Double Tracking
A major revision of the line from Lester to Stampede Tunnel was undertaken between 1912 and 1915. This included a new roundhouse at Lester, double tracking the line from Lester to the west portal of Tunnel 4, a small tunnel just a mile west of Stampede Tunnel, and replacing the former loop through Weston, Washington, with a large steel viaduct. At the same time the route from Martin, at the east portal of Stampede Tunnel, was double tracked down to Easton, Washington.
In August, 1984 the Burlington Northern Railroad mothballed the line as redundant. Between 1995 and 1996 Burlington Northern, and its corporate descendant, the BNSF Railway, rehabilitated the line as a response to increasing traffic pressures in the Pacific Northwest. As of 2007, BNSF and government agencies in Washington state are committed to enlarging Stampede Tunnel to accommodate larger intermodal freight cars. The current tunnel is not high enough for double stacked intermodal cars.
Read more about this topic: Stampede Pass
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