Who...How...What...

They must be greasing the tracks.

They are sanding the rails for better traction, my guess the sand dispencers are broken on the engine.

They're not greasing the rails, Terry. They're *gluing* them!

My newest guess as to location (based on "topograpical feature"): Castle Rock (or near it). I agree that if they are indeed approaching or on a grade, then sanding - and hand-sanding at that - seems plausible.

goobnav wrote:

They are sanding the rails for better tractionB)

You are correct on that question Eric.


Too far south Mike. Closer to home for you.



Jerry

Approaching the Tacoma Plateau from the Puyallup Valley. (It doesn't gibe with the freeway sign for "Portland" in the background, if true.)

GNFan wrote:

Approaching the Tacoma Plateau from the Puyallup Valley. (It doesn't gibe with the freeway sign for "Portland" in the background, if true.)

Mike the photo I used is from a rail fanning site and hopefully it was captioned correctly.
You have got the correct area, just need the name of the grade, etc.

Jerry

The Nalley Valley?

Sorry Mike I was trying to edit my previous answer and you posted before me.
The name of the location has to do with why the men are sanding the tracks.

I'm learning more about the geography of your area than I ever thought I would, problem is finding the information fast enough to answer everyones guesses.

Jerry

I got it!

It is the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railraod, it was a part of the Milwaukee Road.

Right after leaving the Nisqually river, bridge washed out in 2006.

Sanding the rails, for engine #5, a 2-8-2 HK Porter, one the largest ever built.

goobnav wrote:

I got it!

It is the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railraod, it was a part of the Milwaukee Road.

Right after leaving the Nisqually river, bridge washed out in 2006.

Sanding the rails, for engine #5, a 2-8-2 HK Porter, one the largest ever built.

Eric you have two out of three.

Remember the clues to the location:

1. The name of the location has to do with why the men are sanding the tracks.
2. The place I am looking for is the name of a topographical feature.
3. The engines are beginning their climb over one of the steepest mainline grades of it's time (3.6 - 4.5% depending on different sources).

Jerry

Tacoma Hill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I found the link.


www.steamrailroadphotos.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=91&cat=504

Great job Eric. It is your turn now

The answers to the questions are:

1. Milwaukee Road
2. Tacoma Hill
3. Sanding the rails for traction

When I first started in the hobby I read an article in Model Railroad Magazine about the Tacoma flats and Tacoma Hill. I was intrigued by the grade of Tacoma Hill and a S shaped trestle that Milwaukie Road had coming down to the flats. One day I hope to model this area.

I apologize if any of my clues or answers led anyone astray, especially Mike, as the guesses made me scramble to find area maps so I could say yeah or nay to the guess and although I retracted two answers I think I messed up on Mike’s answer of Nisqually Flats, as I know them as Tacoma Flats. I do apologize for any errors.

Jerry

CRAZ13 wrote:

Great job Eric. It is your turn now

The answers to the questions are:

1. Milwaukee Road
2. Tacoma Hill
3. Sanding the rails for traction

When I first started in the hobby I read an article in Model Railroad Magazine about the Tacoma flats and Tacoma Hill. I was intrigued by the grade of Tacoma Hill and a S shaped trestle that Milwaukie Road had coming down to the flats. One day I hope to model this area.

I apologize if any of my clues or answers led anyone astray, especially Mike, as the guesses made me scramble to find area maps so I could say yeah or nay to the guess and although I retracted one answer I think I messed up on Mike’s answer of Nisqually Flats, as I know them as Tacoma Flats. I do apologize for any errors.

Jerry

First, Milwaukee Road - d'oh! It didn't even occur to me!

For the record, The Nisqually Flats - a nature preserve - is about 25 miles south-southwest of Tacoma Hill, and a bit east of Olympia. They're at the very southern end of Puget Sound. The Tacoma Flats is (are? ) an industrial area of Tacoma, at Commencement Bay.

I'll have to come up with a decent question for when I do win.

Mike you kept throwing out locations and I had trouble finding maps that would define the area you were naming. I figured you knew the area better than my sorry attempts at surfing the net. Also I new that Tacoma Hill was the way down to the Tacoma flats but couldn't figure out exactly where it is. I assume it is in the area where I5 passes by the Tacoma Dome.

Thanks for playing, sorry for any mistakes.
Points are on your way.

Jerry

To all that played I have sent the following points:

Eric 50 points
Mike 25 points
Jim 20 points
Robert 10 points
Jeremy 10 points

Since everyone loves a clown, the following receive 10 points each for their funny answers: Ulie, Loren, Terry

Thanks for playing,
Jerry

Jerry,

I checked out the link and found a picture of some SOUNDER trains on the siding. Does that commuter line use these tracks? Is this South or West of Tacoma and the commuter line runs from Tacoma to Seattle and does it extend farther North.
Sorry for so many questions. When I was in school back in the early 60's, my folks visited the Worlds Fair in Seattle and we rode the Olympian Hi to Seattle. I remember then watching the train run backwards to Tacoma. That was interesting for a 15 year old.

Robert
Hemet

Robert,

I saw that photo also. I never like to assume anything but I would have to say yes.
Mike would be able to answer that question much better than I, and hopefully he will clarify.
It appears that the Sounder currently runs from Tacoma at the Tacoma Dome to Everret Washington north of Seattle.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sounder_Commuter_Rail

The articles I have read (assuming they are accurate), indicate that part of Tacoma had a number of roads that were commonly scene there in the 60's. SP&S, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Milwaukee Road and I believe the SP were the most common.
The number of roads that were at the Tacoma Flats got me started collecting these roads for a future layout based on the area.

Jerry


BTW The only reference to Milwaukee Road's S shaped trestle I've found was in MRM. Does anyone know if it did exist or where there is info on it?

Jerry,

I was looking at a book on the SP in Hemet Library a few months ago. I was just checking to what the library had on their shelves. Anyway, if I remember correctly, the SP rails terminated in Portland, OR. When they ran the Shasta Daylight out of Oakland, it only ran to Portland. Now maybe there was a connecting train to Seattle, operated by SP&S. That is just like the UP only ran to Portland as it was the terminal for their City of Portland and Portland Rose.

Robert

Thanks for the points Jerry. That was a tough one to ferret out. Believe it or not, I used Google maps to figure where the train line was and I have Wikipedia to thank for giving me the road and the engine information. I am going to have to think about the next question. Granted, I have several in mind but, I have to narrow it down.

To answer the "Sounder" questions:

At present, Sound Transit runs Sounder trains :

from the Tacoma Dome (fairly near where the photo Jerry posted was taken) north to King Street Station at the south end of downtown Seattle, and

from Everett south to King Street Station (so, yes, it runs quite far north

There are plans to extend the Tacoma line south to include South Tacoma and Lakewood (almost to Fort Lewis, plus they have right of way from there all the way to the Nisqually River (the eastern edge of the aforementioned Nisqually Flats), at the western edge of Pierce County.

Sound Transit takes a lot of heat (don't build anything at all, just let me drive everywhere; don't build it here; please build it here, instead; light-rail not heavy-rail; heavy-rail not light-rail; blah-blah-blah), but one thing they surely got right was the paint scheme (the layers of colors evoke mountains & glaciers, forests, lowlands, and the Puget Sound)!

Someone (loadmaster/Hemet?) asked if Sounder uses "those tracks", and I believe the answer is yes. (My knowledge of Tacoma geography is limited, as I am usually going through it on my way to somewhere else.)

Mike