a series of grade crossings. You can see the enhancements on Broad St. to prevent people from going around the crossing gates. Since the freight trains can block the crossings for considerable periods as they move slowly through the downtown tunnel it is no wonder that the new Olympic Park included a pedestrian walkway over the tracks.

A few minutes later an eastbound loaded coal train roared out of the downtown area with ES44AC #5968 on point and SD70ACe #9134 following behind.

The train was destined for somewhere steep as a pair of helpers were on the back, but inexplicably facing in towards eachother. The lead unit was BN SD70MAC #9449 and the trail was BNSF SD70MAC #9894.

Stepping over to NORTH PORTAL interlocking I discovered a type of low profile GRS electric switch machine I had never encountered before...and might not again seeing as how they were about to be replaced by US&S M3's.

The next morning I had timed things a bit better and was in place for the morning rush which included an inbound Sounder train with EMD F59PHI #901 in the lead.

While one can't actually see the North Portal of the GN tunne, the South Portal is only a few hundred feet from the platforms at King Street Station and thus easy for all to see. Here is the infobox if you care and here is the portal itself, the lining having been notched for doublestack loads. Note the westbound dwarf signals for, what else, SOUTH PORTAL interlocking.

For all of you who like those Talgo trainsets here's a good illustration of why they suck. Note the space that the coaches themselves are using and then look at Amtrak cabbage F40 90253 for the space they could be using. The Cascades train was making its scheduled departure northbound.

Amtrak's King Street Station is a real gem and you can see the fencing and scaffolding in place for its ongoing restoration that will make it a great public asset.

A quick note about the King Street platform layout. Sounder commuter trains use the island platform with tracks 1 and 2 (Everett trains tend to be put on track 1 and Tacoma trains track 2), Amtrak LD and northbound/through Cascades use through track #3 and the Southbound cascades trains use the Stub tracks 4 through 6 (if track #3 is occupied). The BNSF through freight tracks are to the east of everything. The Sounder platform is own thing and Sounder passengers are segregated from the Amtrak platforms, but also the King Street Station building itself.

Here we see Bombardier Coffin Cab Car #304 on a pull in move from the yard to track two where it would turn and head south to Tacoma.

On the rear of that train was Sounder F59PHI #9 *baited breath* 11 **applause!!*. Interestingly enough you can compare the quality of my old digital camera with my friends new DSLR which was getting a trial workout before his big European trip.

11-06-15 PHOTOS: Seattle Transit

This kicks off the first part of what will probably be a many part series documenting my epic trip on Amtrak's Empire builder last year. The first part of this series will focus on the various Transit alternatives in the Seattle area. These include the SoundTransit Light Rail, the South Lake Union Streetcar, the King County Metro trolleybuses, the now defunct Waterfront Streetcar and of course the Seattle Monorail. I'll also throw in any photos of other non-heavy rail transportation items such as ferry boats, container ships, elevators and retractable rooftops.

You can find browse the entire gallery of transit related photograph here.

Like most people who travel to Seattle my first experience with their transit system was the shiny new light rail link to SeaTac airport. There was nothing wrong with it as it was clean and had cool station art, but as far as light rail systems go nothing really stood out and it was rather generic. Here we see LRV #135B in the region's typical "Wave" paint scheme accepting passengers at the airport station.

The LRVs are of the low floor articulated 2.5 segment type. Again, completely generic. Here is 117B after having arrived at the SeaTac station.

One cool feature of Seattle is that it has a downtown transit tunnel that also counts as a "fare free" zone. The light rail portion of the tunnel runs from the International District Station (on the site of the old Union Station) to the Westlake Center where one can catch the Monorail. Here we see 144A at the International District station looking along the length of the subterranean platform.

Ah the Mono-D'Oh!, one of Seattle's most iconic institutions and also probably the most overrated. Ask most people and they would tell you that the entire city is covered by monorail lines. In reality the system consists of a single line about a mile line with two stations that connect the downtown area with the site of the 1962 Wo--d F-ir. Fortunately, unlike Knoxville, Seattle was successfully redevelop its fair site so it is actually still a fairly robust draw featuring such attractions as the Space Needle, a science center, the usual stable of performing arts centers and an arena that hosts a NBA team.

Here we see the monorail beams at the Westlake Center terminal. When the original terminal was moved to make way for a park the replacement made use of the monorail version of a gauntlet track to save money. Only one of the two monorail can platform at a time or badness happens. The monorails use a 4th rail system as there are no actual rails to conduct traction current back through. Current supplied if 700VDC supplying 4 750hp motors per train.

After paying a $2 fare that is not integrated with the rest of the local transportation system you wait to board one of two Monorail vehicles, the Blue Car or the Red Car. Yup, that's all these are, one car per rail to avoid having to deal with things like...switching. And to think that people thought this was somehow going to be the transit system of the future. Here the blue car on the near beam lines up with the platform screen doors.

When the Red Car arrives a system of folding extendable platforms must deploy.

 Most of the Monorail beam was built down the middle of 5th Ave. I did not have a chance to see if typical "under the El" businesses were also present under the Monorail.

On my first day both cars were in operation so I managed to photograph the meet about 2/3rds down the line.

Going through the S-Curves as the monorail approaches the fairgrounds the cars exhibit some crazy tilting that allows the Conductor to maintain speed.

Here's what that looks like in video form.


The vehicles are the original 1960's Alweg products, one of only a few still operating. The insides retain all of their retro future charm.

Near the Seattle Center terminal the beam passes through the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame which was built as a Frank Gehry-designed museum, but now may be some sort of prison. 

