9News Update http://www.9news.com/news/article/277452/339/Sinkhole-closes-highway-continues-to-grow :sad:
This is affected from the original bore right? Not the one that currently has the tracks in it that is unused since 1997.
I'm not sure "original" is the right adjective. Bore in use at the time of Highway construction and replaced in the 40s might be the safest description.
Correct, this is the Old / Original bore that has failed but is very close to the newer one so depending on how the repair is to be made could impact both tunnels...
Actually that disaster began late summer of 1987. I was there. The final figure for Stampede was in the vicinity of $125-130 million dollars. It wasn't just the tunnel, but bridges, ties, rails, extending several sidings and new signals, etc.
There has been noise about Snoqualmie since 1987. The major problem was how the original r-o-w was 'preserved' for future use. Which allowed a lot of opposition and was not a permanent basis. Somehow, it did not come under Rails to Trails. Instead the State legislature had to renew its status. The last time it was due was in the past few years. I have not bothered to check and see what ever happened there. It was not looking all that good. An attorney I queried described RTT as being a mess. Intent was obvious, but the way it was written has allowed continual arguments via perceived loopholes, by those who'd oppose rails ever being re-emplaced- Anywhere... Which could explain part of the way Tennessee Pass is today, rails still there, as keeping a toe in the door. Directional running of Stampede was in the works from early on and they have routed trains just that way.
I just looked at it on google earth. That isn't a very long bore for a summit tunnel. Maybe 1/2-3/4 mile long?
You were there and I was not, so I can't speak to this historically, but I do know that the Iron Triangle is a change in what had been BNSF's operations in Washington and the Unions were opposed (although that seems to have been cleared up). A lot of fighting, because crew changes are moving with jobs now moving to Auburn. Also, expected to run Auburn to Pasco without dying. I assume that the directional running and track upgrades have made this happen since they are doing it. The plan is to run westbound through the gorge and then empty grain and coal moves eastbound through Stampede.
Ken- Weyco ran into this similar situation when they shut down the woods line out of Longview when the Green Mtn mill closed. Weyco figured it would simply "shut down" the RR instead of ripping out the rails. The reason they did this was in case they needed rail service again it could quickly be re-activated. This ended up being their saving grace about 1 year later. Maybe UP has something up their sleeve that we are not aware of. Or maybe they know that IF they rip out TP and find out they need it back later, they will spend years and who knows how much $$$$ going through legal red tape to get their RR back. Ryan
They did this back in late 1990s. Perhaps it's just a new name for the same idea. But what you describe about the unions, etc, went through the works previously. It all ended up with traffic levels so low across Stampede, the whole thing was essentially shelved. Sounds like this is the 'everything old is new again' theme.
That's a lot of money in taxes and so forth for a redundant line that is one of the worst to operate sections of railroad in the country that currently goes nowhere in particular.
They plan to have 20 or so Grain/Coal empties a day during peak on top of the regular Stampede traffic. Don't know if that will happen, but that's the plan. They spent millions and millions last year upgrading the line for this.
So I just read a theory that the reason they keep TP is in case of Sabotage or natural disaster at Moffat Tunnel. I'm not sure I buy that. Maybe they just are saving it for when the moffat renewal comes up at which point they will close moffat and run over TP.
I forget how many trains they were going to run in the 1990s. It was about half the number you list. Coal and grain. The NIMBYs between Auburn and Ravensdale will start howling yet again. Atop everything else already expended, that line needs to finally start paying back in usefulness.
I believe Coal shipments are way up to those ports. In fact, I think we talked about this here, but they are searching for another coal port with talk of Coos Bay and other locations. Those 20 trains is assuming currently levels. When I lived in Beaverton 2001-2004 I never saw a coal train in Vancouver. I went back east to see them, but when I moved back for a year in 2010, they made regular appearances. So if nothing else, Coal export is way up.
Which is another reason to be puzzled over why.... Eventually, someone will find a way to make it a liability to UP. They'll stub a toe on a flea and try to sue, as it had to be a UP flea. Never mind that the toe stubber was a trespasser to begin with.
