Sound Transit punches second tunnel under Seattle's Beacon Hill

Another milestone for Light Rail!

Sound Transit punches second tunnel under Seattle's Beacon Hill

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE -- A boring machine has punched another tunnel through Seattle's Beacon Hill for the Sound Transit light rail line between the city and Sea-Tac Airport.

Construction workers and transit employees cheered Wednesday as the 600-ton machine broke through Wednesday and operators crawled across the 21-foot diameter drill bit to shake hands with Mayor Greg Nickels.

This is the second of two tunnels under Beacon Hill. The first was completed last May. Sound Transit says the 16-mile line should open next year.

King Street Station Restoration Starts...Again

King Street Station restoration project getting back on track

When I was seven, in the early 1970s, I was exploring the station while we waited for relatives to arrive on the train. While I don't recall exactly where, I came across a room that was filled with bomb shelter supplies including big drums of water that said something like "use by May 1967."

Every time I pass King Street Station I think of that room. It will be nice to see this building stand tall once again.

Cascade Green Rarity?

A rarity? Probably not, at least in other parts of the nation. But around Seattle these older big SDs aren't seen much.

One thing that is interesting: 12 years after the BNSF merger, we are still seeing a lot of Cascade Green left over from the Burlington Northern days. Heck, we see a lot of Warbonnet too. I can't even fathom the magnitude of the undertaking to repaint all the locomotives this company owns. And in the end there really isn't much point if you can just paint "BNSF" on the side and get back to work!

Stevens Pass - Wellington Avalanche of 1910

Everett Herald: Stevens Pass train disaster of 1910: History's valuable lesson

"They know that Mother Nature has the upper hand.."

Truer words never spoken. The 1910 avalanche that killed 96 (and possibly more) on Stevens Pass continues to reign supreme as the worst avalanche disaster in U.S. History. With all the snow that has fallen in the Cascades this winter, visions of 1910 have returned with the unfortunate loss of at 9 people so far this year.

This newspaper article is a great compilation of historic data, plus accounts handed down to descendants of first responders and victims. Martin Burwash, quoted as a rail historian in the article, also is quite shot with a camera and specializes in Black & White photography. You can see some of his rail photos HERE.