Great Northern Railway, 1950 Public Timetable, Part 3 & Cascade Tunnel Electrics

Sleeping car accommodation on Great Northern trains is illustrated in the final section of this timetable. This post also looks at the use of electric motive power in the area of the Cascade Tunnels.

The Great Trains; Bryan Morgan; 1973, Crown Publishers.

The Empire Builder of the Great Northern Railway crosses the Stone Arch Bridge
which connects Minneapolis and St Paul over the Mississippi River in this undated photo.


This timetable is posted in sections which are all linked
to the Great Northern Railway portion of the following sub-index page of this blog:

Portage Interlocking

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Electric Locomotives in the Cascade Tunnels

Lines West; Charles R Wood; 1967; Superior Publishing Co.

General Electric boxcab units at Wellington, Washington.

Connected with the original Cascade Tunnel was an electrified section of main line which was less than 6 miles in length. Four GE boxcabs constituted the entire fleet of electrics used on this section. 

Any steam locomotive fired up in the confined space of the tunnel threatened to suffocate people occupying the same space. In particular, operating eastbound up the 1.7% grade with a passenger train offered the gravest scenario ... if the locomotive crew became incapacitated before or after a train stalled, the passengers and employees on the train might suffocate before they could evacuate to safety.

The four B-B units shown were used from 1909 until 1929 - when the new Cascade Tunnel opened. The 3-phase power system used the two trolley poles and a rail as conductors. The wide spacing of the trolley poles was supposed to offer greater protection to brakemen from the overhead wires as the brakemen worked to apply or release rooftop handbrakes during normal train operations.

This relatively primitive locomotive/power system initially restricted speed to 15 mph and train size to 1600 tons. With doubling of consists up the tunnel grade being necessary as train size grew, brakemen would certainly have been on car rooftops to tie down hand brakes on any remaining train sections.

Later, an innovation permitted all four units (two on the headend with the steam locomotive, two on the tailend) to operate together at 7.5 mph while using less current. Previously, operating four units together would have exceeded the capacity of the nearby power plant.

... The train's steam-powered road engine stayed on the train through the Cascade Tunnel - so technically, the electrics were in helper service. However, given the aforementioned suffocation hazard, only enough steam was worked to prevent the steam locomotive from dragging against the efforts of the electrics.

For timetable, maps and profile, see:

Switchbacks and Tunnels in the Cascade Range

Great Northern Railway, 1950 Public Timetable, Part 2

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As the new, 8-mile Cascade Tunnel was completed in 1929 ...

Beginning in 1927, the electrification ran from Wellington (aka Tye) to Skykomish - 21 miles. At the same time, construction was taking place on route modifications to allow the GN to abandon much of its extensive system of snowsheds in the area ... and to improve gradient, curvature and protection from spring flooding.

Lines West; Charles R Wood; 1967; Superior Publishing Co.

Above, at Skykomish, Washington in 1928, new electric power was undergoing trial operations as the new tunnel and re-engineered track routes were being constructed.

Given the eight mile length of the new Cascade Tunnel, operating steam locomotives were effectively prohibited there. Operations became more consistent with traditional urban electrifications - where steam power was cut off and electric locomotives were substituted over a particular section of track.

At this point, regenerative braking by the electric motive power came into its own as an effective method for controlling trains while descending steep grades. In Wood's book, it states that a frozen brake pipe (i.e. water from compressed air freezing, obstructing the train line, and interfering with control of the train's air brakes) was always a risk which could have led to runaways on the steep grades.

Eventually, the electrified section which included the new Cascade Tunnel extended for 73 miles - from Wenatchee to Skykomish, Washington. Using the new electric motive power on 5000 ton freights, the Great Northern's practice was to place part of the power consist within the train - rather than pushing on the tailend. The improvement in train handling from this practice compensated for the additional time required to cut the distributed power into the train. 

Lines West; Charles R Wood; 1967; Superior Publishing Co.

A work train in the new Cascade Tunnel before its opening, showing the close clearance within the bore.
Refuge bays were located every 2000 feet.

At least one YouTube video was taken in the tunnel from the tailend of an Amtrak passenger train circa 2017.
If viewed on a sufficiently large TV screen, a few pixels of light from the distant portal are still visible as the train and camera exit the tunnel.
The video is not linked here to avoid the frustration of dead links for future readers.

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The Ultimate Electric Motive Power in GN's Cascades.

Locomotive Cyclopedia 1950-1952; Simmons-Boardman.

The Great Northern W-1 locomotive is shown above. There were two of these built by General Electric for the Great Northern. They were used between Skykomish and Wenatchee from 1947 until 1956 ... when the electrification was shut off and diesel power was substituted. Unlike GN's other electrics, these powerful units were not equipped for multiple unit operation. 

Switchbacks and Tunnels in the Cascade Range

Civil engineers used switchbacks to lift some main line routes over mountains as the time-consuming process of constructing tunnels was completed.

