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This past weekend was the annual Tracks in the Snow event and I decided to head up to Skykomish on Sunday to join the rest of the group.  It had snowed most of Saturday north of Renton but there  wasn’t any snow on the ground when I left home around 08:00 AM.  That all changed once I was past Kirkland with some snow falling and quite a bit on the ground. 

Once I was east of Monroe it was a winter wonderland, lots of snow on the ground but there was none falling.  At Gold Bar I saw what appeared to be an eastbound dirt train in the yard with a pair of C44-9W’s on the east end.  Just east of Gold Bar I could hear someone talking to a crew about getting the switches dug out and they should be able to leave soon.

It was snowing again when I went by the Index turnoff but had stopped before Baring where I heard the E. Skykomish detector go off and the dispatcher tell the 4002 West there was an eastbound at Lowell but the switches at Monroe and Gold Bar would not throw so they’d go in at Baring and be there awhile.  I pulled off east of Grotto at Money Creek but the shot I took was really dark.  I decided to head on up to Skykomish and see what was going on there.

First I noticed the moved Skykomish depot on the south side of the tracks and took a few photos of it.

Snow Dozer 972514 was here covered with snow.  I had heard that the “teeth” it once sported had been painted over and sadly I saw this was the case.  Still looked really good with all the snow on it.

Fitting it would be in Skykomish as the 972514 has a GN heritage, built as the Great Northern X7305.  I didn’t see any one else mulling around Skykomish so I figured all the other guys must be out photographing trains.  I headed west back towards Index and heard a roll by at Gold Bar telling me the eastbound was getting close.  The road back to Index had a lot of snow on it but I parked near the grade crossing where I met up with some other fans also waiting to photograph the eastbound.  One I later learned was Kurt Moose.  I’d been wanting to meet up with him because of his interest in the  Stampede Sub.  Sadly we never introduced ourselves!

We could hear the eastbound working its way towards us and soon the gates came down.  I really liked my photo of the BNSF 4641 East, an empty grain train, especially as the snow was falling.  This photo was taken at 10:13 AM.

The train stirred up a cold snowy breeze as it passed by but I knew there would be a DPU on the rear so was ready when the 5274 swept by under power (and throttling down) and around the curve onto the bridge.

Some of the others headed east after it but I stayed behind for the westbound with the idea of following it to Gold Bar and photograph that eastbound there in the yard that sounded as if it was ready to head east.  I did move to a trail between the crossing and the bridge for a better angle.  While waiting the snow had stopped falling.  I took the opportunity to photograph Bridge 1746 which is of course was constructed by the GN. 

I always liked how the bridge itself was straight but the track curved through it.  Soon the westbound, later identified as the S-STPTAC with the 4020/4639/645/605/7903 crossed the bridge at 10:42 AM.

Then it was back to the car and west to Gold Bar.  I was happy to find it was snowing at Gold bar!  The dirt train was having problems getting their train put back together as it had sat there overnight and was literally frozen to the rails!  The side road along the east switch had lots of unplowed snow on it and the Focus didn’t like it at all.  I pulled off onto the side of the road and waited for the train to leave.  During my wait I discover the Focus is stuck in the snow.  Front wheels just sit and spin.  I get out my shovel and dig the wheels out and the car breaks free so at least the car is unstuck now. 

It took them awhile to get on the move out of the yard and onto the siding but at 11:43 AM I got my first shots of the EVEWEN, led by the 5504/4488.  Here they are creeping up the siding with a foreman in his Hi-rail waiting at the yard switch to line it back to the siding after the last car passes.

And the next two show the dirt train moving from the siding to the main line.  I especially like the snow piled up on the chain and front handrails of the 5504.

As the head end goes by I shoot trailing unit 4488 as steam rises from the radiators of the lead C44-9W.

The Foreman finds a problem and the train comes to a stop as it is corrected.  This gives me a chance for one last photo of the head end.

It is still early but the snow gets the best of me and I decide it’s time to go home.  Good thing too as road conditions are pretty bad all the way to Renton and will only get worse as the afternoon progresses. 

I am pleased with most of the photos I have taken so it was a good day.  My favorites are the Snow Dozer at Skykomish, the BNSF 4641 East at Index and the first shot of the 5504 leaving Gold Bar.

