Saturday 11-15-08 I made a spur of the moment decision to drive over to Easton. BNSF is running loaded grain trains westward again with the helpers going over to Lester and then heading back to Easton. The thought of getting the photo at the east portal of Tunnel 4 that I have wanted for years seemed it could be made a lot easier knowing any westbound grain train I see leave Easton will have a helper returning through Tunnel 4 later. Looking at the traffic camera at Easton I could see it was very foggy at 08:30 AM but I figured it would clear up by afternoon so I was soon on my way to Easton arriving there about 10:15 or so.The helpers were a four unit set of BNSF H2’s and were at Easton idling when I arrived. It was still pretty foggy to the west over the Cascades but Easton was clearing out nicely. I went over to the grade crossing and got this photo showing the helpers, a snowdozer and BN caboose 12345 all on the house track at Easton.
Then I drove over to where the depot once stood and started working on labeling some BN photos from the late 70’s I had brought along with me. Next I pulled out all the Easton OS books from November I had and took at look at when had come through Easton on November 15 of various years. 11-15-66 was the first I looked at and one locomotive caught my eye. NP 2503 West at 9:21 PM.
One of the BN photos I had just labelled was BN U25C 5603. This was built as the NP 2503! I had photographed the BN 5603 in Seattle on 6-26-78.
I looked through the other OS books and then my notes from 1969 and noticed I had gone to Auburn, WA on 11-15-69 and seen #26 and the NP 2804 East leave headed for Stampede Pass.
The North Coast Limited that day had the 6511A/6501B/6707A and left Auburn at 2:56 PM.
#640 followed it out of Auburn at 3:05 PM with units 2804/2500/3611/7009D/337/217 (U28C/U25C/SD45/F9A/GP9/GP9) and cabooses 903/1121 on the rear.
The OS book shows the times they went though Easton.
Back to the present. I soon heard “BNSF 7758 West approaching Cle Elum” on the scanner meaning it looked like I had a grain train coming. A crewman on the helpers called them for location and I knew I was in business. I went back over to the grade crossing where a friend and part time Easton resident Glen showed up after hearing the westbound on his scanner. A bit after 11:30 AM the BNSF 7758 West appeared with units 7758/7768 on the head end. The scene was backlit but it I was just glad to see a moving train at Easton!
Next were the DPU’s 4003/5121 as the train continued by.
As soon as the last car cleared the house track the helper crew got permission to come out. Here the helpers are out of the house track and ready to move up to the last car.
The 4 unit helper then moved up to the rear of the train and gets permission to couple on.
I wanted to head up to Tunnel 4 at New Stampede so I went out to I-90 and started west before the train left Easton. I could hear the head end crew talking to the helpers giving them throttle instructions as they moved out of Easton. Pretty interesting. I got off I-90 at the Stampede Pass exit and started up the potholed and washboard road. It was pretty rough in places. It was overcast on the west side and I was soon at the west end of Tunnel 4 with a bit of a wait ahead of me. On the scanner I could hear the BNSF 5141 East give up a track warrant from Stampede Wye to Lester. Perhaps I could get two trains at the east portal of Tunnel 4. Some time later I could hear the sound of a train drifting downgrade and then the muffled sound of power inside the tunnel. The 7758 very slowly came out of the tunnel and a crewman waved and said “Hi Brian” and they went past.
It was BNSFhogger! Looks like he got a nice daylight run Today.
The DPU came out next and I zoomed the camera in tight to get the west portal snowshed.
I moved a bit west for the helpers coming out of the tunnel and got this two shot sequence.
Then a back shot as the helpers moved around the curve and out of sight.
After it was by I went back to the truck and drove west and trekked downhill to the east portal of Tunnel 4 to wait on the helpers to return. I was actually hoping the empty grain train would head out first but I was not sure if it would be the helpers or the grain empty. About an hour later I could hear something finally coming up the hill. Up to now it had been completely overcast which was what I was hoping for. But then the sun came out, and bright. Not what I had wanted for an eastbound in the afternoon. I saw it was the helpers returning to Easton and I took the photo anyway, washed out sides and all.
