Railroad Operations at the Cascade Tunnel / Stevens Pass, WA
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2012
- Railfanned the Cascade Tunnel, West and East portal. Caught some good action, mixed with some beautiful fall colors. Got everything from GEVO's, to DASH-9's, and even a somewhat scarce BNSF AC4400CW #5635. Also caught BNSF 684, formally ATSF 684, still has the low ditch-lights and a Leslie RS3L! Enjoy....
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I have been through this tunnel many times, yes it gets real dark in there glad we never had any serious problems. I worked as a brakeman!
The door is to get the fans to clear exhaust smoke out of the tunnel. When a eastbound train arrives at Scenic it trips a track circuit that closes the door and starts the fans. About a half a mile from the east portal the train trips another track circuit that opens the door. After the train is clear the door closes and the fans go in the flush mode to clear the tunnel.
It's downhill westbound. When a westbound train arrives at Berne east of the tunnel the fans come on but the door stays open.
the natural draft of the tunnel is from west to east. on an east bound move the door is closed and the fans are running the entire time the train is in the tunnel. if the fans were not running the natural draft of the tunnel would cause the diesel smoke to overrun the locos and choke them out and stall the train in the tunnel. the curcuit that opens the tunnel door is about 1/4 mile inside the east portal of the tunnel. once an east bound clears the tunnel the door is closed to vent the remaining exhaust from the train and takes about 35-40 minutes. on a west bound move the door is closed after the train enters an clears the track curcuit for the door. the fans also fire up at this point and chase the train with its smoke. this cuts the flush time of the tunnel down from 35-40 minutes for east bound to about 15-20 minutes west bound. essentially the flush is started while a west bound is in the tunnel. another reason the track inside the tunnel is maintained to such a high standard. slowing trains down from their normal speed inside the tunnel depending on location can be disastrous for operations as the smoke will often overrun the trains and choke out the engines
Mot to mention Hobos
grandprixkid3800 Sounds complicated. We have a better solution here, it's called electric locomotives. ;)
NeoDerGrose the tunnel used to be electrified up till 1959 when it was removed to improve transit times on the subdivision due to changing power out in Skykomish and Wenatchee
grandprixkid3800 I know, that's the difference, we don't have to change because we almost always use electric power.
I understand that the capacity of the tunnel is very limited because of the need of ventilation . Maybe electricity will come back when there's a need for more trains.
+grandprixkid3800 All true if the dispatcher has the tunnel in automatic control, but it can be changed to a manual flush which is sometimes necessary.
I wondered how these things actually worked. THANKS! This was a BIG help!
Cascade Tunnel was electrified until 1956, so electric only locomotives used the tunnel until then. Afterwards, two 800 HP fans (and the doors) were installed to ventilate the tunnel to permit diesel locomotives to operate there.
Lived in the Tacoma area for 10 years. Spectacular train action in Western Washington!
Ah, the thunder of approaching diesels never fails to impress. Thanks Ben.
The Otira railway tunnel in New Zealand has a similar arrangement with doors to aid with the ventilation.
Lord, I miss cabooses... Trains just look unfinished or broken without them. I realize they're superfluous (allegedly), but still... Yeah, showing my age. I miss steam whistles, too.
Nah they’re fine at any age.
That's a great way of keeping people out of the tunnel.
That's technically true but the very main reason why the door is there is to vent out the fumes with fans out to the west to make the tunnel safe for people to breath without toxic fumes to smell.
+875billiondude that is a big part of it. They also do it to get oxygen into the tunnel for the diesel engines to operate.
It also prevents animals from getting into the tunnel.
Funny story, pulled over by I guess what you'd call one of the ends of the tunnel on the east side of the mountains to take a leak. This video doesn't do the noise justice as to how loud those fans are. Incredibly loud, scary loud, mind boggling loud. Could not hear my buddy yelling at me from across the hood of his truck. That said we decided to investigate the noise. We climbed the fence to get into the deck area that holds spare parts for the tunnel. Huge industrial crane. There stood a fan blade or turbine. Damn thing stood a good 8'. Crazy. We left there and were in aww the whole way home as to what we just saw. Every time I pass that shed now, and I pass it often I think of how amazing this damn tunnel is. Had no idea there was an automated door that closes to help evacuate the fumes. Awesome feat of engineering that is all.!
my bro used to live on the west end of the tunnel when bnsf had two houses there. they have been demolished unfortunately. it was a great place to live.
The reason for shutting to doors to the tunnel is for the ventilation system. There are several large fans that suck the fumes out of the tunnel. And to do so they shut the doors ahead of ( and I think behind) the train. That way, no one is killed by fumes from the locomotives, and the locomotives have fresh air to breath.
