Passenger Trains > Starlight Test Train on the Lakewood Sub, Tacoma Wa

Wednesday night Amtrak ran a Starlight test train on the Lakewood Sub. This is the first Starlight train to run on the new line.

1) The train arrived in Tacoma about 10:55, with AMTK 191 & 192 on the point with 13 Superliners in tow. 60 axles.

2) After a brief station stop and amid heavy rain, they headed out for the "Prairie Line" hill.


3) Amazingly, the stop lights all lined up and I was able to catch train at Pacific Ave and pace it up the hill (forgetting to check my speedometer). The train seemed to be moving along fine and by the time it reached M street, it was really moving. Must have been quite the surprise to some drivers. For all those who though the Starlight might be "on it's knees" on this 2.85% grade, well... it looks like it's going to do okay.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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4) Here it is at the bottom of the hill.


I tried to keep up with it all the way to Nisqually, while I beat it to Nisqually by seconds, it's only because of the 30 mph limit after CP 188 (south of Dupont). All along I-5, it kept pulling away, while I struggled to do 60 in the heavy rain.

The train continued on to Centennial, where they ran around the train and headed back for the Lakewood Sub. Another brief station stop at Tacoma Dome and it was off to Seattle. Overheard the engineer respond that they had no problems.

5) From the L Street road bridge, crossing the new Sounder bridge in less heavy rain than earlier, but still enough rain to mess with my cameras auto-focus. So, sorry about the slightly out of focus image.

6) Somewhat better, but without much of the locomotives.

Steve Carter
Gig Harbor, WA
My Photography

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Marvelous coverage of the Starlight Test Train in challenging conditions-does it ever stop raining? Thanks for sharing your wet & wild evening.

YES! It DOES stop raining often. I remember back in 2007, it stopped once.............

Ed

Steve, thanks for recording this historic first trip of a Starlight consist on the New Lakewood line! It sounds like the train handled the 2.85% grade easily.

For other readers, how are similar Amtrak consists handling other steep mainline grades, such as the Zephyr on Soldier Summit or the Chief on Raton and Glorieta? Do these trains walk up the hills with ease or struggle in run-8? Thanks!

Great coverage of this event ! Thank you for sharing!!! :):):)

Great shots. I am sure you mentioned this before, but with all the passenger traffic shifting this way, does that change when Tacoma Rail will run?

Auburn_Ed Wrote:
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> YES! It DOES stop raining often. I remember back
> in 2007, it stopped once.............
>

Wasn't that for almost 20 minutes?

TAW

DelMonteX Wrote:
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> For all those who though the Starlight
> might be "on it's knees" on this 2.85% grade,
> well... it looks like it's going to do okay.

So after 20 years, I can stop arguing that it's going to work?

TAW

jaybest Wrote:
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> For other readers, how are similar Amtrak consists
> handling other steep mainline grades, such as the
> Zephyr on Soldier Summit or the Chief on Raton and
> Glorieta? Do these trains walk up the hills with
> ease or struggle in run-8? Thanks!

Part of my arguments against folks who said it couldn't be done is that Raton is steeper, it is 7000 foot elevation instead of 200 feet, it snows, and the Chief makes the trip every day.

TAW

there are days the SW chief can't make it

Many thanks for the update Steve. Appreciate your taking the time to record yet another first. Happy Thanksgiving!
Arlen

That is absolutely so cool and what a milestone. Great to see this coming together! Thanks so much Steve for traipsing out in the rain and dark to get the shots. I drive the I-5 corridor passing by the "new" tracks 4 times a day and can't wait for the day when it's gridlocked going through the base and the Talgo or Starlight come zipping through doing 70. I wonder if the demand for more rail will increase.

dan Wrote:
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> there are days the SW chief can't make it

Yeah, usually when one of the two engines craps out or is about to. I rode both ways in September when it had two private cars on the rear and it made the climb just fine.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/17 11:44 by Cumbresfan.

> It sounds like the train handled the 2.85% grade easily.

Any reason it shouldn't? However, don't expect to go much over 25 mph in the process.

> For other readers, how are similar Amtrak consists handling other steep mainline grades, such as the Zephyr on Soldier Summit or the Chief on Raton and Glorieta? Do these trains walk up the hills with ease or struggle in run-8?

Donner, Grass Lake, Santa Margarita, no problems.

Great rain shots!

Regards, Jim Evans

#5 IOTD!!

I was stationed at NAS Whidbey Island from September of 1962 to September of 1963. We had several nice days, at least 5 or 6.

Steve --
Nice photos, all of them! I agree -- #5 really deserves to be IOTD!

px320 Wrote:
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> I was stationed at NAS Whidbey Island from
> September of 1962 to September of 1963. We had
> several nice days, at least 5 or 6.

LOLOL! A good friend likes to say that the official
State Tree of Washington is -- mold! < G >



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/17 21:37 by Margaret_SP_fan.

No problems either for the CZ on the climb to Soldier Summit from either direction.