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The Milwaukee didn't intend to double track Snoqualmie Tunnel. This was told to me by Cecil Geelhart, former Cedar Falls Roadmaster, who also mentioned the west end dual portal was built to carry Portal Creek over the top of the tunnel and far enough away from the track to keep it from ever causing erosion problems. Also, the dual portal entrance acted as a snowshed. And, not all west side trestles are totally intact as Hull Creek trestle washed out in 1986 because of a flood of debris caused by illegal logging. Today there is a replacement span in place between the remaining trestle towers, but it's not heavy enough for a train. And the idea of switching the bike trail to Stampede Pass would be complicated by, among other things, the Tacoma city watershed that keeps people out of the upper reaches of the Green River. Maybe something similar could be worked out similar to today's arrangement between the Cedar Falls watershed and the bike trail. Yes, the BN really missed the boat in the 1987-88 when they started pulling up the track over Snoqualmie. The tunnels along the route may have needed some immaterial clearance work for double stacks, but maybe not since trilevel autoracks traveled the line. Anyways, I thought it would have made a good replacement for the Stevens and/or Stampede lines. I think it's too late now, though; they'd have to fight Washington state politics and recreationalists (who have a very loud voice), and BNSF has too much capital invested in Stevens and Stampede to scrap either line in favor of reconstructing another. Brent
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