Western Railroad Discussion > Stevens Pass

In the last hour 3 eastbounds by Skykomish.

All three are now climbing the hill

coal empties 4x0

coal empties 2x2

grain empties 3x0

DHF

The signal system permits them to have three EBs between Sky and Scenic at the same time?

I wonder how they propose to put three eastbounds in a row through the tunnel ...

After the revamp, how long does it take to blow out the tunnel between consecutive eastbounds?

Thanks in advance,

Rob L.

rob_l Wrote:
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> The signal system permits them to have three EBs
> between Sky and Scenic at the same time?

Sure - 3 intermediate signals between east switch Skykomish and West switch scenic.

>
> I wonder how they propose to put three eastbounds
> in a row through the tunnel ...

The second will wait a long time, the third will wait longer than that.

It's been a while, but used to be that dispatchers were to keep the main clear if there was an east man in the tunnel to allow backing out if there was trouble. A second east waited in the siding at Scenic and a third would stay at Sky. Sometimes toward the end of my tenure there, one of our less experienced colleagues who was supposedly qualified on a half dozen positions would forget that (partly as a result of the SLSF folks making the elimination of BN institutional knowledge a priority goal).

There's no reason for the third one to go up there. Might as well send them to coffee at Sky (or ice cream at Baring in the summer).
>
> After the revamp, how long does it take to blow
> out the tunnel between consecutive eastbounds?

It was 30 min east behind east and 15 min for west behind west or west east with the flush occurring while the west was in the tunnel). If there's been a change, I'd like to hear about it too.

TAW

The first empty puked at Scenic with power problems (something to do with mismatched wheels) so it was still sitting there when I came by on my Westbound Z train at 1730. They dispactched some light power out of Wenatchee to tack on and drag them through the hole.

BNSFhogger Wrote:
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> The first empty puked at Scenic with power
> problems (something to do with mismatched wheels)
> so it was still sitting there when I came by on my
> Westbound Z train at 1730. They dispactched some
> light power out of Wenatchee to tack on and drag
> them through the hole.

Where were the following two empties stashed? Back at Sky? Or did they run around the first guy and you met them further east?

Thanks in advance,

Rob L.

The first one was able to limp between switches so all trains, including AMTK, had to run through the siding. I met the other empty coal at Leavenworth and the other at Merritt.