The Scenic Subdivision or Scenic Sub is a railroad line running about 155 miles (249 km) from
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
to
Wenatchee, Washington
Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and largest city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and was estimated to have increased to 34,360 as of 2019. Located in the north-central part ...
. It is operated by
BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...
as part of their
Northern Transcon
The Northern Transcon, a route operated by the BNSF Railway, traverses the most northerly route of any railroad in the western United States. This route was originally part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, Northern Pacific Railwa ...
. This route includes the
Cascade Tunnel
The Cascade Tunnel refers to two railroad tunnels (original and its replacement) in the northwest United States, east of the Seattle metropolitan area in the Cascade Range of Washington, at Stevens Pass. It is approximately east of Everett, wit ...
, as well as the 1893 site of the "last spike" near
Scenic, Washington
Scenic Hot Springs is a privately-owned natural mineral spring in Washington state that is closed to the public. It is located south of U.S. Route 2, about 8 miles west of Stevens Pass and bordering the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Nearby, the Great N ...
, which marked the completion for the
Great Northern Railway transcontinental railway line built by
James J. Hill
James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 – May 29, 1916) was a Canadian-American railroad director. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwes ...
.
Current operations are limited to 30 trains per day due to ventilation capacity with the
Cascade Tunnel
The Cascade Tunnel refers to two railroad tunnels (original and its replacement) in the northwest United States, east of the Seattle metropolitan area in the Cascade Range of Washington, at Stevens Pass. It is approximately east of Everett, wit ...
.
Description
Traveling east from the
King Street Station
King Street Station is a train station in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is served by Amtrak's '' Cascades'', ''Coast Starlight'', and ''Empire Builder'', as well as Sounder commuter trains run by Sound Transit. The station also anchor ...
in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, the main line of the BNSF heads north through the
Great Northern Tunnel under downtown Seattle. After exiting the tunnel, the main line continues north through the
Interbay neighborhood and the
Balmer Railyard. The line then crosses the
Lake Washington Ship Canal
The Lake Washington Ship Canal, which runs through the city of Seattle, connects the fresh water body of Lake Washington with the salt water inland sea of Puget Sound. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks accommodate the approximately difference in w ...
on the
Salmon Bay Bridge
The Salmon Bay Bridge, also known as Bridge No. 4, is a Strauss Heel-trunnion single-leaf bascule bridge spanning across Salmon Bay and connecting Magnolia/ Interbay to Ballard in Seattle, Washington. The bridge is located just west of Commodore ...
and passes through the
Ballard neighborhood. The line passes through
Golden Gardens Park
Golden Gardens Park is a public park in Ballard, a neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The park includes wetlands, beaches, hiking trails, and picnic and playground areas. The park's bathhouse was designated a historic landmark by the City of S ...
in Ballard, which has been the site of several incidents involving pedestrians crossing the tracks. Several accidents proved fatal.
The main line then continues north along the shore of
Puget Sound
Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...
through the cities of
Edmonds Edmonds may refer to:
* Edmonds (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the surname)
* Edmonds, Washington, a city in Washington, US
** Edmonds station (Washington), a passenger train station in Washington, US
* Edmonds station (SkyTra ...
and
Mukilteo
Mukilteo ( ) is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located on the Puget Sound between Edmonds, Washington, Edmonds and Everett, Washington, Everett, approximately north of Seattle. The city had a population of 20,254 ...
, past
Rucker Hill, near downtown
Everett, to the old Everett Station, built by the Great Northern Railway in 1900. This section of the main line from Seattle to Everett is mostly double track with BNSF planning to double track the remaining single track in conjunction with changes planned by
Sound Transit
Sound Transit (ST), officially the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, is a public transit agency serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It operates the Link light rail system in Seattle and Tacoma, r ...
. From the old Everett Station the main line becomes single track making a nearly 180 degree turn through a partially covered cut through downtown Everett to the new
Everett Station
Everett Station is an Amtrak train station serving the city of Everett, Washington. The station has provided service to the '' Cascades'' and ''Empire Builder'' routes since its opening in 2002, replacing an earlier station near the Port of E ...
.
From the new station, the main line heads southeast along the
Snohomish River
The Snohomish River is a river in Snohomish County, Washington, formed by the confluence of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers near Monroe. It flows northwest entering Port Gardner Bay, part of Puget Sound, between Everett and Marysville. The ...
through the cities of
Snohomish and
Monroe. From Monroe, the main line follows the
Skykomish River
The Skykomish River is a long river in the U.S. state of Washington which drains the west side of the Cascade Mountains in the southeast section of Snohomish County and the northeast corner of King County. The river starts with the confluence ...
through the towns of
Index
Index (or its plural form indices) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index''
* The Index, an item on a Halo megastru ...
and
Skykomish
Skykomish is a town in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 198 as of the 2010 census, down from an estimated peak of "several thousand" in the 1920s.
Located in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, 49 miles east o ...
to the western portal of the current
Cascade Tunnel
The Cascade Tunnel refers to two railroad tunnels (original and its replacement) in the northwest United States, east of the Seattle metropolitan area in the Cascade Range of Washington, at Stevens Pass. It is approximately east of Everett, wit ...
