Port of Seattle to Buy Woodinville Subdivision

Price: $103 million. Finally, a deal on the table that makes both advocates and critics happy. The purchase price is an eye-opener; In 2005 BNSF purchased nearly 400 miles of track from the State of South Dakota for a mere $41 million. By contrast, the Woodinville Subdivision is 42 miles long, with an eight-mile spur from Woodinville to Redmond. The value gives us on the outside an indicator of just how important this right-of-way is to the railroad, to the public, and to developers of all kinds. There's a land demand, most certainly. And selling the line to the Port means the chance of keeping rail activity in East King County is pretty good.

Not so, say some critics. Part of the plan is the tear up the existing tracks south of Bellevue and north of Renton, which would probably mean huge legal fights when it's time to put tracks back down in the future. A third private party is also trying to buy the line, for more than the Port is paying, which makes this sale even more melodramatic. In 2006 I hosted a site that outlined my concern over losing the line, in the hopes of raising awareness and keeping the tracks in place. In the end I was happy to pass the torch to groups that included heavier hitters in business and advocacy. I'm just a guy who believes in railroading as a vital industry and a traditional American icon.

It's hard to weigh out the uncertainty in this struggle. 100 years ago nobody would have ever figured this little line would cause so much havoc; rail service somewhere was an assumed resource. I'm happy to see a plan on the table that keeps at least some track in the ground; sure it would be nice to have a seamless rail corridor from Renton to Snohomish, on which passenger trains could help people cut their commute frustration. But I've resigned myself to at least catching some freight traffic in Woodinville and hoping for some excursion traffic as well.

Time will tell, and WARail will be here.

Planning a Future Around Light Rail..or Not

In an October 26th Seattle P-I article, speculation, or just good planning, has many developers looking at property around proposed light rail stations, even before they are being planned. Mostly evident in East King County, developers in Bellevue and Redmond along what may become a light rail line (if funding is appropriated through the upcoming vote on Proposition 1) are buying up land and planning new communities. One essentially felt they had a good spot and that rail service was secondary "icing."

I can't help but to think about what we lost here when the Interurban Railway went out of business in 1939; had it stayed in place we would be over 60 years ahead of the game right now, and there would probably be rail already headed towards the Eastside. There are plenty of theories why the Interurban is gone, the biggest of which being the "Great Bus Conspiracy" brought on be vehicle manufacturers and oil companies. Doesn't matter what happened now, because the tracks are gone. So we have to move forward and rebuild.

Maybe this time the lines will stick around a while.

Eleven Bridges, Ten Miles of Track

The Port of Chehalis owns 10 miles of track that ends at an industrial park in Curtis. Currently the line is leased to the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum for use by its steam train excursions.

Over that 10-mile line there are eleven bridges, all made of wood. Critters eat wood, so it's imperative that the bridges are checked regularly for rotted timbers etc. This article from the Lewis County Chronicle describes the recent inspection done on the line and efforts Chehalis is taking to keep the railroad active and safe.

A side effect to all of this is that Chehalis is keeping a piece of America's history alive. Each day several miles of rail is abandoned somewhere in the United States; finding ways to keep rails in the ground - in my opinion a big resource - is going to be important as our roads get more and more congested.

South Lake Union Streetcar makes Test Run

The South Lake Union streetcar ran a test train yesterday; at the helm was Mayor Greg Nickels. The line has outlived the recent naming debacle that still has people talking. Maybe they should just consider giving it a tradition streetcar name like "The U-Line." It probably would have made things a lot simpler!

Dinner Train Ends Tacoma Service

Sad news in the Seattle P-I today that the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train ended service on its new route from Tacoma to Lake Kapowsin, three months after it started.

At this point the equipment - several historic passenger cars and two FP7 locomotives - will be moved to storage outside of Vancouver WA.

I am thankful to have experienced the Dinner Train with my wife several times over the last ten years, however I'm saddened that my sons might not have the opportunity. We're hopeful that a North End Dinner Train will start up between Snohomish and Woodinville, and plans for that are past the talking stage.

Bottom line, we would love to see the big red F Bodies back on the line in some form!