Western Railroad Discussion > My last ride on the Tacoma Trestle

Here is my last ride across the former Milwaukee Road trestle in Tacoma, Washington on 2/13/2017

DelmonteX did a great job covering this. Here is what I took as I crossed for the last time. The weather
​was great on this Monday !

Pictures are from west (Freight House Square) to the old Milw. coach yard on the east.

There are more !!! Thanks for looking.

​Jay

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Here are 3 more  across the Tacoma Trestle

2/13/2017

​Jay

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This last photo I just had to include.  This track work is
​where the Tacoma Rail go's to the left and the passenger
line down to the BNSF split. I will need to be there when
​Amtrak starts using this "cutoff" especially the Starlight !!!

All shots taken fro the cab car.

Thanks for looking

​Jay



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/17 09:03 by lamta_jay.

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Gonna be interesting to watch the starlight climb the steep new hill in Tacoma. Tacoma averages almost 100 days a year with measureable precipitation.

Coalca Wrote:
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> Gonna be interesting to watch the starlight climb
> the steep new hill in Tacoma. Tacoma averages
> almost 100 days a year with measureable
> precipitation.

Southwest Chief climbs Raton every day, a steeper grade, snow, and 7500 feet up in the air instead of 200.

TAW

I thought I was pretty familiar with the Tacoma rail layout but your last photos has me puzzled.  Thats not the BNSF main line because thats double track ; where the Sounders diverge to the ex MILW and the new bridge.  Bottom line..where exactly is that spot?  Thanks
Roger B

up833 Wrote:
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>where exactly is that spot? 

I had to look it up, too. The wide angle lens makes the diamond crossover look more exotic than it is.

http://www.acme.com/mapper/?ll=47.24094,-122.40924&z=19
 

lamta_jay Wrote:
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> This last photo I just had to include.  This
> track work is
> ​where the Tacoma Rail go's to the left and the
> passenger
> line down to the BNSF split. I will need to be
> there when
> ​Amtrak starts using this "cutoff" especially
> the Starlight !!!

At Portland Ave (the double crossover location), passenger trains will take the straight track and crosso over using a faster crossover at L Street, unless there is a meet between Portland Ave and L Street.

TAW

Note the bridge on the left of the photo. My thought is thats the old MILW bridge over the river, which makes this shot off the UP line not the BNSF main. And if it was the BNSF main the MILW bridge would be dead ahead.
Wrong thinking on this?
thanks/Roger B

Last shot is about a quarter mile west of TR Jct. on the old Milwaukee Road
line that once took trains to Portland. The straight track is new (about 10 years)
and the track that veers to the left go's to the UP and their line to Seattle.

That switch just made me want to post a "whereisit" but fit better into this subject

​Jay

I'm also taking into account their current locomotive reliability. One unit on wet rail may get interesting. 

TAW Wrote:
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> Coalca Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Gonna be interesting to watch the starlight
> climb
> > the steep new hill in Tacoma. Tacoma averages
> > almost 100 days a year with measureable
> > precipitation.
>
> Southwest Chief climbs Raton every day, a steeper
> grade, snow, and 7500 feet up in the air instead
> of 200.
>
> TAW

lamta_jay Wrote:
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> Last shot is about a quarter mile west of TR Jct.
> on the old Milwaukee Road
> line that once took trains to Portland. The
> straight track is new (about 10 years)
> and the track that veers to the left go's to the
> UP and their line to Seattle.

To be clear, the track to the left is former Milwaukee Road, now owned and operated by Tacoma Rail, who confusingly call it the High Line.  Confusing because UP also calls a track "the high line" nearby, but it isn't this one.  TR's high line crosses the Puyallup river and under I-5 to the UP's Fife yard.   To my knowledge, UP has no operating rights over TR's High line.   While TR can and typically uses the Fife yard to access the High line, they don't operate any further north than the Fife yard.  This is also not TR's only access to it's Mountain Division (across the trestle and on to Frederickson), they can cross the nearby BNSF Puyallup river bridge to nearby Bull Frog Jct, and make several moves that end up with the train running up the same track Jay and his Sounder train will be on in the photo.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography