jaredpohll
Mountain Mission
With a more moderate winter starting for the 2019- 2020 season, Stevens pass was starting to look like it was due for a very dry and low snow accumulation winter. On January 12th, a more moderate size winter storm came along the horizon. Predictions called for several feet of snow to fall within a span of a couple days. As the storm hit, it brought along wet and heavy concrete snowfall for the western side of Stevens Pass. With the large amount of snow falling at a fast rate, the weight of snow accumulations on trees started to take its toll as they began to topple over, blocking roads, highways and BNSF's railroad mainline. The reality of the storm left towns like Index, Baring and Skykomish, Washington without power and access to the towns for almost a week as crews cleared down trees and power lines. This storm was no easy ride for the railroad either as trains became stranded in between trees falling by the minute and along with a level 3 avalanche warning in place on certain sections between Wenatchee and Goldbar, Washington. Once the dust settled six days after the storm began, access to towns were reopened and the railroad had sawed through over 250 trees in a rough 9 mile section east of Skykomish where most of the damage had taken place. With all trees and no more risk of avalanche warnings, BNSF brought one of the final fixes to the route that needed to be done before trains can be running smoothly again. A 3 man train crew from Everett, Washington join Maintenance crews in Skykomish and spent the day clearing the snow along the route over Stevens Pass. Scenic, Washington.
Mountain Mission
With a more moderate winter starting for the 2019- 2020 season, Stevens pass was starting to look like it was due for a very dry and low snow accumulation winter. On January 12th, a more moderate size winter storm came along the horizon. Predictions called for several feet of snow to fall within a span of a couple days. As the storm hit, it brought along wet and heavy concrete snowfall for the western side of Stevens Pass. With the large amount of snow falling at a fast rate, the weight of snow accumulations on trees started to take its toll as they began to topple over, blocking roads, highways and BNSF's railroad mainline. The reality of the storm left towns like Index, Baring and Skykomish, Washington without power and access to the towns for almost a week as crews cleared down trees and power lines. This storm was no easy ride for the railroad either as trains became stranded in between trees falling by the minute and along with a level 3 avalanche warning in place on certain sections between Wenatchee and Goldbar, Washington. Once the dust settled six days after the storm began, access to towns were reopened and the railroad had sawed through over 250 trees in a rough 9 mile section east of Skykomish where most of the damage had taken place. With all trees and no more risk of avalanche warnings, BNSF brought one of the final fixes to the route that needed to be done before trains can be running smoothly again. A 3 man train crew from Everett, Washington join Maintenance crews in Skykomish and spent the day clearing the snow along the route over Stevens Pass. Scenic, Washington.