. East of Everett, the route is single track except for passing sidings. To the east of
Gold Bar
A gold bar, also called gold bullion or gold ingot, is a quantity of refined metallic gold of any shape that is made by a bar producer meeting standard conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record keeping. Larger gold bars that are produced ...
, the route is mainly located on narrow ledges as it crosses back and forth across the Skykomish,
South Fork of the Skykomish, and the
Foss River
The Foss River is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. It has two main forks, the East Fork Foss River and the West Fork Foss River. The main stem is formed by the confluence of the two forks. The river and its forks rise near in the Alpine L ...
s. A steep ascent/descent (2.2%) starts in the vicinity of eastern Skykomish and continues through the tunnel to
Merritt. At Skykomish are facilities for turning equipment, mainly for snow fighting. Skykomish was also the end of electrification when the line was electrified from Wenatchee to Skykomish in 1928-1929. In 1928, a new electrical power plant was sited there as well but is now demolished.
After summiting the
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...
near
Berne
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
, the line starts a steep (2.2%) descent at a 2.2% grade, passing through the
Gaynor Tunnel, and on to Merritt. Merritt is the site of a maintenance base with a turning facility for snow fighting equipment. To the east of
Winton was the junction with the original right of way, and a 1928 line relocation project called the Chumstick Cutoff. This project included the construction of the
Winton,
Swede and
Chumstick Tunnels.
U.S. Route 2
U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...
is now located on the original right of way between this point and
Leavenworth. Utilizing the Chumstick Cutoff, the line now goes down the
Chumstick Valley, after going through the Winton and Swede Tunnels, crossing the Wenatchee River and then passing through the Chumstick Tunnel.
Up until the building of the Chumstick Cutoff and the current Cascade Tunnel, and the electrification of a majority of the subdivision in 1927–1929, Leavenworth was the division point. This was moved to its current location in
Wenatchee
Wenatchee ( ) is the county seat and largest city of Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population within the city limits in 2010 was 31,925, and was estimated to have increased to 34,360 as of 2019. Located in the north-central part ...
in 1928–1929.
Starting near Leavenworth, the current line follows the
Wenatchee River
The Wenatchee River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, originating at Lake Wenatchee and flowing southeast for , emptying into the Columbia River immediately north of Wenatchee, Washington. On its way it passes the towns of Plain, Leaven ...
valley to the city of Wenatchee and the
Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
. This area has a historic past, and is known for fruit production, particularly apples, pears and cherries. The railroad follows the river through countless fruit groves and passes the communities of
Peshastin,
Dryden
''
John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate.
He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the peri ...
,
Cashmere, and
Monitor
Monitor or monitor may refer to:
Places
* Monitor, Alberta
* Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States
* Monitor, Kentucky
* Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States
* Monitor, Washington
* Monitor, Logan County, West Vir ...
, before arriving in the Wenatchee area. At Wenatchee, there is a small industrial base served by the railroad as well as a yard (Appleyard) used mainly during the fruit harvest season.
History
The section between Seattle and Everett was the site of several fatal collisions with pedestrians in the 1970s due to its location along the shore. The King and Snohomish county governments constructed several pedestrian overpasses to provide access to public beaches and shorelands over the tracks. The section has also been the site of landslides that caused prolonged closures for passenger and freight service. The
Washington State Department of Transportation
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Establi ...
, Sound Transit, and BNSF funded $16.1 million in improvements, including
retaining wall
Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides.
Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...
s, slope stabilization, and landslide detection, beginning in 2014.
Gallery
Image:King Street Station-1.jpg, King Street Station, Seattle
Image:Salmon Bay Bridge-3.jpg, Salmon Bay Bridge, Seattle
Image:BNSF Scenic Subdivision, from Carkeek Park overpass.jpg, Main line heading north out of Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
along the shore of Puget Sound
Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...
Image:AmtrakCascadesEdmonds.jpg, Amtrak Cascades leaving Edmonds Station
Image:BNSF (Everett Station)-1.jpg, The former Everett Amtrak station, built in 1910 and closed in 2002
Image:BNSF (Everett)-1.jpg, Covered cut under downtown Everett (eastern portal)
Image:Everett Station from Smith Ave, April 2020.jpg, The current Everett Station
Everett Station is an Amtrak train station serving the city of Everett, Washington. The station has provided service to the '' Cascades'' and ''Empire Builder'' routes since its opening in 2002, replacing an earlier station near the Port of E ...
, built in 2002
Image:Mow-train.jpg, The flatlands east of Everett
Image:Skykomish.jpg, The city of Skykomish
Image:CascadeTunnelWestPortal.jpg, The west portal of the Cascade Tunnel
Image:BNSF Scenic-Sub-1700-Cascade-Tunnel.jpg, The east portal of the Cascade Tunnel
References
External links
{{commons category, Scenic Subdivision
BNSF Subdivisions
BNSF Railway lines
Rail infrastructure in Washington (state)