Western Railroad Discussion > Tacoma Rail Test Trains

This weekend Sound Transit, WSDOT and Tacoma Rail are running test trains (or Track Stabilization Trains) on the Lakewood Subdivision.   This is the line that will Bypass, the Pt Defiance Bypass line in the Tacoma area.  
In a nutshell, all passenger trains will be moved to the new line (it is essentially new from the dirt up) between Tacoma and Nisqually.  I.e. off of the Seattle sub along the South Puget Sound.
Key to this project is rebuilding of the line between Nisqually and Lakewood and the building of a new double track bridge in Tacoma to replace the single track Milwaukee trestle.  Those are the most recent projects of a long list, that included building a half mile section of track with a bridge over Pacific Ave, that connected the original Milwaukee mainline to the NP Prairie line.

For Saturday 1/21/17, the Tacoma Rail crews (2) were called at 6:30 and were supposed to start the test runs at 8 am.  When I arrived about 10 am, they had already completed 2 round trips between S 66th St in South Tacoma, to Gravelly Lake Rd in Lakewood.   The Sounders have been using much of this test area for a few years now, but only as single track.  The recently finished second track and the single track south of the Lakewood Sounder Station were being tested Saturday.

1) Here’s the Test train heading south, approaching CP Prairie Junction, aka 108th St SW.  The young man in the shot is the son of a Tacoma Rail conductor, who I believe was on the train.

2) In a nice weather break the train rolls past the line to Joint Base Lewis McChord and Roy WA (the end of the line).    The power for the train were the two ECO rebuilds 2200 and 2201 on the south end and 3801 and 3802 (not ECO’s at all), on the north end,  with 6 cars in between.

3) Rounding the curve into the Lakewood station, with the station’s parking garage in the background.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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4 & 5) The train is making a 30 mph run, starting from Gravelly Lake Rd (the next crossing south of the one in the shot).   I’ve shot steam engines I wished looked this dramatic.

6) Every crossing in the test area had a pair of Lakewood PD cruisers, that would do this when the gates came down.  Part of the testing is an attempt to get drivers used to fast (faster than 10 mph) trains blowing through the crossings.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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7 & 8) Moving further north, a southbound 40 mph run as started from S 66th St (just around the curve)

9) Going away shot from the same location.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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10) This location is at the 100th St SW crossing where a new switch to the lead in to the Lakewood Industrial Park was recently installed.  That track is in the foreground and there was some concerns about a bit of a rough ride over the switch, so it got a few extra runs.

11) Just north of that switch is the Coach yard and just before another big squall rolled in, I caught this southbound run past the Coach yard.

12) Finally, all the way down at the south end just north of the crossing over I-5, they are putting some finishing touches on the track in preparation for Sunday’s test runs.


 

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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Nice pics!!

thanks you Steve for the nice pictures and the nice videos.  appears that the project planners are doing a good job of preparing the area drivers for a drastic change in train traffic.  I look forward to the good marketing when the Cascades is wizing by the slow I-5 traffic.  Arlen

asheldrake Wrote:
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> thanks you Steve for the nice pictures and the
> nice videos.  appears that the project planners
> are doing a good job of preparing the area
> drivers for a drastic change in train traffic.  I
> look forward to the good marketing when the
> Cascades is wizing by the slow I-5 traffic. 
> Arlen

Dittos!!

🚂It may be obvious to some people but I assume that the length of the test train is about the length of a Cascades train.

Also, when this bypass opens for traffic, the rebuilt Tacoma trestle will not be finished. Seems like this could cause some scheduling problems with Sounder trains, six Cascades each way and two Coast Starlight trains.  It'll be fun/interesting to watch.🚂

Any idea whether the six covered hoppers were loaded or if they were empty?  Makes a difference when testing, in several areas.

Jsporseen Wrote:
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> 🚂It may be obvious to some people but I assume
> that the length of the test train is about the
> length of a Cascades train.
>
> Also, when this bypass opens for traffic, the
> rebuilt Tacoma trestle will not be finished.

Yes, it will.

TAW

TAW Wrote:
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> Jsporseen Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 🚂It may be obvious to some people but I
> assume
> > that the length of the test train is about the
> > length of a Cascades train.
> >
> > Also, when this bypass opens for traffic, the
> > rebuilt Tacoma trestle will not be finished.
>
> Yes, it will.
>
> TAW

​Is the plan to double the track down to Manitou?

Jimbo Wrote:
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> Any idea whether the six covered hoppers were
> loaded or if they were empty?  Makes a difference
> when testing, in several areas.

Among the reasons for the trains is stablizing the new track. They are probably loads fir that reason.

TAW

Excellent coverage. 

Question, in your last photo where the line crosses I-5, there appears to be much more work done than just new track and ballast. Did they ease that curve on the west side of the bridge? Or just improve drainage, thx!

I sent an email to Corrie Adams at Sound Transit and received an email back indicating that they are not planning on having the trestle finished in time for the opening of the bypass.  Just looking at the construction pics I tend to agree with Sound Transit.

sums007 Wrote:
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> TAW Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Jsporseen Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > 🚂It may be obvious to some people but I
> > assume
> > > that the length of the test train is about
> the
> > > length of a Cascades train.
> > >
> > > Also, when this bypass opens for traffic, the
> > > rebuilt Tacoma trestle will not be finished.
> >
> > Yes, it will.
> >
> > TAW
>
> ​Is the plan to double the track down to
> Manitou?

In some future that has money, yes. I planned two tracks from TR Jct. all the way to Rill (just south of Lakewood) but there is no money for that. For now, there was a huge amount of work put into a timetable that allows everything to run on the single track between D Street and Manitou. It wasn't easy to do.

TAW
 

Jimbo Wrote:
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> Any idea whether the six covered hoppers were
> loaded or if they were empty?  Makes a difference
> when testing, in several areas.

Anybody have any car numbers?

Jsporseen Wrote:
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> I sent an email to Corrie Adams at Sound Transit
> and received an email back indicating that they
> are not planning on having the trestle finished in
> time for the opening of the bypass.  Just looking
> at the construction pics I tend to agree with
> Sound Transit.

I wrote the timetable to be effective opening day. It includes two tracks between Portland Ave and D Street. I did work three years ago that demonstrated that it couldn't be done without. If there is single track there, it won't be pretty and a lot of folks will be pretty unhappy.

TAW

Coalca Wrote:
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> Excellent coverage. 
>
> Question, in your last photo where the line
> crosses I-5, there appears to be much more work
> done than just new track and ballast. Did they
> ease that curve on the west side of the bridge? Or
> just improve drainage, thx!

Just drainage and protecting the cut. The curve is still eight degrees and some change - 30 mph (another someday whern there is money kind of thing).

TAW

I like photo #3 with the train in the curve.
John

Did the MOW use a track stabilizer once tamping was finished?