Graham Buxton Wrote:
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> A couple of photos here:
> [downtownseattle.komonews.com]
> de-shuts-down-portion-north-sounder-rail-line

I'm sure BNSF is doing all their best along this line, but it's always been slide-prone. When I was at the Edmonds station in the mid-60's, there was a ditcher (crane with drag bucket) stationed there all winter long. A slide patrol went out with a speeder just about every night during the winter checking drainage, etc. and reporting back where work needed to be done to keep drainage clear. Of course, that didn't save the Empire Builder from being pushed into Puget Sound in 1959 - what a mess that was. But I know our slide patrol prevented quite a few accidents, and the ditcher was always there to immediately go out to clear out building drainage problems. A whole different railroad now than it was 45 years ago, but back then, GN paid CLOSE attention to the entire line from Ballard to Everett every single day during the rainy season.

There was once a plan to build causeways across Puget Sound between some of the prominent points, to get away from some of the more slide-prone sections of the line. Don't know all the details of that, but would suspect it got killed because of money, not environmental considerations back in those days.