Cascades Tunnel 4 Enya "A Day Without Rain" & Dave Carter...

For all the video train buffs - this is a must see: http://io9.com/5689179/watch-a-7+hour-train-ride-through-norway-set-entirely-...

The music is from Enya "A Day Without Rain" & Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer "Little Liza Jane"

"Little Liza Jane" if from an amazing cd called"Drum Hat Buddha" from Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer - every song on it is... awesome - is the only word that comes to mind. Before Dave left us, he left these gifts - Do yourself a favor and search for Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer - and buy all 3 CD's - iTunes has double samples of all their songs.

The Cascade Tunnel is a 7.8 mile (12.5 km) long single track railroad tunnel at Stevens Pass through the Cascade Mountains approximately 65 miles to the east of Everett, Washington. It is the longest railroad tunnel in the United States. It was built by the Great Northern Railway in 1929 at a lower elevation than the original, 2.6 mile (4.2 km) tunnel which had suffered problems with fumes, itself built to avoid problems caused by heavy winter snowfalls on the original line which had 8 Zig Zags (switchbacks). It is currently part of the BNSF Railway system on their mainline between Seattle and Spokane. Amtrak's Empire Builder runs through it.

The first tunnel had a fume problem because it was built too steep and too close to the ruling grade. The tunnel was electrified by 1909, which eliminated the fume problem.

The second Cascade Tunnel was constructed between 1925 and 1929 to replace the shorter, higher-elevation tunnel which was still plagued by snowslides in the area. The new alignment is a straight-line tunnel running between Berne and Scenic. The gradient in this tunnel is 1.7% (1 in 58) with the rise from west to east. The railroad line was electrified between Skykomish and Wenatchee. New electric locomotives were used in this portion which were again powered by overhead catenary.

In 1956 the electrification was removed. However the great length of the tunnel plus its steep gradient meant that the fume problem resurfaced. So a ventilation system was provided. As a train enters the east portal of the tunnel, doors close behind it and huge fans blow in cool air through a second portal to help the diesel engines. As long as the train is within the tunnel, the fans work with reduced power to avoid pressure problems. After the train has left the tunnel they operate for 20-30 minutes with maximum power to clear the tunnel of exhaust before the next train passes through. In the opposite direction the door opens when the train is about 1000 m away from it. Present-day train crews carry portable respirators for use in the event of a fan failure or a train stalling inside the tunnel. In addition there are stations spaced every 1500 and 2500 (based on location in tunnel) that provide additional air tanks and equipment to be used in the event of a failure.

Little Liza Jane
C 1997 Dave Carter / Dave Carter Music (BMI)

when i was just nine days old jumped off my pappy's knee
and i crawled out on the open road, a long-haul trucker for to be... daveandtracy (dot) com has their music & lyrics!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Empire
• Builder
• Enya
• Dave
• Carter
• Cascades
• Day
• Without
• Rain
• Little
• Liza
• jane

[Nigel16032009]

This looks very like the Highland Main Line in Scotland. Tall ever green trees and single track. Is it always snowy here?

[murphicus]

@Nigel16032009

Thanks for the reply! No, the are is very green in the summer. The Cascade Mountians in Washington State are not part of the Rocky Mountains. Mt Rainier (SE of Seattle) is the tallest mountain in the range. The tunnel in the video is 8 miles long!

Search "North Cascade Tunnel" for more info on the area - a very interesting history - and very near here is the site of the largest train accident in US history - Train disaster at Wellington kills 96 on March 1, 1910. "Stevens Pass"

[CFrobertmartin]

what do you need to do to become a L engeneer? and how long does it take, i'm going to graduate from H-school in 1-2 years and this would be a good job

[murphicus]

My guess is that an engineer will reply (many railroad people watch these!), but I am not one. I actually cheated in this video by reversing the footage - I shot it from the rear of the Amtrak Westbound Empire Builder a few years ago... Good Luck!

[Muthinator]

The Video is being played backwards at first...

[murphicus]

You are correct! It's a great way to get to the front of the train - unless there is smoke, or snow falling (or blowing around - or, one that rail road people have caught several times, the signals are red, so if it were going forward, the train should be stopping!

[Bullettube]

Great video and great music!

[htc6600]

Pairing this great video and this great Enya song is pure genius. Anyone wishing to learn more about the area would do well to check out the Charles R. Wood book on the Great Northern.

[Parlinear]

actually, u can tell its going backwards cuz theres this part where there's some smoke/steam/fog stuff and it was moving the wrong way....

[elrodjones]

I'm an ex trucker with some stories that will curl your hair. Little Liza Chain sure gave me the chills of some hard driving memories!

[awesley1]

Wonderful video. I too love the music of Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer. But "Little Liza Jane" is on "When I Go."