The book below is available at archive.org . While researching some aspects of Great Northern construction in the Cascades, it occured to me to check my own copy. In fact, a diagram showed the first Cascade Tunnel and the GN switchbacks. 

I have also included the author's professional perspectives on the construction of tunnels and switchbacks.

The Northern Pacific Railway opened its Stampede Tunnel in the Cascades in 1888.

The Great Northern Railway completed its first Cascade Tunnel through the Cascade Mountains in 1900. 

Its second Cascade Tunnel opened in 1929.

The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad built its line through the Cascades at Snoqualmie Pass in 1909. 

Also known as 'The Milwaukee Road', its Snoqualmie Tunnel was completed in 1914.

Both the second Cascade Tunnel and the Stampede Tunnel are in operation in 2018.

The Snoqualmie Tunnel forms part of a recreational trail.

Until their tunnels were complete ...

The Northern Pacific used switchbacks from June 1887 until May 1888.

The Great Northern used switchbacks from 1892 until 1900.

On the circa 1912 map below: 

Seattle, Washington is near the north-west corner.

Starting at the north edge of the map, and working south, you have:

Cascade Summit - Great Northern

Snoqualmie Pass - Milwaukee Road

Stampede - Northern Pacific

from: A Descriptive Review of the Empire State; George F Cramm; 1912.

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from: The Northern Pacific, Main Street of the Northwest; Charles R Wood; 1968; Superior Publishing Co.

In 1886, here is the surveying and locating party for the switchbacks over the Cascade Mountains
... they were used before the completion of the Northern Pacific's Stampede Tunnel.

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Below are the sections from the 1904 book on railway location.
Some of the concepts assume the reader has a civil engineer's perspective from the 1880s.

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Below are illustrations showing details of  the Great Northern Railway's route over the Cascades.

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On the Northern Pacific Railroad, 1886-1888

from: The Northern Pacific, Main Street of the Northwest; Charles R Wood; 1968; Superior Publishing Co.

The Northern Pacific's Stampede Tunnel construction during 1887 and 1888.

from: The Northern Pacific, Main Street of the Northwest; Charles R Wood; 1968; Superior Publishing Co.

In 1887, the summit of the switchbacks over the Stampede Tunnel area.

Presumably, the upper track curves around that rock cut, to edge along the mountain, until it reaches the other (i.e. descending) set of switchbacks. The reason for the steep pocket track with its stub switch is unclear ... Perhaps it allowed light power or a single engine and car to meet or pass a standard switchback movement?

From the Spokane Falls Morning Review May 5, 1887.

An apocryphal story suggests that the Stampede name originated from the actions of the first (we assume, white) workers, as they left the worksite to escape the methods of a particular boss.

Another supervisor quipped he had three teams working on the project: One arriving, one working, one in the process of leaving.

from: The Northern Pacific, Main Street of the Northwest; Charles R Wood; 1968; Superior Publishing Co.

Above, shown in 1904, is one of two 2-10-0's ('decapods' in the article above) 
used on the Stampede switchbacks, 1887-1888.

Trains of only five cars (passenger or freight) were taken over the switchbacks at a time. Obviously, this restriction limited main line through traffic until the tunnel was completed. Both of the two 2-10-0's were coupled by their tenders to each end of the train - to bracket the cars. In places, the gradient exceeded 5%. Engine water brakes and other steep gradient railroading procedures of that era were used to ensure the movements were kept under control.

Link to a previous post:

Water Brake - Used on CPR's Big Hill.

from: The Northern Pacific, Main Street of the Northwest; Charles R Wood; 1968; Superior Publishing Co.

The east portal of the Stampede Tunnel is seen in this undated photo. From the semaphore, it seems that an eastbound is lined for the track at the left and its exhaust is preceding it. 

From left to right, you may be seeing three train order signals, a train order rack (i.e. a platform and delivery device), and a telltale to warn brakemen on top of cars that the tunnel's restricted clearance is approaching.

The Stampede Tunnel had a few problems. The roof leaked, causing stability problems with the roadbed ... and derailments. The course of the tunnel bore rose near the centre, allowing gases to accumulate there ... and requiring all trains to operate up a gradient, regardless of direction. Given the arcing track profile in the tunnel, you can imagine slack action and trains breaking apart could have been added to the list of problems for crews trying to transit the tunnel safely.

After a suffocation fatality in 1912, a ventilation system was added to the tunnel.

Great Northern Railway, 1950 Public Timetable, Part 2

This is another segment of a 1950 public timetable from the Great Northern Railway.

from: The Life of James J Hill; Joseph Gilpin Pyle; 1917; Doubleday Page & Co - at archive.org

James Jerome Hill (1838-1916),
later known as 'The Empire Builder'- when that title had a positive connotation,
was born near today's Rockwood, Ontario.

JJ Hill was referred to in recent posts about Sault Ste Marie and its bridge because of his association with the St Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway. He was involved with this railway in partnership with some of the figures who would later form the CPR Syndicate. 

