Easton to Pasco: Eastbound oil and grain trains on the Stampede & Yakima Valley Subdivisions

On an early summer's day in 2022 I decided I wanted to shoot train movement over the Stampede Subdivision on a whim. After some waiting, I finally found an empty grain train departing from Auburn.

Missing both of my planned spots at Covington and the Stampede Tunnel, I quickly chose to move on down the line towards Easton, exploring backroads to find a suitable filming location, and settling for a location right next to Lake Easton State Park. The distant rumble of the train echoed through the forests of the cascades, until it became a loud, continuous roar. Slowly crawling past me descending the mountain grade, I was already planning out my next few shooting locations.

The next stop was just outside Cle Elum along Highway 10, and then downtown Ellensburg. Finally, both the grain train and myself rolled into Yakima River Canyon, the place I'd been looking forward to seeing the entire day! The canyon was peaceful and quiet, besides the freight train of course, and just being there was a wonderful experience. I did some rock climbing to find a more unique video angle, and encountered a rattlesnake. Never a dull day.

My original plan was to drive to Wenatchee, and as I began to drive back West towards route 97, another eastbound flew past right outside the Canyon, hot on the trail of the grainer. In a split second a chose to turn around and give chase. How far was I gonna chase this thing? Who the fuck knows. I had all day to waste and plenty of money!

I managed to get myself a few minutes ahead of the train, and walked down onto the banks of the Yakima River inside the canyon for the shot. This one was a loaded oil train from Tacoma, and wouldn't experience another crew change until it reached Pasco, or at least close to it. Cutting it close again, I barely made it into Yakima City limits to catch it rolling across the Naches River Bridge.

Now we were moving into open desert, and the oil train gained quite a bit of speed as it rolled southeast towards the tri-cities. That afernoon felt like an adrenaline-filled blur as I stayed just barely ahead of the train enough to set up my video equipment, traveling through Toppenish, Prosser, Kiona, and leaving just as quickly as I arrived in order to keep up the pace.

At sundown I found myself in Kennewick, the oil train dragging along as it turned north to cross the Columbia River into Pasco. What was most memorable from that evening is the warm and dry desert air having a faintly earthy taste, this Western Washington native is not used to the desert. By the time I reached Pasco Yard, it was nearly dark. The oil train crept in almost silently, passing yard jobs and power moves doing the busywork to keep the railroad moving.

During the crew change, the Portland section of Amtrak's Empire builder went by like a ship in the night, racing towards Spokane to meet the Seattle section. An RCO job with two SD40s dragged a cut of cars over the hump for sorting, and power moves scurried up and down the mainline. It was a relaxing summer evening and a great conclusion to this unplanned trip. Sometimes you need a little more adventure in your life!

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction

Grain Train:
0:45 Lake Easton State Park
4:23 SR10/Cle Elum
6:37 Downtown Ellensburg
9:17 Yakima River Canyon (Grain Train)

Oil Train:
13:20 Yakima River Canyon (Oil Train)
14:50 Roza Dam/Yakima River Canyon
15:42 Naches River Bridge/Yakima
17:04 Toppenish
18:56 Prosser
20:26 Kiona
22:17 Kennewick
23:40 Pasco Yard
25:31 Dusk in the desert
25:55 Amtrak Empire Builder/BNSF Engine Move
26:50 RCLs on the Pasco Hump
27:40 Oil Train departs from Pasco
28:43 End Screen


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