There is a narrow window of oportunity for a shot like this. This scene embraces both history and the future (possibly). The future is Tacoma Rail's hill job, powered by former EMD SD70ACe-P4s 1211 & 1212 (now TMBL 7001/7002). Today's train is configured in DPU mode with the goal of taking the former Milwuakee Road's mainline 3.65% grade in one pass. That was one of the goals in acquiring these units, to avoid doubling the "hill". Today's train started out as 35 cars. However, out of concern for stalling on the hill, the crew decided to take 8 cars out to Midland with lead unit. Now they're back in Tacoma with the remaining 28 cars, which is more than the typical run. They did make the hill at 5 mph, so they likely would have stalled with all 35. The history, is the wooden Milwaukee Road trestle, fast approaching the end of it's life. Sound Transit, which now owns the trestle, is replacing it with a double track concrete trestle. Work has already begun with the sinking of test pilings (just to the left of the trestle), with plans for completion in late 2016 or early 2017.
Photographs where trains and people mix, weather it's street running, plant switching or carrying a unit grain train out of an elevator, it will be put here.
Not
just heritage schemes, not just commemorative schemes - this album is devoted to some of the world's most interesting paint schemes, past or present.
