So my girlfriend finally got me to do the John Wayne trail today on Snoqualmie pass. We put in @ Hyak around 4 30 tonight. Yes I know we got a late start. The first stop was to observe the Hyak depot. Although I like that it was saved, I wish the state would not have altered its appearance so much by hacking the outer walls to make way for a walkway on each side of the depot. After we hopped on the bikes, the next stop was obviouslly the Snoqualmie tunnel. If you dont have a light with you I would strongly urge you NOT to go inside the tunnel. As it was we were about 1/2 through the tunnel when 3 punk kids were walking with NO flashlights at all. Talk about stupid! I almost wrecked into my g/f as I swerved to get out of their way. The next stop we came to was Rockdale. We took a few pictures on the west side and observed the magnificant view. We continued west down the grade looking for anything from the old RR days. I saw several old telegraph lines, even some that still had the wires hanging on them. The Humpback snowshed was still standing. Although its length was shortened by the park and rec dept, it still could show someone what they looked like back in the day. The Mine creek trestle was magnificant. I got some pictures of me and the g/f on the trestle and one of me standing under the old cantanery support steel work. As we continued west we came to several rest areas that were what would you know it, painted in MILW depot colors. As we continued west we saw several people rock climbing around the Garcia area. As we got just west of Garcia we came to a substation. I am not sure if this was ever used by the RR, but I am sure it wasn't by the location the old ROW was taking us. Do you happen to know Ken? Just west of this substation we came to the old rock pit at Ragnar. I found a bunch of old timbers and treasures stock piled there. But one thing that REALLY puzzled me was all the old signals just lying there rusting away. I figured for sure that the scrappers would have cut these up. Last we continued to Cedar Falls to look around Rattlesnake Lake. The power company is doing some work around where the school and beanery used to be. I can see no signs of any old foundations, but I am sure they are there. We watched sunset at Rattlesnake Lake and then continued down the old Everett branch to the backside of my neighborhood and called it a night. My girlfriend got some pictures and I will post them when I get them. Ryan
No surprise to read of dummies w/o lights. The substation you note was built well after the rails were gone. I don't recall a school in the old railroad buildings? Information asbout those buildings is on MILW Lands, Tracks & Structures blueprint VW1, S-72a.
Ryan- I've been looking at what excerpts I have from that blueprint. Am still curious about mention of a school. Was there signage indicating such a structure?
Well Ken, there was a map of the area at the Cedar River watershed edcuational center. It showed where the mainline and the Everett branch were located. It showed where the buildings were located. If you were standing just behind the bungalows, the beanery would have been located on your far left if looking towards towards the lake, just slightly downhill from from the mainline. There was a building on your right that was labeled as "school" from I want to say 1914-1944, but I am not sure about the years. In between these 2 buildings were a couple buildings and one of them was the signal maintaners house and I can't remember what the other ones were. Maybe I can go up there one day this week and take a picture of the map and post them here. Ryan
Please do post a picture. Wish I had a full copy of that blueprint, but I am missing part of the east end. rats. If there as a school, it had to be off the end I am missing. Left to right would have been the RR hotel (beanery)(garage across the Everett Line), Agents housing, Section Foreman house (coal shed across track), Assistant Roadmasters house, Operators housing, Roadmaster's Clerk, Roadmaster and behind the RDM, (main line side), Lineman's house and garage. Also note the Agent house looks to have been modified (shortened at some time) and a garage built between it and the Section Foreman house. Main line was Sub 26, Bungalow 1,2,3 (garage behind each bungalow, Everett line side) and a ways east of that another house plus garage. Purpose? We were in Bungalow 2 a fair number of times, visiting a friend. Actually a rather nice building inside.
Cedar Falls foundations Ryan, the Cedar Falls substation foundation is almost at the end of the road, just west of the Cedar River Watershed Education Center. Their west parking lot is right next to it and they have an interpretive sign up next to it. Is the depot at Hyak really a former MILW structure? I haven't been up there to explore that area yet. Paul Seattle, WA
