Trestle Fire in McKenna may be Arson

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Tacoma Rail's Nisqaully River trestle sustained about $20k in damage from possible arson. Read the linked article about this Tacoma Rail trestle fire.

Train Sounds and The City

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Seattle's freight operations got a surprise ally recently - Danny Westneat shared some great comments about the railroads' horn blowing in his Seattle Times column - Without sounds, it's not a city. To him, as well as others like myself, the sound of a train is the sound of the city; one doesn't exist without the other. Trains and their activity represent commerce. But that commerce does have a sound that might raise back hair on some individuals.

Seems there is a person in West Seattle - fairly close to Harbor Island freight operations - who wants nighttime operations to cease or to have the horns go quiet. My first thought when I read the article was what others might also say: "What were you thinking moving next to the tracks?" It's the equivalent of someone moving next to an airport that has been in operation since the 1930s and complaining about jets. Danny states truthfully that other cities have and deal with train noise as part of the local fabric. To think that an entire commercial sector would shut down operations in Seattle because someone moved next to a rail yard is...well...not very city oriented.

In any case, I loved Danny's article and though WARail Readers might enjoy it too.

Pedestrians and Trains

There have been a lot of accidents on Washington tracks this year involving people on the rails. Some have been fatal...all have been tragic. There is some discussion in a previous post about who's to blame over one incident in Stanwood. Others, like the incident above photographed by Steve Carter, are more clear cut.

Always expect a train. If you have no business there, stay off the tracks!

Oil-Electric: Milwaukee's Bipolars

Robert McDonald wrote a blog post recently about the most unusual locomotives from an unusual railroad: the Milwaukee Road's Bipolar Electric. Powered by electricity, the Bipolar was so silent in operation that it could sneak up on a brakeman working a yard!

Proposed Light Rail Good for Lynnwood

Known more for its congested traffic and sprawling section of Highway 99, Lynnwood wants to move past that and create a downtown corridor that rivals other suburban Seattle cities - complete with skyscrapers and condos. Sound Transit's proposal to bring a light rail station to the area would fortify this dream and make it easier for residents and visitors to see and experience 21st Century Lynnwood.

In a way, this is a story that shouldn't need to be written...

From the early 1900s to 1939, the Interurban ran through Lynnwood - then known as "Alderwood Manor" - on its way from Seattle to Everett. If it was still running today, nearly 70 years after the tracks were pulled, Lynnwood residents would have a station within a mile of where the new one is proposed.

HeraldNet: Light rail key to Lynnwood's big dreams