Bad news on the Woodinville sub. We all knew but hoped this day wouldn't come. As I was driving home from work the other day I noticed a big pile of brush stacked up on top of the Wilburton tunnel. As I exited the tunnel and looked towards my right (west), I noticed a shocking and sad sight. THE RAILS HAVE BEEN REMOVED! Yes, Ron Sims has finally got his wish! But as I saw this I was on the phone with one of my model railroad buddies and we both came to the same conclusion. BNSF has made a TERRIBLE mistake. With the hard rains we have here in the PNW and the constant building up around Everett and Edmonds, it is only a matter of time before one of the hillsides become unstable and come down below wiping out the Seattle-Everett mainline. The only way BNSF will be able to get trains east if this happens is to go all the way south to Portland, then east to Spokane, and then finally west back to Everett. If the Woodinville sub would be totally in tact they would only have to go south to Renton then travel due north to Snohomish and the finally west to Everett. In some ways I kind of hope and event like this happens so the powers to be will at that time finally realize how foolish and stupid they really were by making this sale with King Co. But what do I know, I am just a normal everyday Joe and not college educated like the powers to be are.
In addition to it's on line customers, that Subdivision was used many times as an alternate emergency routing. No problem. Soon will come your taxes jumping, to build new rail transit on the east side. Even though it's spiderwebbed with mostly excellently located former routes. Prepare for endless court battles, and so forth... Boxcab E50
Yes it was used as an emergency route as I have photos of double stacks going over the Wilburton trestle sometime around 1996-1997 with 2 GP 38-2's on the lead. And if I also remember right, wasn't that the route the MILW used for their southbound route out of Everett-Tacoma?
Yes. The Milw used that route for at least two daily trains. Can't recall what year that began. It was not immediate after the BN merger. As they still had their Everett Line intact. It was late 1973 at earliest. Boxcab E50
Please forgive me, but I can't seem to get past that acronym, S.L.U.T.. Who in the right mind would have thought that was a good idea?? Someone is brain dead at the wheel
that is the problem, it was called the "South Lake Union Trolley." they caught it right away, but it was too late, the offical name for it is "south lake union streetcar" but the SLUT acronym stuck.
Right, They fixed it officially, but who cares what it really is called. Sorta How BART was originally gonna be Frisco Area Rapid Transit.
Last time they tried to detour a entire train over the Woodenville sub it derailed around Maltby (in my dads friend back yard). The problem was and is while the line is fine for the locals the roadbed and ties are not in great shape for big heavy frieght trains. I think if the Scenic sub did was wash out bad it would still be cheaper for the BNSF to detour trains the long way then invest money in the Woodenville sub. Kevin
