Thursday 11/18/21 was the first day for passenger trains on the Pt Defiance bypass, Sound Transits Lakewood sub. Cascades 503 was the first passenger train on the route, this time around. The Lakewood Sub was built (re-built) to remove congestion on the Pt Defiance line, limited by the single track Nelson Bennett tunnel. The Lakewood Sub has been closed to the Cascades and Starlights due to the Cascades 501 derailment in 2017. WDTX 1408, led the last train on the Pt. Defiance route and powered the first train on the Lakewood sub. It is the replacement to WDTX 1402 lost in the derailment. The train is seen here taking the curve at the restricted speed of 30 mph, at the site of the derailment.
With two sections of the Empire Builder, the Coast Starlight, Seattle, the Cascade Mountains, Columbia Valley and Puget Sound, Washington state offers rail buffs plenty of variety and beauty.