The skies were clearing and I knew the BNSF 5141 would be awhile and I really did not want the same shot again with bright sun so I hiked back up the hill to the truck and headed for home. I guess my photo at the east portal of Tunnel 4 is better than nothing but I will still have to try again on a cloudy day. Still it was great to get up to the west side of the summit as it had been many years since my last visit up here. I am hoping I can get up to Tunnel 4 one more time this year before the snows arrive.
On Saturday Nov 1, 1969 my dad drove the two of us up to Easton for the day arriving there around 11:00 AM. The Easton weather book shows it was sunny and quite pleasant for the beginning of November.
Eastbound #606 was the first train we saw arrive Easton at 11:09AM with units 3627/2803/2510/7004C. (SD45/U28C/U25C/F9B) The 7004C was set out and the train continued on its way at 11:39 AM with caboose 10413 bringing up the rear.
An extra west with 3307/3301/3300/7001D (U33C/U33C/U33C/F9A) arrived at 12:02 PM and set out empty log flats at Cabin Creek. The sun angle was brutal but I had my “toy” camera with me and took this photo as it was.
Set out made the 3307 West left at 12:23 PM and had caboose 10417 on the rear.
Last train was #603 which arrived at 4:15 PM with units 3618/2806/2800 and stopped to pick up the 7004C set out earlier by #606. This was done down by the wye and my dad and I were there to watch. The engineer saw us watching and invited us up into the cab of the 3618 giving us a ride out to the main line and back against the train. It was no doubt fun for a 14 year old like me. Work complete the 3618 West left at 4:35 PM and had caboose 1100 on the rear.
Here is how the day looked according to the NP OS book from Easton that day.
I just now noticed that the NP 3603 West shows by at 11:22 AM yet I did not write it down in my notebook even though we were there to see the NP 3627 West. Now I have to wonder how we missed that one.
The 3618 brings back special memories. This was not the first time I had seen it at Easton. Another time was back in May 1969 when it was on an eastbound coming off a detour on the Milwaukee Road and getting back onto NP rails.
After the BN merger the 3618 was renumbered 6418 and still in NP paint was the trailing unit on eastbound BN train #82 that derailed west of Skykomish, WA. The 6418 ended up in the river and also burned. It was moved to Hillyard in Spokane for eventual repair seen there on 6-28-73 awaiting time in the shops.
It was still on the BN roster on 7-16-84 when I photographed it at South Seattle 11 years later.
The nose light and extra cab side windows may have been gone but underneath that green was still the NP 3618 in disguise. The SD45 was retired in December of 1986 and scrapped closing the book on another favorite NP unit of mine.
While looking for some old depot pics I found these photos taken during the rebuilding of Stampede Pass dated 7-13-96.
I was at Auburn, WA and around 10:30AM Crew 6 came down from Seattle with units 2180/1916 and turned east on the wye coming to a stop over A Street. The crew got off to get something to eat giving me the chance to get some photos.
BN GP9 1916 was no stranger to this line being built as the Northern Pacific 331 in August of 1957. In fact my first encounter with the NP 331 was at Auburn 9-20-69 watching it arrive at 4:30PM on train #603. It was in the lashup of 3600/3623/2509/331/220/6019B/6017B/250/337 (SD45/SD45/U25C/GP9/GP9/F7B/F7B/GP9/GP9) with caboose 10415 on the rear. 9 units would have made a nice photograph! After the BN merger the 331 became the BN 1916 and eventually was painted green as it is seen here at Auburn that July day in 1996.
After the crew came back they headed east light power. I tried to give chase but lost him east of Ravensdale. I continued on to Kanaskat and photographed the old depot as it looked as if it would be torn down soon.
Before heading for home I got one last photo at Kanaskat showing this old NP structure on the right which I believe was used for oil storage.
Like the depot, it was eventually removed. As far as I know there are only three of these oil storage shanties left along the ex-NP in 2008. Two on the MRL at Thompson Falls and Trident, MT and the other at Hawley, MN on the BNSF. Glad I thought to photograph this one at Kanaskat.