I went up to Stevens Pass yesterday 10-30-11 looking for Fall colors but got a lot of rain instead.  It was still rather dark and gloomy when I passed through Monroe headed east around 07:20 AM.  Kind of fitting for the morning before Halloween. 

Past Startup I heard the detector west of Baring go off with an axle count of 36.  Amtrak.  At Gold Bar I decided to try and photograph the westbound Empire Builder.  #7 with the 17/153 was by at 08:02 AM.

I then headed up to Scenic as the day grew brighter.  Sitting there no trains went by but I did hear the dispatcher tell a Highrail at Merritt the first westbound wasn’t called until 10:30 AM so he could get all the way to Wenatchee if he wanted.  After talking to a few other railfans for awhile who showed up I headed over Stevens Pass to Coulter Creek and sat there awhile.  About 11:30 AM I heard the westbound Z-CHCSSE2-28 heading out of Wenatchee.  I had time for lunch so I stopped at a Cafe in Winton for a burger and then looked for a good location for the train.

The rain had stopped and Coulter had some fall colors so I waited there.  Westbound BNSF Z-CHCSSE finally showed up at 12:49 PM.  It had been a long wait between trains!

BNSF 4121/4435/5448/931 were leading the Z-train.  I photographed it again at Berne and Scenic but the photos were not very good.  I headed on down to Foss River and the rain picked up again.  This shot was taken from inside the car at Foss River as the train slowly rolled downhill.

Following the Z train out of Skykomish it met an eastbound dirt train at Gold Bar. Rain or not, I wanted a photo of the dirt train.  And the rain was still falling hard as I shot the dirt train west of Index, WA at 3:10 PM behind GP38-2′s 2076/2361.

The dispatcher voided a work order for them near Scenic so it sounded like they were going all the way to Wenatchee.

I headed on west to Monroe where an eastbound baretable sat just east of town checking out a reported smoking wheel back in the train.  It also sounded like an eastbound coal empty was leaving Lowell for Stevens Pass after the Z-train had passed.

I then headed on home.

I should also note that after the Z-train passed Skykomish I took the back road into town.  I remember years past a homeowner had a Halloween display I always loved.  But it wasn’t up this year.  Could be they moved on. 

I had never used the photo I had taken there before so here it is, from 10-28-06.  That ghost is the funniest thing, I would swear it looks hung over and throwing up!  And the Jack-o-lanterns seem to be mocking it! 

It seems like a nice way to wish everyone a Happy Halloween!

I had heard that BNSF would be running an Officers Special over Stevens Pass on Saturday morning Sept 24, 2011 so I headed out that morning to try an get photos of it.

Coming into Monroe I heard the detector at MP 1762 go off to the east.  This turned out to be the eastbound Z-train and arriving at Gold Bar found it tucked away into the siding.  I decided to wait at Gold Bar near the east switch to see if the Passenger Special would be next.  It was as I soon heard the 1762 detector go off again with an axle count of 74.  At 08:47 BNSF 7216/7328 moved by at speed with the 14 car train.

I then headed out after the train and got ahead of it past Index.  Amtrak #7 was coming west and took the siding at Baring to meet the BNSF Biz train while I went on to Skykomish and parked near the grade crossing in town photographing the train passing through the mountain town.

I started taking photos of random cars as the train moved by, one of them being the “Stevens Pass”, former Great Northern and very  fitting for the day.

A back shot shows the train heading east with the relocated Skykomish depots roof showing in the background.

I then made my way up to Scenic checking out the overpass first but saw the sun had yet to clear the mountains but noticed some sunlight by the west portal.  Robert Gatchel was here and we were joined by a few others also waiting for the passenger train.  There were shadows here too but a few open spots for the train when it arrived.

Robert and I then drove over to Coulter Creek on the east side but decided to move to the schoolhouse crossing at Winton to see how it looked not really wanted a nosey shot of the train.  There were tree shadows over the tracks at the schoolhouse crossing as well so we moved up to the east switch and liked that angle a lot better.  Also here as I later learned was Kristopher Johnson near the grade crossing.  The train made quick time getting down to Merritt and was soon at Winton passing the woodchip loader.

Some of the 14 passenger cars on the passenger train at Winton. 

Ahead of the full length dome was the Mountain View, former Great Northern 1209.