11-06-05 PHOTOS: Amtrak's 40th Anniversary Train

While currently out touring the west coast, last summer Amtrak's 40th Anniversary Train made a rather interesting weekend layover at the Perryville MARC station in Perryville, MD. As other commitments would cause me to miss its appearance in Philly, Baltimore or Washington DC, Perryville became my only option. The upside was that because Perryville was located on an in-between portion of the NEC I could actually get a little real railfanning in as well.

You can see the entire set of photos here or as usual just follow along to see a select few.

The display train consisted of a rebuilt P40, a de-powered F40PH driving trailer, a Heritage crew dorm, several heritage display cars and an Amfleet cafe store car. The train was outfitted nose to tail in Phase three paint. Here we see F40PH #406 coupled behind the P40 and in front of the dorm looking very slick in its brand new paint job.

Power was provided by stimulated P40 #822 which is one of the special set of Heritage painted diesels commemorating Amtrak's 40th anniversary.

The trainset was parked on track 4 at the Perry station where it could hang out all weekend without getting in anybody's way. The first MARC trains of the morning run deadhead from the storage yard at Martin State Airport. Here we are looking north along the NEC past the 4N pedestal signal at PERRY interlocking. If you look carefully you can see the northbound phase break indicators on the reverse of the southbound signal gantry.

Inside the display cars were all manner of Amtrak kitch from the last 40 years. My favourite was this set of Amfleet seats in their original 70's patterning. 

Also on display was a sampling of Amtrak locomotive horns. Before they standardized on the now omnipresent K5LA an Amtrak manager named Don Tead felt that their new E60 locomotives should have special sound and commissioned Nathan AirChime to come up with something a bit throatier than their standard P5 offering. The result was the unique PO1235 which replaced the standard A in the P5 model with one an octave lower resulting in an A major dominant 7th (A,C#,E,G,C#) chord which was very appropriate for a hulking brick of a locomotive that could smash its way through anything short of a GG-1. The PO1235 was unique to the E60's, but somehow one found its way onto an LIRR MP15.

Back outside I noticed that PERRY tower (and the old northbound Perryville Station platform) has been walled off by some new anti-terrorism fence probably due to commuters crossing the tracks to reach their cars in informal spaces on the other side.

11-05-23 PHOTOS: Crescent Delayed

Well what goes down must come up and after taking the long way to Georgia via the A-Line, I embarked on my usual direct return trip via Amtrak Train 20, the northbound Crescent. Now normally this train is pretty useless for railfanning as even in May the train only hit usable sunlight at about Charlottesville and I had already covered that before. Moreover I am not usually able to stand in the rear vestibule and thus any photos must be through two panes of tinted glass further increasing the ambient light requirement.

This trip I managed to fall asleep somewhere south of Charlotte, NS and when I woke up about 5 hours later I was shocked to find my train not pulling into Charlottesville, but instead racing through southern Virginia just north of Danville. Apparently at Greensboto, NC something has happened to our second engine and it had to be set out, delaying the train for 2 hours and moving what would have been covered by darkness into the light of a bright sunny morning.

As the crew was occupied taking care of the increasingly restless passengers (or just avoiding them in the cafe car) I was able to head back to the rear vestibule excited by the opportunity to "cover" the Southern Main between Lynchburg and Charlottesville. I had tried to cover this territory once before by changing to the Lynchburg Regional, but I discovered that the last car in that train is kept closed until DC.

You can find the complete gallery of photos here, but even I'll admit that Southern style signal can be pretty dry so keep reading to see my top pics from the lot.

Well like I said it was a beautiful May morning with the light coming from just the right direction. Here my train is only a few miles from Lynchburg and we can see the type of...wait...you gotta fucking KIDDING ME!! They gave that guy his OWN INTERLOCKING!!! >:-O

Growl...anyway, moving on from Lynchburg the Southern Main Line trnds to cut against the grain of the local geography with several long steel viaducts over rivers running to the Northwest. Here is the longest across the James River, which has been reduced to a single track.

At least the NS dispatching was very well executed. Here is a southbound doublestack train with some new EMD SD70M-2 locomotives waiting for us to take the other main track at McVOR interlocking.

 A few miles later our train overtook another NS freight lead by SD70M-2 #2650.

Before doing the duck and weave at KINGSWOOD interlocking in order to pass a southbound NS mixed freight also waiting on our passage.

When the Southern RR single-tracked their main line back in the 1970's they relied heavily on the use of equilateral turnouts instead of the more traditional main and siding setup with Medium or Limited speed diverging routes. The result is that the home signal can both display a "Clear" route, and the distant can display Clear instead of Approach Diverging. Speed control through the turnout is accomplished via the line timetable which simply sets a 40mph speed limit through the interlocking. Here we see an example of this at the RED HILL interlocking and its southbound gantry.

Because I still hadn't eaten any breakfast and because I had covered the line north of Charlottesville in a previous trip I decided to retreat from the last car as we pulled through the C&O diamonds at JC Cabin. This is the route that the Cardinal takes. If it could turn onto the Southern Main here it could easily trip 30 minutes off its run.

I resumed taking photos at Manassas Park, but didn't really encounter anything interesting until just past EDSALL interlocking where NS cabin Car #555016 was attached to the rear of a local freight.

At Washington, DC I went forward to take a pic of P42DC #14 which pulled our train alone from Greensboro to here.

It was a weekday and MARC HHP-8 #4911 was hanging out next to K-Tower.

After #14 was pulled off it was replaced by AEM-7 #905.

Here is a video of that event.



Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the trip. Stay tuned next week for a trip to find some hidden CPL signals at Brunswick, MD.