On 8-12-83 BN’s Stampede Pass saw its last train, or so it seemed at the time. The derailment on the ex-GN’s Columbia River bridge east of Wenatchee early on Tuesday morning 8-20-85 changed that if only for a very short time. Estimates were for 2 weeks to repair the bridge so the grade crossings were wired up once again and the trains began to roll east out of Auburn for Stampede.
Saturday 8-24-85 was overcast but I was at Lester (with a number of other fans) waiting for eastbound rerouted train #22. At 09:55 AM the train passed by the closed Lester depot with BN 8157/SP 8287/SP 8334/SSW 9403 (SD40-2/2 SD40T-2/SD45T-2) leading.
BN caboose 12181 was on the rear. We made our way up to the west portal of Tunnel 4 and waited for the 8157 to arrive. Here the train is climbing the grade coming under the old deactivated signal bridge and is about to enter Tunnel 4.
That was the last photo I got of this train since it seemed doubtful we could catch up to it again. But later that afternoon we would follow an eastbound grain empty to Wymer where it would meet westbound train #3. The Columbia River bridge was soon repaired and the Stampede Pass line became quiet once again when the reroutes ended.
Here is a follow up to the post of “OS Easton 9-1-69″
After it bit of searching I found some more old BN photos of two of the locomotives plus the caboose seen at Easton that day in 1969.
BN 821 was the former NP 7005B and is seen here at Auburn, WA 8-6-78.
And this view of the 821 is taken at Portland, OR on 5-3-80. It would be retired in August of 1982.
NP caboose 10409 was renumbered 10040 after the BN merger and was photographed at the ex-GN Balmer yard in Seattle 4-21-79.
It was seen once more at the ex-NP Stacy St Yard on 5-8-81 still in NP colors.
And lastly NP GP9 226 seen at North Bend became BN 1852 after the BN merger and was photographed at Auburn, WA 9-12-77.
It was retired and traded in to GE in 1982.
After a dismal August on the Stampede Sub where I did not photograph a single train I wanted to start September out on a positive note with an OS Easton from 1969.
September 1, 1969 was Labor Day and a Monday as it is in 2008. My Dad drove the two of us up to Easton in the afternoon to see what trains were running on the Northern Pacific. A look at the Easton weather book for this date shows it was very hot, 94 degrees at 4:00 PM.
The first train we saw was #26, the eastbound North Coast Limited at 4:58 PM with units 6703C/6507B/6511A (F9A/F7B/F7A)
Less than an hour after that was eastbound #640 with 2512/3614/2500/7005B (U25C/SD45/U25C/F9B) and caboose 10409 which was by the Easton depot at 5:48 PM.
These were the only two trains noted but a look at the NP Easton OS book from 9-1-69 shows if we had stuck around 90 more minutes we would have seen another eastbound and a westbound.
I imagine we had to head for home though. I am guessing traffic was not as bad heading west over Snoqualmie Pass in 1969 as it will probably be today! My notes do say we stopped at North Bend where we saw NP GP9 226 tied up.
Now some 39 years later I can look back at the trains we saw that date and do a bit of research. As for the North Coast Limited power:
NP 6703C became BN 9814 in 1970, BN 780 in 1973, traded to GE 8/82
NP 6507B became BN 9763 in 1970, assigned to AMT 1971, to PNC 7/74
NP 6511A became BN 9780 in 1970, to AMT as the 104, retired 10/73
Train #640
NP 2512 to BN 5612 after merger, ret. and scrapped 3/81
NP 3614 to BN 6414 after merger, ret 7/85, trade-in to EMD
NP 2500 to BN 5600 after merger, ret. 1/81 to Hyman
NP 7005B to BN 821 after merger, ret. 9/82 and trade-in to EMD
NP caboose 10409 was renumbered BN 10040 after the BN merger and was still in NP paint up to 1981 as I photographed it in Seattle 5-8-81. By 1992 it was apparently no longer on BN’s caboose roster.
And the NP 226 at North Bend eventually became the BN 1852 after the merger. It was retired and traded in to GE July 1982.
Of these 8 locomotives I only photographed the 3614, 7005B and 226, well after the BN merger when they were the 6414, 821 and 1852 respectively and painted green.
Here are some photos and personal recollections of SD45 6414. While it may be on ex-NP rails it is not where you would expect it.
