11:15pm: With an eastbound train nearing the summit of Cascade Tunnel, the ventilation fan at the east portal has shut off and the door opened. Silence lays heavy over the east slopes of the pass as anticipation, in the form of a quickly growing spot of light, gradually builds. With a roar, the lead units of an eastbound coal empty escape the confines of the bore and shatter the stillness.
11:20pm: But that dramatic scene was five minutes ago. Now, with the head end around the next bend and having dropped into dynamics while the rear DPUs remain inside the tunnel, silence has mostly returned, the calming sound of wheels rolling on welded rails punctuated only by the occasional squeal of a flange rubbing against the railhead. This peaceful interlude in the midst of 6,000 feet of steel and aluminum trundling eastward beneath the Cascade Range and a clear, cold sky won't last; shortly, the trailing units will emerge into the artificial, temporary brightness, followed by a 20-minute "flush" from the incredibly loud fans that despoil the tranquility of an extended winter's last night. At the apex of Stevens Pass, railroading doesn't get any better than this.
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
