Ghost Rails: #009 Boylston Tunnel (Tunnel 45) Traditional Geocache
Ice and Wind: The cache owner has not responded, or corrected the problems with this cache, so I must regretfully archive the listing.
Ghost Rails: #009 Boylston Tunnel (Tunnel 45)
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Ghost Rails is an ongoing series of caches dedicated to a time gone by, a time when the railroads were a major part of the lives of the people and communities of this great country. In many places, the railroads have disappeared. No longer needed, the tracks were removed, and the remnants neglected and forgotten. Ghost Rails will attempt to show you some of these places for a short history lesson and your caching enjoyment.
During the western expansion of railroads in the Pacific Northwest, the “Johnny-come-lately” was the Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul or more commonly known as the Milwaukee Road. This was only one of the many names given this railroad during its turbulent past.
The Milwaukee Road was able to follow a more gradual grade over the mountains in its western expansion than its predecessors, the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern. Even over Pipestone Pass (the Continental Divide near Butte, MT) the grade reached only 2%. It wasn’t until it crossed the Columbia River near Vantage and climbed the section of the Saddle Mountains known as the Boylston Hills that it reached the steepest grade in its entire length. This 18 mile stretch with a 2.2% grade required more helper engines to climb than any other part of its entire western expansion. In fact, they often had to take half the train up to Boylston, park it on the siding, and return to the bottom for the second half of the train.
At the summit, the 1973 foot long Boylston tunnel was drilled. With a slight curve at its western end, this tunnel allowed the railroad to drop down at a mild 1.6 % grade into the Kittitas Valley. The tunnel bears the inscription over the arch (C, M & P S), and on the side (45). The initials stood for Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound as the railroad was known at the time. The 45 simply is the tunnel number, but it was also known as the Johnson Creek tunnel to the railroad.
Boylston itself was a siding and section houses built just west of the tunnel. This was to enable helper engines, have a place to park the cars while the rest of the train came up the grade, and have passing tracks close to this steep grade.
To access the cache, you have two choices.
(1) From the west, take exit 115 from I-90. Continue north on Main Street past the Kittitas Trailhead of the John Wayne Trail to First Street. Turn right. It becomes Parke Creek Road. Turn right on Prater Road, cross over the freeway, take a left and proceed along the freeway to a “T” intersection with Stevens Road. The trailhead is on the right. To use the John Wayne Trail, you must register at the kiosk for your free trail permit. It is roughly two miles to the cache from this point.
(2) From the east, exit 136 off I-90, south on Huntzinger Road past the Wanapum Recreation Area. Cross the trail and in approximately 300 feet, turn right onto the Yakima Training Center access road. Go 2 miles to the trailhead parking. This was also the area known as Doris to the Milwaukee Road. Register at the kiosk—the cache is about 14 miles west (uphill!!!) from here.
Many thanks to the Washington State Parks Service and especially Ranger Jerod who helped us place this cache. We were fortunate enough to be able to accompany him on his monthly driving inspection of the route between Vantage and the Army West Trailhead.
Original cache contents include: Log Book & pencil; geocaching notice; wooden plaque; squirt gun; emergency blanket; 2 small glow sticks; 1 large glow stick; whistle-compass key chain; carabineer compass key chain; Coleman lantern key chain; Coleman marker light clip; bouncy ball; water proof (tricky to open!) match container—a signature rendez-vous cache container!
Cache On, Dudes !!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Orgjrra n ebpx naq n uneq cynpr!