In September of 1980 a derailment near Snohomish rerouted trains off Stevens Pass over the Woodinville Sub south to Renton and on north to Seattle. One of these reroutes had the 6414 as the trailing unit. I was at home and heard the horns of a southbound BN freight so I drove down to Scopa and the switch leading to Rentons Boeing plant on 9-23-80 and caught the reroute there. The 6414 was unexpected and I am guessing this is probably the only time an ex-NP SD45 has traveled on the Woodinville Sub. At least it is in shiny green paint!
In this photo the SD45 is on rival rails, BN 6414 is on the ex-GN at Berne, WA about to enter the Cascade tunnel on 7-29-84.
It looks like most other BN SD45’s of the time with the nose light removed and the extra cab windows plated over. The number is all that gives it away as being the ex-NP 3614. The 6414 would be retired exactly 1 year later in 1985.
Of the 8 locomotives mentioned in this report, the 3614 was the one that would outlast all the others by three years.
This past Thursday 8-21-08 I headed east from Renton for what I figured was going to be my last Montana trip for the summer. My plan was to chase the Paradise Local on Friday and photograph trains on the Funnel between Spokane and Sandpoint Saturday and Sunday before heading for home Sunday afternoon.
I would be driving across 5 different BNSF Subdivisions (Stampede, Yakima Valley, Lakeside, Kootenai River and the western part of MRL) on this one day alone so I have decided rather than divide everything up into separate Subs Blogs I to make one super long report here on the Stampede Sub to give an idea of what is involved with a one day drive from Western Washington to Montana!
Originally I thought it was going to be a long, boring and uneventful travel day from Renton to Plains as I wasn’t planning on taking any photos really as showers had been in the forecast all day from home to Plains. I did have some scouting I could do as I had a list of old photo locations I had taken years before I wanted to identify so this might be a good day for that. I was on my way at 06:00 and did stop at Easton with hopes there might be a train around. No trains but some interesting sunbreaks through the dark clouds hanging to the west towards the Cascades. Worthy of a photo I thought.
This would be my only photo taken on the Stampede Sub this trip but you have to start somewhere! I followed the tracks from Cle Elum east and past Bristol I heard a train tone up the dispatcher. The BNSF 5110 told the dispatcher they were ready to head east. The train was about to enter the Yakima Valley Sub from Ellensburg to Pasco. My pace quickened as the sun was now out and I cut over to I-90 for a faster drive to Ellensburg arriving just as the detector east of town went off as I neared the overpass over the tracks. I figured a grain empty until the axle count was just 288. Now I was confused. Past Thrall I caught up to the rear car. A baretable. My enthusiasm diminished quite a bit but the sun beckoned me to follow the train. To me a baretable ranks just above a set of light power. That is what it looks like most of the time. My first photo was just west of Umtanum at 08:55.
Just west of Wymer I photographed BNSF 5110/4002 leading the baretable around the sweeping curve and into the S-curve leading to the west switch of Wymer.
This was always a favorite location. There were a number of empty grain cars stored on the siding at Wymer as the empty baretable went past. West of Rosa I was impressed by a nice looking scene across the Yakima River so got a photo framed between some trees.
Then again as the power was right across from me. This is about Milepost 105 (miles from Pasco)
Another favorite photo location is the curves at Rosa and even this baretable rated being photographed here as well as a back shot going away.
By now I heard that there was a westbound at Pomona waiting for the BNSF 5110 to go by so I guess I made the right choice following the baretable after all! In the canyon just west of Pomona I got one last photo of the BNSF 5110 before it met the westbound.
I saw the westbound had a pair of BNSF EMD’s and soon realized this was a local out of Yakima with a cut of grain empties for Wymer to be added to the cars already there. Still looked like a real train to follow though. Getting a work between warrant from Pomona to Ellensburg the BNSF 2728 left Pomona at 09:39 and entered the Canyon. This photo is near Milepost 100.
Another photo before Rosa shows the entire train. All grain cars except for a single reefer on the end.
A few photos of the power at the same spot as above. BNSF 2728/2259 (GP39-2/GP38-2) were leading the local.
A distant photo of the train passing the Rosa Dam.