These would be my last shots on the Scenic Sub.  I got through the Tumwater Canyon in good time but had to deal with Leavenworth traffic and the traffic signals through Cashmere.  I got to Wenatchee ahead of the train but went on towards Trinidad for more photos.  I did hear the train ID themselves as the O-SEKWHI as they approached Wenatchee.

On Saturday 8-13-11 I headed up to Stevens Pass after a company meeting to meet up with a group of fans at Gaynor, WA, just on the east side of the pass for the Big Gaynor Camp out.

 It was cloudy all the way to Skykomish where the sun broke through the clouds and it was blue skies the rest of the way.  However it was very quiet as far as trains as I didn’t see anything between Monroe and Gaynor.  Ross had mentioned a train lineup showing 24 trains but so far I hadn’t seen any of them!  Heading down the dirt road to Gaynor I did hear the detector at MP 1690.0 go off and it looked like a westbound was heading this way.  Arriving at the campground I was greeted by Brian Bundridge and his girlfriend.  Always enjoy meeting up with BrianB!  He told me that a westbound was indeed heading up the hill.  Other info was Ross was down around the Slot somewhere and Jason Babila had just left for Leavenworth about 30 minutes before! 

We could hear the train working its way uphill and a few of us set up to photograph it.  Turned out to be the M-SPOEVE and I tried a strong telephoto handheld for my first shot of the day.  I then backed off for the next shot of the train passing at 1:56 PM. 

Power was BNSF 4789/6716/5381/2878.  I really didn’t think much of the first shot at the time but after getting home and looking at it was kind of pleased with the tele after all.  After it was by we could hear another westbound was by the detector at Coulter Creek.  I was told there was a fleet of 6-8 westbounds heading this way out of Wenatchee and decided I wanted to get to Winton Tunnel and Leavenworth for a few of these trains so I left Gaynor and decided to let the train coming go knowing there would be others behind it.  I got to Winton Tunnel but did not like the sun angle here.  It would be a few hours before the sun would come around on the tunnel portal.  So I headed to Leavenworth and the overpass over the siding.  It was pretty hot here compared to Gaynor!  I waited over an hour and nothing showed up but I could hear the Z-CHCSSE at Wenatchee and they had a unit to add so I figured nothing else would be coming west for awhile and went on to Wenatchee.  I figured I could at least photograph the rotary set at Appleyard if nothing else.

Arriving at Wenatchee I saw a ribbon rail train tied up with SD60M 8104 leading and a Warbonnet GE trailing it.  I went on to the yard office where the Z-CHCSSE sat behind units 4482/5424/613/687 and for some reason that power set did nothing for me.  I went on to Appleyard was was discouraged to find the Rotary and ex-NP power car buried in the yard.  But on the plus side the detector at MP 1633 went off.  It had to be a westbound I reasoned and started towards Malaga and soon heard the MP 1638 detector.  The detector gave a reading of 91 degrees.  It was hot out!  I parked next to a nice cut at Malaga siding giving me an elevated view of the tracks.  Train V-NTWTAC then called Wenatchee for instructions and they were told the Z-train was almost ready to go and for them to take it easy and they would soon be able to come up for a mainline change.  Soon the train came around the curve and the BNSF 6708/965/5483 slowly rolled by at 4:39 PM. 

That 6708 was built in May of 2011 so it’s just 3 months old!  I drove on around to the big bridge over the river for a shot of it coming into Wenatchee.  The train on the left is manned by a yard crew and is doing some switching.

The shot looked a lot different from the last time I shot here and the wires across the front of the locomotive didn’t help either.  I took a few roster shots of the power as it arrived at Wenatchee and then left to try and catch the Z-train which had just left.  I caught up to it at Cashmere and was soon ahead of it.  I got off US 2 at Peshastin and started up towards Leavenworth to check out the overpass.  It was OK but lots of shadows in the foreground.  After a bit of a wait the Z-train came into Leavenworth at 5:43 PM.

Th lighting here was really kind of nice so I took a shot of the stacked containers as they passed under the old wooden bridge.

I then drove through Leavenworth and stopped at a store for a Coke before heading into the Tumwater Canyon.  I could hear the BNSF 6708 was out of Wenatchee so I figured I might wait at Winton Tunnel for it.  The drive through the Tumwater wasn’t bad and I was soon on the dirt road up to the tunnel.  Stopping the car I could hear a train working through the tunnel!  I quickly got out and was able to catch the BNSF 4482 exiting the tunnel with the Z-train.

