Railways were very important to the development of the North West, and they continue to play an important role in transportation of resources, products and people today. The posted coordinates place you in the parking lot of the 1908 Vancouver Station originally built for the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S), a railway that became part of the BNSF through various mergers.
Since Amtrak took over nearly all US passenger rail services in 1971, Amtrak has operated the Vancouver station. This historic station, now a City of Vancouver asset, has been extensively refurbished several times. It retains its unmistakable charming railway architecture.
The Vancouver Station is located very strategically at a wye junction of two railway subdivisions. This is why passenger trains board on both sides of the station. It is also several hundred feet North of the 1908 railway bridge linking Vancouver and Portland.
Around the station is the Vancouver yards which were the heart of the SP&S network, location of the repair shops, and of course the most important station on the railroad. Today, Vancouver yards continues to play a key role for the BNSF network. If you look around you can see all kinds of interesting railroad activity.
A word of caution ⛔️: There is a very active rail yard around the station. Never trespass on railway property. Stay in public areas and off the tracks.
How to Claim this Find:
Visit the Vancouver Station during business hours. It is freely open to the public and there is extensive free parking. As of the placement date the station was open 8:00 am to 4:45 pm seven days a week 365 days a year but you can check Amtrak site for Station Hours to confirm. Inside the building are a series of excellent displays about the history of railroads in the Pacific Northwest, an HO scale model of this rail yard set back in the steam era, and a mural above the waiting room. Carefully examine these displays to collect five pieces of information. Message cache owner with the answers:
1. How many railroad engines are on the mural above the waiting room? It depicts local railways from the early times to modern day
2. On the scale model, what vehicles do you find parked behind the roundhouse?
3. How many cars were in the special train on March 11, 1908 to celebrate the completion of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle line between this rail yard and Kenniwick?
4. Look south of the Vancouver Station platforms to admire the 1908 drawbridge linking Vancouver and Portland by rail. It continues in use today but what day did the draw bridge open?
5. According to the railway timeline, an unusual event happened in 1916. What time did the 1916 event happen and how long did it last?
6. Photos of you with the station are not required, but appreciated. Just add any photos to your log.
Do not post or share the answers with other people - the exercise is to help you learn about the history of the railroads and verify you personally visited the station.
You can drive, walk or bike into the railyard to visit the station from downtown Vancouver but arriving or departing by train is how the cool kids will do this virtual cache. If you are quick you can also collect the information while your Amtrak stops at the Vancouver Station - just don't miss your train while geocaching or that smilie will be a frown
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.