Just west of the dam is the recreation area of Rosa. Here the local slowly works its way towards Rosa and a back shot entering the curves there. You can see cloud shadows working down the hillside. It was close!
Past Rosa the train comes down a long straight into a nice curve and as the sun was still out I got my last two shots of the local here.
As the clouds were now building up in the Canyon and the 2728 was getting close to Wymer where it would stop to work I decided it was time to head back to I-90 and continue east.
It was almost 10:20 when I left Ellensburg for the second time but made quick work of getting to Moses Lake and on to Ritzville where the clouds were breaking up again. This is the BNSF’s Lakeside Sub. I drove through town and a few miles east saw a westbound BNSF train approaching slowly. There was MOW working near the grain loading facility. I first took a telephoto shot of the westbound with BNSF 909/4007/8072 leading at 12:03 as the wind kicked up some dust.
Then a backed off shot showing the whole train.
I followed the train into Ritzville but did not care for the shot as there was a lot of clutter in the forground. I did like the back shot though.
As I left Ritzville (for the second time) a weather alert was broadcast on the Spokane radio station I had on the car for a severe thunderstorm working east from Spokane towards Rathdrum so I took it slow as I really did not want to drive into it. I stayed on I-90 past Sprague and heard a westbound coming into Fishtrap so I got off the freeway to take a look. A long general merchandise train was already going into the siding and the westbound was on the main. Then I heard “BNSF 6884 West has an approach to East Fishtrap” which also got my attention. But first the BNSF 6752 leading three more SD40-2’s was looking really nice in really clean paint. The sun was shining as the westbound got the green and roared out of Fishtrap at 12:54 with SD40-2’s 6752/7032/8012/6741.
The clouds were in and out all the way down to Sprague and I finally got some sun near the bottom of Sprague Hill for my last shot of the 6752 West.
As it headed on into Sprague I doubled back towards Fishtrap and intercepted the BNSF 6884 West coming by Missle Base so turned around once more towards Sprague heading back down the hill looking for sunshine as a large cloud was overhead. I found a good opening of sun and waited for the train. Leading was the BNSF 6884/BNSF 8058/NS 8372/BNSF 6837. Two good lashups in a row!
After this train was by at 13:17 I started east again and was soon through Spokane and crossing the border into Idaho now following BNSF’s Kootenai River Sub also known as the Funnel . I stopped at Rathdrum, ID to find some locations I had previously photographed some years before. I found the spot and was rewarded with a westbound BNSF freight at the same location.
That report can be found here showing a comparison of the different seasons:
http://sameplaceschangeblog.qstation.org/?p=24
The train mentioned in the previous Blog slowly made its way into Rathdrum so I was able to get into town ahead of it for one last photo. Power was BNSF 8153/8035/6924/8002.
Note the very dark scene and clouds in the background. It was looking very nasty where I was about to go. I took the back roads into Ramsey and the rains fell, hard. All the way to Cocolalla it poured so I did not stop for any photography until I was past Sandpoint. I did a bit of exploring around Kootenai once I was on the MRL and found a location I wanted to photograph near the west switch later once the weather was better.
Back on the road I was soon into Montana and could see I was behind an earlier shower as the ground was pretty wet. West of Thompson Falls I heard the gas local leaving Paradise headed west. Just east of Eddy I watched it go by under cloudy skies so I wasn’t going to photograph it but I missed the SD45 number and I wanted to see if it was still the 382 which was running on it my last visit. I went back to Eddy and saw it was still the 382 and also noticed a bright sunbreak just west of Eddy so drove down to MP 22 and got this last photo of the day at 19:58.
Then it was on to Plains where I was going to be spending the night. Tomorrow it will be chasing the Paradise Local over on the MRL Blog!