I have no idea of how I was able to beat it to Winton from Leavenworth!  The sun was quickly heading behind the hills and I knew it would be down by the time the 6708 got here so I went after the 4482 once again.  I managed to get to Coulter Creek a few minutes ahead of it but the shot came out blurred.  Too bad.  At Merritt an eastbound was met and the eastbound crew mentioned the group of fans at Gaynor to the Z.  The Z said something about seeing the fan at the tunnel (me) and both crews talked about “foamers” a bit as I continued up the Pass towards home.  I did have one diversion as after passing Deception Creek heard an eastbound calling out approach signals at MP 1725 so I decided to turn around and head into Deception to watch it go by.  The detector also gave off a reading of 68 degrees so it was a bit cooler now.  The lighting at the bridge was kind of neat and I especially liked the mist from the waterfalls floating up towards the tracks.

I could hear the train coming and soon saw Amtrak #8 come around the curve behind units 62/15 at 7:04 PM.  However the mist had died down by then but the shot was still good as far as I was concerned. 

The Empire Builder continued up to Scenic where it went into the siding and stopped at the east end.  After toning up the dispatcher they were told they were waiting for the Z train which should be there in 10 minutes or so.  Amtrak did not seem to happy about having to wait.  I didn’t want to wait either so I got back on US 2 and continued towards home. 

I didn’t get to spend much time with any of the guys at the Gaynor Camp but I was never one for waiting for the trains to come to me which is why I ended up at Wenatchee.  I don’t know if there were 24 trains or not today but the few I shot were fun to see, especially the fairly new 6708 at a scenic location.  So I’d have to say it was still a good and productive day.

As I had not been to the Scenic Sub for a long time I decided to make a quick morning trip out to Skykomish today 1-08-11.  It was a cloudy Saturday but it sounded like there might be some snow above 500 ft and I also wanted to see where the former GN CTC signals had been replaced on the west side of the pass.  I left home around 09:30 and wanted to be home by 1:30 PM for the Seahawks-Saints Wildcard playoff game in Seattle. 

Arriving at Monroe I checked on the CTC signals at both ends of the siding and saw new signals were up but not activated yet.  The ex-GN signals were still in use.  I continued east past Sultan, Startup and at Gold Bar saw that the GN CTC signals were gone at both ends of the siding, the new signals were up and running.  Past Index I picked up a detector going off on my scanner but the transmission was broken up, sounded like MP 1735 or 1725.  At Baring I saw new signals were also installed at the west switch.  Before I could get to the east end I saw headlights to my left through the trees.  It was the westbound Z-CHCSSE with a “Goatboat” leading!  That rated a quick turnaround and I was soon ahead of the BNSF 1049 West.  I waited west of Baring at MP 1742.1 near a small bridge that looked like a nice location.  Soon the train showed and the head end was by at 11:14 AM, led by 1049/5078/5403/694/1022.

I was quickly after it again and well west of Index pulled off the highway and headed down to the tracks at MP 1751.  The wait was not long for the 1049 to show up.

The train was very short and the detector to the west read off just 178 axles.  (37 cars)

With it by I headed back up Highway 2 to Skykomish arriving just as a snow squall was ending but in time for a wintry photo of the orange and black snow dozer 972514.

West Skykomish also had new signals replacing the older GN signals.

Always kind of hard when you lose a bit more of the GN.  Turned around to the east I photographed the town in the distance. 

Still looks a mess but slowly returning to normal.  The depot is still way down the tracks though.  Before heading for home I photographed the BNSF painted Snow Dozer once more as the snow by now had stopped falling.

Gotta love those painted teeth on the blades!  At least the BN 972514 can still trace its roots back to the Great Northern.  It was built at the GN’s St Cloud shops in December 1966 and numbered X7305.  The orange and black paint happened recently as it had been stationed here in Skykomish in BN green for years.

I then headed west for home arriving just in time for the start of the Seahawks-Saints football game in which Seattle was 11 point underdogs against the Superbowl Champions.  When it was all over the Seahawks would win the game 41-36.  It was great!

