Train Derailment in Stampede Tunnel
A sudden movement by a helper engine caused a derailment, halting Northern Pacific traffic through the mountains.
Yesterday noon, three empty coal cars of the Northern Pacific were derailed in Stampede Tunnel. The helper engine in the rear of the train started suddenly and raised the cars from the track. A wrecking engine and crew were sent from Tacoma to clear the track. Traffic on the road was delayed several hours.
“The helper engine in the rear of the train started suddenly and raised the cars from the track.”
Stampede Tunnel remains a critical, albeit aged, piece of rail infrastructure crossing the Cascades. Derailments in such confined, remote tunnels have long been a major concern for the Northern Pacific, the BNSF, and the regional economy they serve.
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