| Posted by SES on March 16, 2022 | |
And to think, all that time BN had already purchased the embargoed Milwaukee Road section between Easton and Maple Valley in 1980. The entire section was still intact at the time. They could have revitalized the line and used the best engineered grade over the Cascade Range and bypassed all this. Only inconvenience at this time would've been the big dip south to Tri Cities and back up to Ellensburg and having to use the old NP route. Hind sight always 20/20. Although rebuilding from Lind, WA would've given them a straight shot across the state on the Milwaukee grade. But reviving a chunk of track that long was unheard of back then.
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So what exactly are they? A supply of oxygen?
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For many of us, it would be helpful to have explained from what the crews on the helpers were being protected, why the regular road crews did not need similar protection (i.e. what differed with the helper crews), and what these BioPaks contained that was protective.
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Helper crews were protected - from WHAT? Also, I wonder if you can still find a Cushman mini-truck on the property.
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Crews were protected from noxious exhaust fumes which they were exposed to in the 8 mile tunnel for about a half hour. Although the tunnel is ventilated and blown out between trains, helper and caboose crews would be subject to the fumes. The headend crew may have also used these, but at least they were at the front of the train. Having ridden Amtrak through a tunnel a few times, passengers become aware rather quickly of the change in air quality.
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| Posted by xBNSFer on March 18, 2022 | |
I recall being on a freight that got a restricting (as in not "clear," not talking about a "lunar") signal coming towards the end of the Flathead Tunnel on the route to Whitefish. Not pleasant when the plume of diesel exhaust catches up to you.
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