The St Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba would become the key transportation link for supplies used in much of the western construction of the CPR - making its principals millionaires ... if they didn't already have that status. 

The StPM&M also served as the nucleus of the transportation system for which JJ Hill would be most famous - the Great Northern Railway.

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from: The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Railways; Hamilton Ellis; 1968; The Hamlyn Publishing Group.

As a little historical background, here are two images showing the construction of the StPM&M. Notice the simplicity of railway construction on prairie land. Above, you can see a couple of horses pulling a rail cart forward. To the right, a cart of ties is headed in the same direction. The person lying on the cart in the foreground may be at the Department of Occupational Health for a migraine, or something. Behind the camera would be the series of supply trains - bringing rails, ties, etc as close as possible to the advancing railhead.

Below, the jolly labourers (along with their US Cavalry friends) pose on their cosy bunkcars. Probably, dimensional standards for rolling stock had not yet been established across the industry ... on the prairie at this point, they could use cars which exceeded 'Plate C'.

from: The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Railways; Hamilton Ellis; 1968; The Hamlyn Publishing Group.

Here is the first section of the 1950 public timetable.
This includes tables 1 to 13 ... if you choose use the station index.

Other posted pages can be found here:

Cover, system map, named trains and their equipment.

Referring to the small timetable map above, and the images below:

As the Great Northern's westward construction approached Seattle, it ran into the Cascade mountain range, through which no suitable pass could be found. A tunnel was indicated, but its construction would take several years. 

Construction began on the first of two Cascade Tunnels: The first was 2.6 miles long, completed in 1900; the second was about 7.8 miles long, completed in 1929. These are shown in the map below.

JJ Hill lived to see the first Cascade Tunnel completed and electrified, and he predicted the second would eventually be built. 

... Like the CPR's experience with Rogers Pass, a grade reduction made operations more efficient. More importantly ... heavy snows and avalanches on the mountain slopes were imposing severe costs on scheduled operation, equipment, finances and human life. At a key operating point named Wellington (later named Tye) an avalanche killed over 100 people in 1910. 

Before the first Cascade Tunnel was completed, the GNR used a relatively rare technique to operate its main line over the Cascades ... switchbacks were in use from 1892 to 1900. The photo below was probably taken near Wellington. It shows four levels of track, with a water tank marking the highest level. 

... Trains would zig-zag up or down the slope as the photo suggests. Automobiles, can negotiate hairpin turns when roads zig-zag to negotiate steep slopes. Trains can't operate on very tight curves, so at the end of each ramp of track was a switch with a dead-ended 'tail'. Once on the tail, the train would stop, the  switch would be thrown, and the train would reverse direction to travel on the next ramp.

The dead-ended switchbacks and their convoluted tracks can be seen climbing both sides of Mount Stevens on the map below. Once the line was raised to the point where an acceptable route could be plotted around the south side of Mount Stevens (and over the Cascades) you can see that line joining the two sets of switchbacks. The line is labelled "Original Mainline, Constructed 1892".

A great amount of power was needed to push tonnage up these slopes and, in the photo below, you can see the safety valves have opened on at least two of the locomotives. These experienced crews preferred to have hot fires and excess potential energy in each boiler ... rather than stalling the ascending train for want of power from one of the engines.

In the event of a stall, the train would likely return to the previous switch and its 'tail' track, and wait there for steam pressure to build in all engines before making another try.

Generally, the locomotives would be coordinated by the engineer in the engine leading the movement (seeing that the switch and the track ahead were ready). The leading engine's 'command' to proceed would be given by his whistle, and the train would move only when answering whistles were received from the other engines - to indicate they were ready.

A train working against the force of gravity up a slope puts on a dramatic show.

A train travelling down a slope, which risks becoming a hopelessly accelerating runaway on a virtually frictionless set of rails is arguably more dramatic when one considers the probable fatal consequences for some riding on it. 

... Air brakes were still a new technology in the 1890s, and the Great Northern movements were often operating on something around a 4 percent grade between switches. So crews were specially trained in the safety rules and procedures necessary ... similar to the CPR's Big Hill operation discussed elsewhere on this blog.

Again, the leading engine would probably control the brakes, but engineers and trainmen would generally be prepared to apply brakes to stop the movement - based either on the lead's whistle signal ... or if they felt it was appropriate for safety.

from: The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Railways; Hamilton Ellis; 1968; The Hamlyn Publishing Group.

from: Lines West; Charles R Wood; 1967; Superior Publishing Co.

Continuing with the 1950 timetable ...

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How the Great Northern compared to Canadian railways in the mountains.

from: The Conquest of the Rockies; Ralph Budd; October 1947; Trains, Kalmbach.

To compare the Great Northern's operation to Canadian railways in the western mountains, you can reflect on the three profiles shown above. Dashed lines represent secondary routes constructed by the railways.

The Canadian National profile reflects the route created by the CNR when it rationalized the two lines of the Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk Pacific.