Video: “Rails and Rocks: Catching trains on Stevens Pass”

130 years of trains in the North Cascades

By Ben Stainbrook

Completed in 1893 by the Great Northern Railway, the railroad mainline over Stevens Pass has played host to freight and passenger trains. Today it is owned by BNSF Railway, and remains an essential part of the railroad network in Washington State. Featuring extensive history, from the worst railroad disaster in US history, to the longest railroad tunnel in the US. Get a taste of what it's like to see trains battle steep mountain grades deep in the Cascades.