I have had the urge to load my bicycle in the back of my Blazer for quite sometime to ride the ex-MILW ROW east out of Easton. The weather was forecast to be sunny and 77 at Easton for Saturday 7-19-08 so I left the house around 11:30 AM with the bike in the back arriving at Easton roughly an hour later. It seemed a bit warmer than 77 but I unloaded the bike at the trailhead. I rigged up a small backpack on the rack on the back of my bike to carry my camera and scanner and started riding east on the former Milwaukee Road, sans tracks of course. After crossing the BNSF’s Easton Wye (where BN caboose 12345 now sits) you cross a couple of private roads, the one furthest east crosses the BNSF line just east of the East switch of Easton. I looked at it and thought it would be a pretty nice photo, and one I did not already have. Then I went back to the ex-MILW and continued east. Soon I came to a bridge across a small creek and stopped to take a look and take a few photos. A sign marked it as Tucker Creek and it was noted as bridge FF14, a practice the Milwaukee used to number their bridges so it was nice to see that the state has kept this practice intact. This first photo is looking west.
And this next photo is looking towards the creek itself with the FF14 sign showing.
I then started eastward again and went around a left hand curve. I noticed there were not a lot of curves on the Milwaukee Road out of Easton. This was the first one! There were also some pretty nice open areas looking out towards the ex-NP. (and I-90 of course!) I also saw there were mile markers reading 2097 and 2096 which I am guessing are the actual Milwaukee mileposts. A bit further on West Nelson Siding Road was crossed. So far the ride had been pretty easy so I decided to go on towards Gold Course Road but about 100 yards east the scanner came to life. The BNSF detector on the hill announced an eastbound was coming! I wanted that shot back at the east switch so I turned around and started back. Then I discovered why I had such an easy time. The wind was at my back. Now I was fighting it! I pushed pretty hard and managed to get back to the 2nd crossing with about 3 minutes to spare. I needed that three minutes to catch my breath! After hearing horns blowing for Easton I set up for the train. It was a pretty slow moving grain empty with BNSF 5738/901/4843 up front. The head end went by at 1:37 PM.
Shortly after the last car went by the detector here at MP 36 went off. According to it the train had 450 axles and the temperature was 82. No wonder it felt a bit warmer than I thought it was supposed to be. I then continued back to the truck and took one more photo at the wye showing my bike and the BN caboose.
In all it was close to a 5 mile round trip. I enjoyed the ride a lot and sure I will be back to continue on towards Cle Elum at a later, and cooler time.
Here is a followup to the May 28, 1970 OS Easton. Dave Sprau sent me a copy of the Easton OS book from May 28, 1960 which would be his first day on the job and makes a nice comparison to 1970.
Also, here is the comment Dave made on the NP Telltale Yahoo Group about his “10th anniversary” as shown in the May 28, 1970 OS book which explains a little bit about what was written that day in 1970 and the actual story.
“Yeah, ain’t it awful what people write in the margins in the official company
records. And even worse, agent Roger apparently agreed, because the “amen” next
to my tombstone is in his writing. I really don’t remember anything about the
shift in question except it really was NOT my tenth anniversary, because this
time my service on third trick at Easton was as an Ex-GN employee- thanx to the
Burlington Northern Merger which had take place in March of that year (1970)
with my original NP 1960 seniority date having long gone down the toilet.
Shortly thereafter I bid out, in favor of the relief job at Skykomish….”
Considering I have had these booklets for almost 20 years and having never noticed that entry for May 28, 1970 made it all the more interesting. And Daves pointing out Rogers “unofficial notation” to the OS book on his behalf takes me back to the times I spent at the Easton depot with Roger and the other operators. They were fun to be around.
While at Easton last Sunday waiting on trains I was looking through some of my old Easton OS books and May 28, 1970 caught my eye. One was the notations of it being D.T. Sprau’s 10th Anniversary plus some interesting trains to boot.
Some of the lead locomotives shown that day were also of interest to me. Two were still NP, GP9 252 and SD45 3613.
BN SD45 6418 was the former NP 3618 and this was the unit discussed that rolled into the Skykomish River in early 1973, still in NP paint.
BN SD45 6446 was a former GN orange/green unit and happens to be the one I recently modeled in HO as the GN 416.
And SP 7114 was an Alco C628, one of many leased by the BN during 1970. By the way, that SP unit shows eastbound out of Easton at 10:00am. Can you imagine seeing photos of an SP C628 leading a train out of Easton towards Ellensburg and Yakima?! I’d think that would be pretty rare.
Looks like May 28, 1970 was a pretty interesting day at Easton.