Wilburton Trestle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wilburton Trestle | |
|---|---|
 Wilburton Trestle from the east |
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| Carries | BNSF Woodinville Subdivision |
| Crosses | Mercer Slough |
| Locale | Bellevue, Washington, USA |
| Maintained by | BNSF |
| Total length | 975 feet (297 m) |
| Height | 102 feet (31 m) |
| Opening date | 1902 |
| Maps and aerial photos | |
The Wilburton Trestle is a historic wooden railway trestle in Bellevue, Washington. Measuring 102 feet high (31 m) and 975 feet long (297 m), it is the longest wooden trestle in the Pacific Northwest.
The trestle carries a single track of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway's Woodinville Subdivision line over a valley that used to be an extension of Lake Washington. The line runs approximately 40 miles from Renton in the south to Snohomish in the north. It is used about six days a week by freight trains, including those carrying Boeing's aircraft fuselages to its assembly plant in Renton. Until recently it was also used daily by the popular Spirit of Washington Dinner Train, but this service ceased at the end of June 2007.[1]
The trestle was originally constructed in 1904 as part of the Northern Pacific Railway's Lake Washington Belt Line from Black River Junction (south of Seattle) to Woodinville. It was subsequently rebuilt four separate times, in 1913, 1924, 1934, and 1943, due to deterioration of the timber.[1] In 1974, a road, the Lake Hills Connector, was cut through the trestle, replacing a short section with a concrete and steel structure.
Wilburton Trestle saw its last regularly scheduled passenger trains in July 1922. Several Casey Jones excursion trains crossed the trestle in the 1950s and 1960s.
The trestle is a distinctive landmark noticed by travelers on Interstate 405 through Bellevue. It can also be seen in the 1962 Elvis Presley movie It Happened at the World's Fair.[1]
Wilburton Trestle should not be confused with Wilburton Tunnel, which is a tunnel for the southbound lanes of I-405 under the railroad. The tunnel is located about a quarter mile south of the trestle.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "The Wilburton Trestle; Some Little-Known Facts About This Well-Known Feature", Eastside Business, February 2007.
[edit] External links
- Virtual Tour of Wilburton Trestle at VR Seattle (requires QuickTime)
- Wilburton Trestle is at coordinates Coordinates:
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| Road bridges: | Alaskan Way Viaduct | Ballard Bridge | East Channel Bridge | Evergreen Point Floating Bridge | First Avenue South Bridge | Fremont Bridge | George Washington Memorial Bridge (Aurora Bridge) | Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge (Third Lake Washington Floating Bridge) | Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge (I-90 Floating Bridge) | Magnolia Bridge | Montlake Bridge | Ship Canal Bridge | South Park (14th/16th Ave) Bridge | Spokane Street Bridge | 12th Avenue South Bridge | University Bridge | West Seattle Bridge | |
| Rail bridges/trestles: | Salmon Bay Bridge | Wilburton Trestle | |
| Tunnels: | Battery Street Tunnel | Great Northern Tunnel | Mercer Island Lid | Metro Transit Tunnel | Mount Baker Tunnel | |
