Northern BNSF Route

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The Northern BNSF Route, operated by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, traverses the most northerly route of any railroad in the western United States. This route was originally part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, Northern Pacific Railway and Great Northern Railway systems, merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad system in 1970. The route starts at Chicago and runs west across northern Illinois to the Mississippi River; it follows the eastern shore of the river through La Crosse and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin before turning west again in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota to Dilworth, Minnesota. From Dilworth the route runs northwest to Minot, North Dakota, then west through Montana and Idaho to Spokane, Washington. In Montana, the line passes both the east and west gates of Glacier National Park. It also passes through Whitefish, Montana. Located in Whitefish is a restored passenger depot/museum (also serving Amtrak). The line then continues west, passing through the Sand Point, Idaho area, finally reaching Spokane. At Spokane the route splits into two routes, one going to Seattle and the other to Portland. This route required construction of the Flathead Tunnel through the Rocky Mountains in Montana and the new Cascade Tunnel through the Cascade Mountains in Washington. This route is traveled by Amtrak's Empire Builder. Also owned in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada is trackage, running rights and a yard operated by a switch unit and full crew and the track is maintained by a small track crew.

[edit] Traveling east from Seattle

Traveling east from the King Street Station in Seattle, the main line of the BNSF heads north through a tunnel under the downtown. After exiting the tunnel the main line continues north through the Interbay classification yard and maintenance facilities and across the Lake Washington Ship Canal on the Salmon Bay Bridge. The main line continues north along the shore of Puget Sound through the cities of Edmonds and Mukilteo, past Rucker Hill in Everett to the old Everett station. From there the main line makes a 180 degree turn through a partially covered cut through downtown Everett to the new Everett station. From the new station, the main line heads south, then southeast along the Snohomish River through the cities of Snohomish and Monroe. From Monroe the main line follows the Skykomish River through the towns of Index and Skykomish to the western portal of the Cascade Tunnel.

[edit] Photo Gallery

King Street Station, Seattle	Salmon Bay Bridge, Seattle	Main line heading north out of Seattle along the shore of Puget Sound	Amtrak Cascades leaving Edmonds Station
Everett Station (old)	Covered cut under downtown Everett (eastern portal)	Everett Station (new)	The flatlands East of Everett
The City of Skykomish	The west portal of the Cascade Tunnel