Benjamin Carpenter; I thought they would want the doors open for the air outside to come in but i guess that wouldn't be enough & putting in a fan system would be better with all those diesel fumes & depending on how many locomotives as well, usually those mountain runs have atleast 3-6 cars up front & on the back for power & braking. I've seen some cool footage from up in the mountains here in Canada up in Vancouver B.C. & Calgary Alberta, those mountains are enormous! & some runs have 8 CN Locomotives up front & 3-6 in the back, same as the CP runs up in the mountains.
this is a fucking lie, they have some secret thing in this tunnel....
BIGFOOT,
Maybe Jimmy Hoffa lives there!🤣
JFK😗
Cool video. Thanks👍❤️
Cascade Tunnel was designed by J.F. Stevens, Chief Engineer for the Great Northern Railroad. Stevens Pass is named for him. He discovered Marias Pass in the Montana Rockies, and a statue in his honor was placed at Summit (in Marias Pass) along the BNSF line.
Even more impressive were his accomplishments in Panama. Still a mystery to this day why he quit when he was clearly the genius behind the success and had the admiration of the country.
The way the tunnel structure looks, reminds me of a castle with a portal gate. It somehow reminds me of the Disney "Small World" ride tunnel. LOL. It is a very interesting design.
They should have a train wash section built in.
Sound is a little spine-tingling. Thanks.
Wow those containers cars look like they miss the top of that door by a foot or less.
World trade in action. The last train out of the east portal had many cars with initials "OOCL," which Google tells me is Hong Kong based Orient Overseas Container Line. Global trade and made in China is really an unavoidable aspect of modern life. Great video, thanks for posting.
ive never seen a tunnel like that before well ive seen a tunnel but this one as a metal sliding door thats cool.
The door is used to trap the exhaust from the locomotives so the fans inside the tunnel can suck it up and eject it so that the next passing train doesn't break down from sucking in exhaust
@@alexandergrube6437 You got half of that right, there are no scrubbers on the fans, it's not recycled as clean air.
I use to play there as kid, my dad worked there for 20 as well as my brother
Cascade Tunnel is the longest tunnel in the U.S., and the second-longest in North America. In 1996, a Burlington Northern locomotive hit the doors when they failed to fully open. The Tunnel was closed for a few days while a replacement door was sent from Seattle.
A very nice video Ben
Great stuff Chief!
at 3:00 the doors are closing at the portals once they are sealed the fans will start and the diesel fumes will be pumped out.
This is fantastic history!
having worked for BN many years, I have been thru the tunnel and in the fanhouse when the props activated. Better have earplugs ready. It was a great job and I still like to see them in action.
+felix u The the fans reverse based upon prevailing winds to either pull or push air through?
+lohphat nope. They are at the east portal and push air from east out the west end. Since the eastward grade is up hill the fans are of greater importance than for westbounds to help cool the engines and evacuate exhaust fumes. Takes about 20 minutes to complete a flush cycle after an eastbound.
felix u
this tunnel is uphill in both directions and crests inside the tunnel.
wesolint max elevation is at the east portal where the door is. The average 2.2% grade rises from west to east and crests right where the engines emerge going east. The engineer would throttle back as the train came thru this portal and gradually shut off as the train came down.
To seal the tunnel off on one end to properly vent the diesel exhaust out before the next train comes through. If trains go through one after the other, the locomotives will stall-out due to lack of oxygen to properly asperate
it's more to keep them cool. When we had 5 sd-40 on the point we could only run in the sixth notch to prevent overheating.
Love that Tunnel and miss going up to the Old Cascade Tunnel and Snow Sheds
I was born too late to have gone over the old route but I wish I had been able to. I have the GN book by Wood which has great details and awesome pictures. That must have been a thrilling ride!
@@douglasskaalrud6865 I hear you and yeah it would have been nice and i should have run the old route in my jeep before they made it a hiking trail
Great video! Liked and subscribed to your channel 👍🏽
Greetings from Finland,
Juha 😊
Great video Great Britan
Great video,wish I was their.
It's uphill eastbound. The summit of the grade is about where the mall silver shed next to the track is.
A great place to railfan. It's about 40 miles to the nearest town.
The small shed painted silver in teh video is at teh summit of the grade. It's uphill through teh tunnel going eastbound
Cliff West
this tunnel is uphill in both directions and crests inside the tunnel.
wesolint You're probably thinking of Stampede tunnel, on the old NP line through the Cascades. It has 2 opposing grades. This tunnel is a straight bore with a constant grade end to end.
Thanks for the video.
That road on this side of the tracks at the east portal, is where the original line came down from the original first tunnel and old switch back..
I don't think JB Hunt could pull just one of them containers up a hill like that whith a truck,,, good video
WHAT A FUN RIDE.
interesting tunnel,wery nice video,thank you,,,,(irfan,istanbul,turkiye)
The door and fans allow them to operate diesels. Long ago, they solved the power problem with electric locomotives, but that is ancient history.
you can hear the exhaust fans venting .
