You're lucky to be able to visit Wellington. I would never have figured that the snowshed had been used for bombing practice, that was a surprise from left field.
I remember another spot that was good for exploration was up in the town of Concrete and it's abandoned concrete factory. My wife and I were able to get into the abandoned company office building there and explore- I recall a map of the United States with only 48 states on it and an empty glass bottle of Teem soda- do they still make that soda? I also remember a bunch of Union Pacific Calenders from the 1950's on the walls.
At that time (15 yrs ago), there were also some old Milwaukee Road passenger cars being stored and rebuilt for I think, the Skagit Valley Railroad there too- one car I remember had the Hiawatha symbol inlaid (I think it was mother of pearl) into the cars interior wood panel- i don't know what ever became of them, if they're still there or if the planned railroad was able to take over the line from Hamilton.
I vividly remember that the town of Concrete had a speed trap with their police officer waiting for unsuspecting highway travelers (like me) to miss the partially hidden 50 to 20 mph speed limit reduction sign. That was my last Washington road trip before relocating the family to Texas.
Happy Explorations
Road Fan
Yeah, that's how it was when I first started going up there, too. In fact, I bought my first Jeep for that express purpose-getting into Wellington. (Now, in fact, I'm still hooked on Jeeps-driving my third.)However, now the yard site is the main parking area for the Iron Goat Trailhead. This is a trail that's been built over the old grade. It currently extends from Wellington all the way down to Martin Creek-(the site of bridges 400 and 401, and the Horseshoe Tunnel). Then on the lower line, it runs down to the Twin Tunnels-with plans in place to extend that to the new lower trailhead at Scenic. This site features an ex-GN caboose on display, the X-294, which has been cosmetically restored. There is a crossover trail at that location up to the Windy Pont Tunnel.
I'm told by the Wellington site steward that the damage to the concrete snowshed's west end was caused by some World War ll era Army Air Corps bombing practice, not a slide or boulders. I agree on the place's interest and tragic history, though. I try to make at least one pilgrimage up there a year.
It has been a long time since my last visit- 15 years. The times I went in there it required a 4 X 4 to push through the narrow path from old US 2 and crawl over the boulders that were part of the eroded pathway.
I remember that at the end of that snowshed, a boulder had punched a huge hole in its roof and had exposed the snowsheds 2" square rebar before bouncing back out- is that still there?. I also recall that stalagtites were forming from the limestone leaching from the snowsheds concrete roof. It's a cool place with a very tragic history.
Thanks for the update.
Jason, and Road Fan. The Wellington site has been made over since you were there last (I presume). The site is now all-accessible, including wheelchair access into the concrete snowshed at the avalanche site. I try to get up there at least once a year, though I missed out this year, due to economics and such. Another good abandoned railway line is the old Everett & Monte Cristo. Not quite as easily accessed as Wellington, there's plenty of history and scenery to be had in the lower Stillaguamish Canyon, and other places as well.
Make sure that you have a 4X4 or you can walk down from the old US 2 road- keep a look out for bears. The times I drove into Wellington, my wife and friend bailed out in fear- the sissies.
One of the things I found in the valley at Wellington were shards of china from a dining car. The valley was scattered with pieces of steam locomotives and passenger cars. It came to mind while walking among the wreckage was whether the death toll of 96 was accurate- I recall a boulder bigger than a UPS truck with twisted pipes poking out from underneath that made me wonder if there were uncounted victims.
Another, closer spot to explore is Discovery bay on the way to Port Angeles (its probably changed alot since my visits 15 yrs ago). There used to be an abandoned plywood mill along the Port Townsend Railroad (an abandoned Milwaukee Road affiliate I believe) The mills rail loading dock still had the last load of crumbling plywood sitting on the end of the loading dock. It'd been sitting there since the 60's.
There was also a shed on the poperty that had a ruined Steinway and Sons rectangular baby grand piano- its twin is/was in the Port Townsend museum and came around Cape Horn in a Clipper ship. There were also Firestone and Norge refrigerators scattered around too.
Even closer was Anderson Cove out past Seabeck. This remote and quiet spot had an abandoned railroad trestle that cut across the bay, but even more impressive is the view of the Olympic mountains that come right down to the waters edge on the opposite side of Hood Canal.
Happy exploring.
Jason
Modeling the Fort Worth & Denver of the early 1970's in N scale
Hi Jason,
No, even though I was born there and grew up on the East side (go E. Bremerton Knights, boo W. Bremerton Wildcats- merged 1978) and is probably one of the most beautiful places in the country much of my family still lives there. I worked for alot of the crooked, slave wage and labor Navy contractors at PSNS, Bangor and Keyport there, but I escape to Seattle, Everett, and finally Texas.
I miss exploring the Mason and Kitsap county forests for the old logging pikes out towards Belfair, Seabeck, Green/Gold mountains, Camp Union (the remains of the old turntable used to be out behind the Camp Union Saloon and the saloon served the best hamburgers around) and Anderson Cove, and I miss going to the abandoned snowsheds up at Stevens Pass and poking through the train wreckage from the great avalanche at Wellington and I miss exploring the abandoned Milwaukee Road and Norther Pacific mainlines that stretched from Snoqualmie Pass to the Canadian border, but Texas has been good to me and my family. just no old Milwaukee Road, Great Northern or Northern Pacific lines to explore down here.
Thanks,
Road Fan-.
You're probably right about the yard goat- I didn't consider that. I wasn't feeling old as I approached my 50th last October.....it was the AARP card that came in the mail that made me feel old and grumpy.....
I assume this was a Navy yard engine, NP retired it's last steam engine in early 1958.
BTW I was born in 1958 also, but I'm still 49 until the end of November.
I'm seeking in information on the Northern Pacific's operations to Bremerton, WA and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS). Did the NP have other customers in the Bremerton area besides the Navy?
Does anyone recall the steam locomotive that used to be stationed there as late as 1960-62 and what type of locomotive it could have been?. I was born in Bremerton in 1958 and I remember the impact that this monsterous locomotive had on me and how IT made me a rail fan at 2 to 4 years old. I recall that it had a large cylinder (beetle brow?) in front of its smoke stack which I believe now was a feed water heater
I know that it had to have been at least 1960 and possible as late as 1962. My parents were building a new home in 1962 and had to travel to Tacoma's Nalley Valley to order plumbing fixtures and paints on many consecutive weekends. If anyone can tell me what type of locomotive was I would sure appreciate it. I'd also like to know if the NP had other customers besides the shipyard.
Thanx
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