Outstanding post, Mac! There are trainspotting books that don't have that amount of insider information.
Thanks, Mac. Sounds like there should be plenty of opportunities to see trains, even if the lighting is so-so (glad you pointed that out, not something I had considered).
Mac did an excellent job, and I haven't much to add.
Up the Iron Goat Trail is an excellent viewpoint on the western portal of the in-use Cascade Tunnel. If you chose to go this route, have an appropriate telephoto lens and hiking equipment. Nearby is an abandoned GN tunnel on the original alignment.
I highly recommend the bridges just to the east of Gold Bar. The eastern one is most dramatic.
Watch your speed in the small towns on US 2 from Everett to Skykomish, as the local police love to catch speeders in that stretch.
Also, as Mac says, consider going a few miles east of Wenatchee to Trinidad Loop. Excellent spot. The bridge over the Columbia is a distinctive double truss design.
Steve Carter (used to post here as "Otter Cove") put up some spectacular photos of that area here about 5 years ago. Unfortunately, I don't know if they're still accessible, or how to search for them. A few of his photos can be seen at:
http://www.pbase.com/ottercove/railroad&page=7
- Paul North.
HPH,
I grew up in Wenatchee and made lots of trips to Seattle via US 2 and the GN. I am going to assume you drive west to east.
Don't worry about schedules. Ths big issue is clearing the air in the Cascade Tunnel, which takes ABOUT 30 minutes. Transit time is 15-30 minutes. Figure another 10-15 minutes to clear up at Scenic or Berne. If trains are running opposite directions it works out to one an hour, at best. Grade is 1.6% ascending eastward through the tunnel, 2.2% on the long approach grades. Figure about an hour between trains at Scenic (West end) and Berne (East End).
The west approach, from Monroe to Goldbar, is parallelled by US 2 which lies north of the railroad. This puts you on wrong side of the sun. Good news is that for most of the year it will be rainy and/or cloudy so you will have soft light and the north side may not be too bad.
If you are somewhere between adventureous and foolhardy this stretch between Monroe and Goldbar is the only place you can pace the train and odds are you will loose him when you hit the next small town in five or six miles. US 2 is two lane here. You can safely follow along until you guy meets someone and then follow that one the other way.
Goldbar has a small yard and it is possible you may find a train layed down here.
About three miles East of Goldbar, you will pass under the railorad and the road will climb a little hill. The drive in about a mile east of the bridge and west of the hill has long been a favorite stopping place. Have not been recently, but is worth investigating. Last I know it was called Zeke's and had a wooden NP caboose. You can shoot from highway shoulder on hill east of Zekes IF trees not too grown up. You should take the side trip into Index to see what you can. In this area you can get shots with Mt. Index in the background which I recommend.
Above Index is catch as catch can. There is a back road to Sunset Falls that seems a favorite for catching trains on the ca 1965 truss bridge over the river.
Barring features a general store, siding, US 2 right beside for a couple of miles. Good access.
Skykomish has good access if you are content to wait for trains. Sky is the traditional helper base and West end of the electrification. There is a small museum in Sky that has a fair collection of railroad stuff. Ask at the bar or City Hall if you can not find it. Sky has been all rearranged since I lived in the area. Sky is worth a stop, train or not.
Foss River bridge is up a side canyon to the right about 3 miles out of town. This is a tall steel viaduct were one of the electrics went off the bridge due to overspeed.
Another 6 miles or so east of Foss River is Deception Creek. There is a tourist pull off here. The railroad is up slope. There is a public trail but I do not know how far it goes, never took it. If I was poking around I would check it out. The line was completed about a quarter mile west of Deception Creek in January 1893.
You can get into (New) Scenic which is the last siding on the west slope. The line here is the 1928 line. The old line turned back about a half mile west of where you break out of the woods. The Iron Goat trail starts in this general area. You should be able to find out all about it at get a brochure at Sky. Trail (mostly) follows GN to Wellington, site of the famous snow slide of 1910.
US 2 crosses over the RR at west end of Scenic and climbs steeply to the top of the pass. If you are coming west you can look down on Wellington. Whether or not there is enough highway shoulder is up to you.
The highway crosses over the top of the tunnel just west of the east portal and there is a railroad road to the east portal on the left. This was all wide open when I was a kid many years ago. Enter this road expecting to find a gate. This is the one area where the BNSF may have more than a 100 foot right of way. Since this is the fan end, stay away from the tunnel portal and expect an unfriendly reception if you encounter ANY railroad employee. Interesting but high risk.
About half a mile below the East Portal the railroad crosses over US 2. Berne siding is to the right and there is a railroad access road to it immediately past the RR bridge. Stay away from the power switch as it can move at any moment. If there is a train stopped a Berne it is probably waiting for an opposing train.
The next place you can easily get into is Merritt, which is the base of the 2.2% grade on the east end. Last time I was there the wye was still intact as was a water tank. A few people live here. You should assume they are railroad employees.
Below Merritt the road and railroad run beside each other for a couple of miles. Trains in both directions move quickly here as it is a relative flat spot. A few miles below this place you can get into Winton. I think there is a controlled siding at Winton.
Shortly below Winton the railroad goes over the road. The West end of the Chumstick line ends about half a mile west of the bridge and the old line comes into the highway from the right 1000 of so feet East of the RR bridge. From that point to the curve at the East end of Leavenworth, US 2 is on the old GN line. You will cross the Wenatchee River in a mile or two and enter Tumwater Canyon.
If you want to hike you could go down the track to the tunnel and hope for a west man. Lots of smoke will follow the power. Do not hike on track as east trains will be both fast and silent.
Leavenworth was a crew change point until 1922 when it was moved to Wenatchee in anticipation of the Chumstick Line Change and the new Cascade Tunnel. The wide flat spot the highway occupies thru "downtown" is the old rail yard. In the 1960's Leavenworth went faux Bavarian. It was one of the first towns to remake itself into a tourist trap.
At the east end of Leavenworth you could take the Chumstick Canyon road which parallels the railroad for a few miles. This is my personal favorite. The dense trees, bushes, and brambles of the West side are gone so you can actually see across the country, at least in places. I like the hill slope above the railroad just before the railroad goes over the bridge. If you look west a mile or so you will see a tunnel portal. This is NOT the same tunnel you saw at Winton.
Below Leavenworth the railroad and highway are generally separated and on opposite sides of the Wenatchee River. There are plenty of places you can get to the railroad, just know you will get only one shot so make it a good one.
You can get good afternoon shots at Olds Junction, which requires a left turn past the business which are just past the high bridge over the Wenatchee River and the railroad.
There is a footbridge over the railroad at about First Street in downtown Wenatchee. You can take well lit photos of eastward trains all day here. A bit farther city south you could do same thing at Orondo Street grade crossing.
The Amshack is at Kittitas Street. Best light is afternoon.
Appleyard is about 2 miles city south of Amshack. Road to it is tricky. Follow signs to Malaga. The road and railroad get together at Appleyard. If you go past the end of the yard the road is on the sunny side all the way to Malaga.
Beyond Malaga there has to be a route to a shot of the very impressive Columbia River bridge but I have no idea what it is and how open it is. Light would be good all day if you moved around.
I think the better photo sites are east of Wenatchee, but you asked about the Pass.
Mac McCulloch
About 20 years ago I drove up next to the west portal of the Cascade Tunnel, and I don't recall any no trespassing signs on the road itself. Google Earth shows the Old Cascade Hwy takes off fom US 2 near the tunnel, and runs along the track by the portal. I understand that it takes about a half hour for the smoke to clear from the tunnel between trains.
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