I'd imagine this tunnel is very old. Don't know when it was constructed, but it is also very tall. Did they heighten the clearances on this tunnel at some point? There were no double-stack container trains when it was built.
Steam locomotive stack height was a thing and some got tall. You also needed proofing space for it otherwise it would all get in the cab.
Very nice video, likes from me.
They also close between trains to empty the tunnel of gases
My dad installed thoes doors and fans.
Retired AF CE That’s too awesome.
I see I hope you'll do ride it
Are the gates to keep the crazies from sneaking out?
Wonderful
Thorough paperwork.
Looks a bit scary when you look at it 😥😰is it the same at the other side or different 🧐
cool vid. I noticed the cars had water pouring out whats the deal with that?
the door is to allow the fans to do their jobs. the fans clear the tunnel of deadly smoke and gasses. if you listen you can here the fans start up after the door closes.
Win win for bnsf. Tunnel door = better turbo performance. Tunnel door = more possibilities of equipment getting damaged and more investigations... get the urine cups boys, we got a door blaster..
After the end of the train clears the door open circuit the door closes forcing the exhaust out ahead of the train.
The coal train in this video is a eastbound empty. The loaded trains go via Pasco nd Wishram to Vancouver where they go north.
First train, last engine.. Anyone notice the guy throwing some paper or something out the window just as they hit the tunnel?
In the UK they used to have vertical ventilation shafts for long tunnels and my understanding is that the heat would rise and draw smoke and fumes away so it was a passive system. Is that not a viable option? First time I've ever see a gate on a railway tunnel actually.
Probably not for the US. In the UK, it seems like most freight trains only have 1 or 2 locomotives (which are also generally less powerful than American locomotives, such as the Class 66 vs the GEVO series), thus not needing nearly as much ventilation as a train with 4 or 5 Dash 9s and GEVOs.
So really like a human
I see you rode on it before?
Cascade Tunnel is the longest tunnel in the US air quality is poor in here so when a train enters it the doors are closed on both ends so fans can remove the diesel fumes and they don't open until the train reaches the portal
Is that the sound of the fans or the dynamic brakes on the engines? Is the train going downgrade? I'm kind of new to this and think these videos are great fun. thanks for sharing.
At the beginning of the video, what is the liquid coming from the cars as they come out of the tunnel?
at 5:30 my guess the first tall cars where the boeing parts, the boeing plant uses this line to haul boeing plane parts
THE FANS ARE TO PRESSURIZE THE TUNNEL TO KEEP THE EGOS OF THE BNSF WORKERS IN CHECK. THEY KNOW HOW AWESOME THEY ARE AND THEIR HEADS MAY EXPLODE OTHERWISE 💥
If you laid on top of those containers when the train gose sin the tunnel you would get tunnel roof rash.
cool vid
why are headlights 'on' ? i have seen many videos and am a little surprised.is it routine?
HI, I HAVE A SILLY QUESTION , BUT HOW DO ALL THE RAILROADS THROUGHOUT THE US KEEP TRACK OF THE CARS, LIKE WHEN ONE SHORT LINE HANDS OFF TO ANOTHER BIGGER LINE & THAT LINE HANDS OFF TO ANOTHER LINE AND SO ON. I AM HAVING 2K TONS OF STONE DELIVERED FROM NJ TO FL AND IT WILL COME FROM 4 SEPARATE RAIL LINES...SO IS IT LIKE A RENT-A-CAR DEAL OR LOANERS. IF YOU SEE SOME TRAINS THAT HAVE 100+ CARS , THEY OFTEN HAVE DIFFERENT LINES NAMES ON THEM....HOW DO THEY KEEP TRACK? IF YOU KNOW? EITHER WAY THANKS
What if you get trapped in the tunnel? There's a shelter?
How does ventilation work by closing doors! If you have an extraction fan you must need to pump air in with another fan to keep the pressure normal. Or....leave one door open.
Only one end closes.
What subdivision is Stevens pass?
Great action!! Did you know of any fans in that tunnel?
there's two large fans next to east portal, i saw them when i took Amtrak through that tunnel
Great vid! I take it the portal doors are to keep trespassers out?
doors keep air from escaping east end so fans blow exhaust out west end. door only closes when fans are operating
Very cool video . How long is the tunnel ??
8 miles I think.
I think it is for wild life animal keep out or person go in there because that is long tunnel so at least it will be safe for the train , human and animals.
DPU I see you
DPU usage must surely complicate ventilation
Railhead!! 🚂🚂🚂
That is cool. How long is this tunnel?
