Development Progress Skykomish-Everett

[GreatNortherner]

Hi,

As you may have read previously in our route announcement, we're working on an expansion for the Cascadian route which will cover the rest of Stevens Pass in the historic setting of the recently released route. This second part of the route will run from Skykomish to Everett and will be steam/diesel country as the electrified territory never expanded past Skykomish. Currently, we are backdating the tracks and are nearly done with this task.

I have taken and annotated a few screenshots and uploaded them to my blog:
https://golden-age-rails.blogspot.com/2018/11/route-progress-skykomish-everett.html

The two probably most interesting screenshots are from around Lowell:



... and Everett:

[RudiJaeger]

To say I'm thrilled would be an understatement. This is turning out to be a virtual melting-pot of NW railroading!

Thank you Michael, and all involved, for your continued work on the Cascadian.

[ozinoz]

[ricksan]

Some more progress on the west side. This is Everett Depot as it might have appeared a few decades after it was constructed in ca. 1910. Just to the left of the depot, the upper, bermed track curves into the tunnel beneath downtown Everett. The lower tracks continue on toward Kimberly-Clark and the Bayside yard.

EvDepotCdnW.jpg

EvDepotCompare.jpg

The two smaller images are a post-card image of the depot for comparison, and the building today as viewed from the street side.

Yes, the building underwent a major remodel in 1962 in which everything above the ground floor was removed. The building now houses BNSF offices and this is how we presented it in the Stevens Pass route. I like the older one better.

[buzz456]

[glenn68]

Beautiful work.

[GreatNortherner]

More depots in development...

NP's Lowell depot (also used by the GN and MILW)


Snohomish depot (shared by NP and MILW)


Monroe depot


More screenshots of the smaller depots are available at the link below, however please note that not all of them are necessarily prototypical. We are lacking pictures of the old depots in Sultan, Gold Bar, Reiter, Index and Baring and had to use other GN designs as best guesses.

https://golden-age-rails.blogspot.com/2 ... rotto.html

Cheers
Michael

[ricksan]

One mill, two railroads -- and neither one is GN (though it's nearby). This is the Eclipse Mill, which was situated alongside the Snohomish River on the east side of Everett.

EclipseMill.jpg

The mill burned to the ground in 1962 and the area, after lying barren for so many years, is slowly beginning to be re-developed.

[BNSFdude]

Ah yes, Reciprocated switch agreements. A small detail not explored very well in any train simulator, nor it's activities (scenarios).

[ErikGorbiHamilton]

I'd say it's all looking mighty fine!

[GreatNortherner]

More progress:


Reiter gravel pit


along the old alignment between Gold Bar and Index


lumber mill at Grotto

more pictures are on this blog:
https://golden-age-rails.blogspot.com/

Cheers
Michael

[ozinoz]

It's the little things that just bring it too life - junk on the ground, the trackside weeds and the scrap timber around the mills. Just stunning

[GreatNortherner]

A few more screenshots of our recent progress:


C.M.St.P.&P. depot in Monroe.


Everett Pulp & Paper (EP&P) in Lowell, just south of the NP depot.


Looing north from the EP&P plant. The timber storage sheds in the midground belong to Washington Plywood Co. The large sawmill in the background, next to the MILW's Belt Yard, is Walton Lumber.

Cheers
Michael

[ozinoz]

Love those timber mills

[harryadkins]

Awesome route...