The Abandoned Western Cascade Mountain Railroad Tunnels

📖 The Scoop

The creation of the train route through the Western Washington Cascade Mountains proved a monumental challenge. A conflict arose between the engineering capabilities of designers and the treacherous topography and inclement weather of the region. This edition profiles and elaborately photographs the historical remnants of the Cascade route originating between Scenic and Stevens Pass. Remaining and abandoned train tunnels and snow sheds are intimately portrayed accompanied by historical commentary

Amongst the featured attractions include the: Deception Creek Falls, Scenic Hot Springs, Windy Point Snow Shed and Railroad Tunnel, Western Portal entrance to the Cascade Grand Tunnel and the Wellington Railroad Tunnel and Snow Shed. Contextual insight from numerous sources is provided into the background, complexity and necessity for construction of numerous snow sheds following the 1910 Wellington catastrophe.

Today the Iron Goat Trail traces the routing between Deception Creek and Wellington. It has evolved into a popular hiking destination. Two trailheads are most easily reached during the summer and early fall months via the ghost towns of Scenic or Wellington. Both feature parking lots easily accessible by car. The trail routing also parallels with the partially closed Old Cascade Highway and heavily travelled U.S. Route 2 (Stevens Pass Highway).

The 1910 Wellington Avalanche

In winter 1910, the city of Wellington was a miniscule town that existed exclusively due to the Great Northern Railway. Constructed in 1893, the town was the operational headquarters for tunnel construction, tunnel electrification and general maintenance along the line. It was also an important coal, water and rest stop for trains on route to Everett, Seattle and Tacoma.

The edition details the massive blizzard and accompanying avalanche that occurred on March 1, 1910. The storm obliterated the train depot, sweeping two passenger cars into the Tye River and killing 96 passengers, the worst fatality count in American railroad history. Only 23 would survive the catastrophe that would initiate successive construction of eight miles of snow sheds covering twelve miles of track, a capable, but short-term solution. Many of the snow sheds and tunnels have partially collapsed due to their wood framing and exposure to inclement weather. They continue to slowly dissipate in condition or blend into the sloping terrain of granite hillsides.

The permanent solution involved the construction of the Cascade Grand Tunnel beginning in 1925. The Great Cascade Tunnel dedicated during January 1929 may be one of the most understated engineering feats within the United States. The concrete portal is large enough to accommodate a locomotive and connecting train cars cut through 7.8 miles of granite. When inaugurated, it was acknowledged as the longest tunnel within the western hemisphere. Today it remains the longest within the lower 48 states. The architectural genius behind the construction would provide a permanent solution to the troublesome and persistent menace of deadly regional landslides and avalanches.

Genre: Transportation / Railroads / History (fancy, right?)