7.80 miles
for someone from downunder how long is the tunnell.... great vids too
THE TUNNEL IS: 7.3 MILES LONG.
No, It's for the use of a ventilation system. The tunnel is very long, and fumes build up. If enough build up, then there is no oxygen and the diesel engines can't breathe and will stall out and quit. More info @ the wiki, Search "Cascade Tunnel".
Why is it sealed?
I get the impression that there used to be more trackage, perhaps a yard, in earlier times. Would that have been the case? Were these tunnels a bottleneck during the steam era?
Not sure about the east end with the door. The grade out of the west end is built on fill 20feet deep iirc. Used to be a big bend with a hotel, and the grade went through a series of switchbacks all the over the top (a little bit of this can be seen on google earth in a swampy spot on the summit.) They then re-routed the grade several miles along the mountain side though multiple tunnels up to the final 3 mile tunnel. Eventually in the late 20's they completed the current grade and tunnel.
I like train videos on RUclips🍀
The train crews have to be scuba certified to run through the tunnel. A high rail vehicle does not. When on a road trip I had to get off of the train at one end of the tunnel and be transported via car to the other end where I once again boarded the train. I have high railed through the tunnel, but because I was not scuba certified, could not ride the locomotive through the tunnel. Dispatched this territory for several years. The tunnel dictates your railroad (along with Amtrak and Z trains)
Why would you have to be scuba certified makes no sense.
I can only assume in case they stall in the tunnel. As with most rules, it's a safety issue.
I think you might mean SCBA (Self contain breathing apparatus) as appose to SCUBA (Self contain underwater breathing apparatus)
L
+Jackie Sutton Why a car? Why couldn't they keep a hi-rail vehicle there to transport people through the tunnel? It probably involves the need to ventilate the tunnel. I would presume that there is some kind of road between the portals.
+Bill Chambers well, you couldn't have a hi-rail in the tunnel at the same time. The train would have had to wait on me for 30 minutes for a full flush before a hi-rail vehicle could enter the tunnel. I did hi-rail through it later with the track inspector.
Is the track inside on a gradient?
I see train coming out of the tunnel with good speed and those entering in opposite moving slow.
From what I remember, that tunnel is level all the way through, and is basically the summit for the trains.
the grade is 1.6% eastbound
BNSF RAMPAGES THRU THE NORTHWEST. THR RAILWAY THAT KERPS AMERICA GREAT 🙏
the hopper doors on most cars are not water tight .not much water will pool up in them.
At 1:16-1:30 maybe a Sasquatch in the bushes on the left hand side of the screen. What do you think?
I hate to admit it but I have the same smoke problem on my HO scale layout in the basement. The wife is starting to get annoyed .......
Well you know what the solution to that problem is don't you? Get rid of the wife!
put her under the basement problem solved
Wow! They got real diesel-powered model trains now? I'll bet that you're just enjoying a smoke while you're playing with your trains and your wife is just gullible.
the second train is taking airplane parts to Boeing Everett where they will become a 747.
it's where Bigfoot lives
Michael Canney check out the video at 1:16 - 1:30. On the left hand side in the bushes. Could be a Sasquatch.
Does Amtrak runs though this line?
Yes. They run the empire builder on it.
Burkutace27 I see you rode that train before?
Sadly no. I just watched the episode of extreme trains that focused on it.
Yes they do it's the Empire builder, rode it both ways as a kid, kinda spooky in there it' almost 8 miles long..
Yes. The Empire Builder.
why is only one side blocked off???
Wouldn't vent very well with both ends closed.
12:32 RIP ear buds
Kevin Pippin I love that sound....... wait! Uhhh ..... thanks I will pass....
Why the checkered door?
Tracey Cancio prob so it can be seen in all conditions.
The red and white checkered pattern was popular when it was built for increasing visibility. You also see similar patterns on radio towers and other structures to avoid for the same reason. The red means danger and the white can be seen better at night. The checkered pattern also does not typically appear naturally in nature, so it stands out from its surroundings as being an anomaly.
I understand here is a NO TRESPASSING area. How can I reach this tunnel and avoid being arrested when railfaning?
lailasalas don't go there, that will keep you from being arrested. That's why they put up no trespassing signs in the first place.
whats the point of a closing door on a train tunnel? just seems like one more thing to go wrong
+phil tripe When the doors close, exhaust fans kick on and clear the diesel fumes from the tunnel. This makes it so that there is enough oxygen in the tunnel so the engines on the next train don't choke out and stall. Same thing happens on the Moffat tunnel in Colorado.
welcome....to Jurassic Park
What do they got in there King Kong?
Is this Western Australia or Washington
Washington
why do they close it off after train run threw?
animals?
to evacuate the diesel emissions! The doors are closed for 30 minutes, during that time no trains are allowed to get through, so technically only 1 train per hour can go through it!