Not having been up to the Scenic Sub in quite sometime and wanting to get photos of the ex-GN rotary and ex-NP F9B power car now stored at Wenatchee’s Appleyard, I headed out on Saturday morning 6-26-10 and was soon on Highway 2 headed east.  It was very overcast out of Monroe but I was going on the hope of sunshine on the east side of the Cascades.  As I passed by Skykomish a sunbreak came out at the east end of the siding so I pulled over and walked up to the ex-GN signals since it has been reported BNSF is replacing the old GN installed CTC searchlight signals with three color lights for PTC operations.

Someday these signals will be just a memory.  As I continued up the pass I heard the dispatcher call the Z-SSECHC and tell them they would be at Scenic for Amtrak and a stack train right behind them.  The Z was already sitting in the siding waiting as I crossed overhead on the highway and looked over at the 3 H2 C44-9W’s leading the train.  Not worth the stop as there was no sunshine so I kept on going and soon crossed over Stevens Pass summit and headed down the east side knowing Amtrak was underneath somewhere in the tunnel.  Coming into Berne I heard the MP 1695 detector report so I knew the westbound was close by.  I pulled off at the railroad overpass and waited.  After the MP 1697 went off I waited outside and photographed the BNSF 677/675/4733 heading upgrade at 0915.

The clouds really thinned out the further east I went.  At least the thicker clouds did.  There were still high clouds floating around all the way down to Cashmere but it was looking like the afternoon would be really good.  There were no trains around but I stopped east of the Cashmere depot to take some photos of the signals and depot at the west switch from the grade crossing.  There was a work crew here and I noticed new signals were being installed.

Knowing the Z-train was a long ways off I drove over to the Cashmere Museum never having stopped to take a look before.  For one thing I wanted to see the GN caboose on display.  It was just about 10:30 AM, the opening time so I got lucky there.  After paying an admission fee I took some photos of the GN X494 on display.

Maybe it’s just me but that semaphore looks more NP than it does GN!  Just south of the caboose is this old passenger car which according to one website is former Great Northern.  Looks like some more research is in order.

The caboose was open so I took a look inside.  A plaque stated it was built in 1922.

And for fun here is a photo of me on the back of that caboose.

And here I am wondering why the Mission depot is not open to sell me a ticket. 

It seems Mission was renamed Cashmere in the early 1900′s!  I little fact I didn’t know.

After spending around an hour enjoying myself at the Museum I headed back to the truck and over to the BNSF again figuring the Z-train must be getting close by now.  Most of the high clouds had moved out (and the temp creeping up towards 80) so I took another photo at the grade crossing looking west.

And I was right, the BNSF 4603 East soon called the Foreman on the radio to proceed through his work limits.  Lots of bell and whistle was the request.

I followed the Z-SSECHC into Wenatchee and decided it was time for lunch, especially as the inbound crew was told the outbound wasn’t on duty for another 35 minutes.  After getting my lunch I headed out to Appleyard to wait on the Z-train but that’s the Columbia River Sub so I will end this report on the Scenic Sub here.

Kind of late in coming but I finally got to see some snow! Lots of snow up in the Cascades overnight and as there was some showing on the webcam at Skykomish, WA on BNSF’s Scenic Sub that’s where I went. East of Monroe the detectors behind me at MP 1778 and 1776 went off with an axle count of 42. That kind of threw me and I thought maybe a work train was headed east. I wanted a GN looking shot (this is former Great Northern after all) so I waited at the west switch of Gold Bar to frame the train between the ex-GN CTC signals.  I was hoping for a couple of Geeps and got a dirty H2 C44-9W instead leading an empty Boeing train.

I photographed the train again west of Baring crossing Barclay Creek.

My last shots before Skykomish were at the gravel pit east of Grotto.

The train slowed and came to a stop at Skykomish. The snow I had seen on the webcam this morning was gone. Now it was just rainy and wet! Over the scanner I could hear the dispatcher telling someone they were halfway in. This turned out to be the dispatcher talking to an eastbound waiting at Scenic for a westbound that was in the tunnel now. Now I knew why the Boeing train had stopped. I drove up to Scenic as quickly as I could and halfway there heard a rollby. Just missed the westbound but as I got up to Scenic saw an eastbound still waiting for a signal to leave and there was lots of snow on the ground and it was still coming down! Here are a few shots of the empty grain train starting out of the siding at Scenic.

