Hi Chad,

I live in Redmond so I'll see if I can answer some of your questions:

1) The entire branch is physically intact except for the portion at the old Wilberton tunnel. The Redmond branch is intact to where it was cut back when the Woodinville portion was abandoned. That's near the Redmond Town Center behind that little strip mall directly across Redmond Way from the Bear Creek shopping center (Safeway, etc). To my knowledge, a train hasn't been into downtown Redmond past the 90th and Willows spur in quite a few years, possibly not really since the Issaquah portion was abandoned around 1997.

2) Not sure.

3) I don't believe so. You can see the spurs from 520, but I don't see any equipment on them. A trail would now have to come to Bellevue from the north. I cross over the branch at in Totem Lake (124th St. in Kirkland) several days a week and the rails are clearly rusted, and dirt has filled into the crossing gaps, not having been used in awhile.

4) I thought the equipment was sold to some operator trying the dinner train in Tacoma and they promptly went...well, t**s up and sold the equipment. I'm not aware of even a proposal to start the Dinner Train again.

5) Not for several years now. It's been at least 2-3 years since I saw a lumber flat car at that spur you refer to off Willows Road and 90th St. I'm not aware of a train being on the Redmond Branch since then - several years before the main branch was severed at the Wilburton Tunnel. Again, when you look at the tracks and crossing, it's clear the Redmond branch has been disused for awhile. I did see a hi-liner (or whatever the railroad pick up truck on rails is called) going into downtown Redmond near the end of branch last year. As I said, it's been 2-3 or more years since a train was on any part of the Redmond Branch south of the wineries, and probably about 10 years since one was past that Willows Road spur in downtown Redmond.

6) Good question. I'm not aware of anything but it's not a bad idea. I always thought the Issaquah branch would have been ideal for excursion trains. It's now that controversial gravel bike path along Lake Sammamish through people's driveways and backyards and is very scenic.