Railroaded

Steilacoom, WA: BNSF, UP, Amtrak

Steilacoom (“STELL-a-k’m”) lies on the shores of Puget Sound on BNSF’s Seattle Subdivision between Olympia (Centennial) and Tacoma. This is perhaps the most picturesque portion of the Seattle Sub, offering expansive views of Puget Sound and its maritime traffic with the snow-covered Olympic Mountains forming a majestic backdrop. The entire sub is double-tracked and has the traffic to support it. BNSF shares this line with Union Pacific and Amtrak so there always seems to be something moving.

Steilacoom is Washington State’s oldest town, incorporated in 1854 when the area was still Washington Territory. Restored historic buildings stand on the bluff above the tracks in the main part of town. The Northern Pacific depot is still in use by BNSF, but is not open to the public. The ferry dock at the foot of Union Avenue provides for some interesting action when trains and ferries arrive at the same time.

DRIVING DIRECTIONS
Travelling south on Interstate 5 from Tacoma, take Exit 129 and follow South 74th Street to Custer Road SW. The road naturally flows into Custer, then into Steilacoom Boulevard, so as long as you stay on what looks like the main road, you’ll get there. This is city driving, so allow for signals and traffic when estimating travel time.

Travelling north on Interstate 5 from Olympia, take Exit 119 (Dupont) and proceed along the Dupont-Steilacoom Highway until you reach town. This route passes through a primarily wooded section of the Fort Lewis Army Base so is less congested than South 74th Street.

Sunnyside Park on the north side of town is a good base to work from with parking (for a $5 fee when I last checked), restrooms, picnicking and a beach. West Tacoma and the Chambers Creek drawbridge can be reached on foot via the beach during low tide.

A wide variety of traffic travels the Seattle Sub. Amtrak runs several trains with both Superliner and Talgo equipment. Both BNSF and Union Pacific run Seattle’s daily garbage trains, loads southbound and empties northbound. Grain trains, double stacks and manifests fill out the parade.