I then headed back down to Skykomish to see what I had missed and arrived just as the Z-CHCSSE with 4 H2 C44-9W’s came into the curve east of town. 

The BNSF 4876 then got the signal to leave Skykomish and started up the grade.

I then started up for Scenic again and at Deception Creek thought I could drive up to the bridge and was able to make it there without much trouble except for a number of “truck swallowing” potholes encountered on the way up.  After a bit of a wait (all while watching the snow melting off the trees, it was 39F down at Skykomish) the train finally showed up.

I then started west for home. Enjoyed the day and finally got some snow shots!

On Saturday 3-6-10 I drove out to Monroe, WA in hopes of seeing a few BNSF trains as well as photograph some former GN bridges and the CTC signals at the east switch of Monroe.  There is talk of BNSF replacing these CTC signals with newer versions so I decided that this sunny Saturday would be a good time to complete my goal of the eastward signals at the east switch.

I got to Monroe around 12:30 PM but the sun had not yet some around on the signals.  I had at least an hour before the sun angle would be good so I headed out to Startup and photographed the ex-GN bridge over the Wallace River at MP 1758.0 as the sun angle was nice there.

I continued east towards Gold Bar and stopped at a pullout and photographed the bridge at MP 1757.2 as I had never photographed this bridge before.  It too crosses the Wallace River.  That’s the Highway 2 bridge to the left.

I hadn’t heard any trains on the scanner at all which kind of surprised me.  But I figured the light would be good now back at Monroe so I headed west and got this photo of the eastward signals.  The siding signal is on the right and constant lit.

Here is a view of the siding signal.

I noticed the bridge just east of the signals and as I had not thought of photographing it before decided to get a closer look at it.  This is bridge 1768.3 and it crosses Woods Creek.

I also discovered a former Milwaukee Road bridge here I had not noticed before.  This view from it shows how close it is the the former GN line.  I am guessing the Milwaukee had trackage rights on the GN from here to Everett.

I then waited to see if any trains would show up but as the afternoon grew late and the shadows long I called it a day and headed for home.

I would soon learn there had been a derailment of a loaded westbound grain train at the east switch of Wilson Creek this morning in eastern Washington and this was the reason I had not seen any trains.  One of the grain cars had broken a wheel which split the switch causing the pileup of 25 cars.  Here is a Railroad Forums thread about the derailment.

http://www.railroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31919

From the photos I have seen on this thread the eastward signals at the east switch of Wilson Creek are buried under grain cars.  If these were former GN signals it looks like a bit more GN history has been lost.  Another reason to photograph as many of them as I can!

Friday night there was a 500-1000ft snow level in the Washington Cascades so Saturday morning, 11-14-09 I was on my way to Skykomish to see how much snow there was around Skykomish.  Left the house around 0830 and was soon heading east from Monroe on Highway 2.  Instead of being cloudy it was a clear and sunny morning.  No falling snow shots today!  Very quiet on the Scenic Sub but I started to see snow on the ground and in the trees after Index.  But no trains.  Coming into Skykomish the detector at MP 1730 went off as I passed the town exit.  Got to the east end of the siding in time to see the end of a westbound doublestacker.  Any eastbound it might have met at Scenic would be long gone by now so I turned around and headed west after the stacker.  I was well ahead of it by Baring where I pulled off at the west switch for this one and only shot.

Leading were BNSF 5226/696/5173/4882/5086.  It was by Baring at 10:16 and I continued to follow it down to Gold Bar.  By a detector it showed having 350 axles and a temperature of 40 degrees.  Kind of warming up now.  I waited at Gold Bar awhile and listened to the progress of a following high-rail making its way west from Skykomish down to Snohomish.

Noon arrived so I headed east to Zeke’s Drive-In for a burger.  After eating I took a few photos of the caboose outside the drive in.  The ex-NP caboose is painted red with no markings on the north side.

I noticed the number 1242 above the door on the west end.  Stands to reason this was the former NP 1242 that was built in 1908!

The caboose has a GN emblem on the south side making it kind of GNP I suppose.

The average person stopping here for lunch isn’t going to be thinking about the history of this caboose anyway.  To them it’s just a little red caboose.  And this is better than getting cut up for firewood.

Leaving Zeke’s I headed east to Index.  I wanted to explore around the GN built bridge here.  I had seen photos in a GN book with F-units crossing it and the caption saying this bridge at MP 1746 had been modified to allow for curved track on a straight bridge.  I found a road and trail leading right to the west end of the bridge and got a good look at what the caption had explained for myself.  Pretty cool!

The bridge does look wider to accommodate the curve.  Appears to be in need of some new paint however!  I headed back up to Skykomish (it had clouded over) and waited to see if BNSF was going to run anything else.  By 14:30 I figured no and before heading for home photographed the GN caboose X228 on display here at Skykomish in a homeowners yard.  It sure does look nice!

The snow adds a nice wintry look to the scene.  I then headed west on Highway 2 to Monroe without seeing any BNSF trains.  Just one train in 5 hours was pretty disappointing.  Good thing I was just as happy to be photographing old cabooses and a GN bridge.

I knew it had been a long time since my last day trip up to Stevens Pass but I did not realize it had been March!  No springtime or summer trips?!  So I decided to spend the afternoon at Skykomish leaving home late in the morning Saturday October 11.  I was past Monroe around noon and a few miles out heard the MP 1751 detector east of Gold Bar go off.  I did not know if this was east or westbound but before getting to Sultan heard the MP 1740 detector so it was headed east.  Should have left 30 minutes sooner!

I had some goals in mind such as photographing some of the CTC signals along the way to Skykomish as well as GN built bridges.  Always kind of ignored them all these years.  As far as the signals I was curious to know if the current ones were GN installed or BN.  Most if not all of the GN signals between the sidings had been replaced years ago.  I should have payed more attention to them but they are gone now so I wanted to check out the CTC controlled ones at the sidings. 

First stop was at Gold Bar where the east end of the siding is right off a side road.  The signals from Scenic east are the tri-light type but the ones on the west side are searchlights such as the ones at MP 1754, East Gold Bar.

Then I went on to the railroad overpass just west of Zekes Drive in.  This bridge is very unusual.  Note how the supports are spread out over highway 2.

Another view of the supports and girders.  This is better photographed in the morning when it is sunny. 

All these years and I have never photographed a train crossing it!  The west switch of Baring at MP 1740 is also right off the highway. The siding is on the left with the main on the right.  It looks like the siding signal is constant lit. 

Note the heads of the two signals are different.  The siding has a large round shield while the main line has a much smaller one.

And here are the two signals as seen from highway 2.

Next I moved up to East Baring and took a few photos here at the east end of the siding.  Note how the signal here is on the left side of the tracks compared to Gold Bar which in on the right side.  Plus they have smaller signal shields.

Done with signals and bridges for now I headed on up to Skykomish to check out the town.  The clean up goes on and the top of the Skykomish Hotel is all bundled up.

A detour is set up after crossing the bridge from Highway 2 into town.  Sure looks a lot more open now!

And one more view of Skykomish.

I then settled down hoping for a westbound but the signals were dark and the scanner very quiet.  Eventually I heard a detector go off but it was MP 1740 at West Baring.  This was another eastbound.  The light here at Skykomish was pretty backlit, the best light was at Baring, and the train was there right now.  So I had little choice but to wait right here and get a broad a view as I could.  The empty grain train X-TACULE was by at 2:25 PM with units 981/684/4081. 

BNSF 981 is painted in the new image scheme, no longer in H1.  If Stampede was not shut down this train would probably have gone that way.  The back shot shows the relocated Skykomish depot in the background.

I could see traffic starting to build westbound out on the highway so I decided to start west after the train had departed Skykomish.  No westbounds would be met here today.

Below Index I stopped to check out the GN bridge at MP 1750.  I had seen many photos of it taken from river level but had none myself.  So I walked over to the rivers edge for this shot.

And facing east is a nice view of the Skykomish River and Mt Index.

Then it was back up to the truck and west on Highway 2 where traffic came to a stop at Gold Bar and we slogged all the way to Sultan in stop and go traffic.  Some things never change.  About 45 minutes to get from Gold Bar to Sultan.  Sunday afternoons are always bad up here.  I believe the Leavenworth Autumn Leaf festival is this weekend and probably had a lot to do with it.  Still it was a sunny nice day up in the Cascades and I enjoyed exploring the former GN a little bit more closely than I had before.