Wilburton Trestle
Encyclopedia
The Wilburton Trestle is a historic wooden railway trestle
in Bellevue
, Washington. Measuring 102 feet high (31 m) and 975 feet long (297 m), it is the longest wooden trestle in the Pacific Northwest
.
The trestle carries a single track of the BNSF Railway
's Woodinville Subdivision
line over a valley that used to be an extension of Lake Washington
. The line runs approximately 40 miles (64.4 km) from Renton
in the south to Snohomish
in the north. Before the abandonment of the rail line by BNSF, freight trains ran six days a week, including those carrying Boeing
's aircraft fuselages to its assembly plant in Renton. It was also used daily by the popular Spirit of Washington Dinner Train
, but this service ceased at the end of June 2007.
The trestle was originally completed in 1904 as part of the Northern Pacific Railway
's Lake Washington
Belt Line from Black River
Junction (south of Seattle
) to Woodinville
. It was subsequently rebuilt four separate times, in 1913, 1924, 1934, and 1943, due to deterioration of the timber. In 1974, a road
, the Lake Hills Connector, was cut through the trestle, replacing a short section with a concrete and steel structure.
Wilburton Trestle saw its last regularly scheduled passenger trains in July 1922. Several Casey Jones
excursion trains crossed the trestle in the 1950s and 1960s.
The trestle is a distinctive landmark noticed by travelers on Interstate 405
through Bellevue. While it is believed that this is the trestle pictured in the 1963 Elvis Presley
movie It Happened at the World's Fair
, further evidence indicates that that trestle was over the White River
between Enumclaw
and Buckley
.
Wilburton Trestle should not be confused with Wilburton Tunnel, which was a tunnel
for the southbound lanes of I-405
under the railroad. The tunnel was located about a quarter mile south of the trestle prior to its demolition on August 16, 2008 for freeway improvement and widening.
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
in Bellevue
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, Washington. Measuring 102 feet high (31 m) and 975 feet long (297 m), it is the longest wooden trestle in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.
The trestle carries a single track of the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
's Woodinville Subdivision
Woodinville Subdivision
The Woodinville Subdivision is a railroad line that was formerly owned by BNSF Railway and takes its names from one of its original end points in Woodinville, Washington, United States. The line extends approximately in east King County and Snohomish County. The line's ownership has been...
line over a valley that used to be an extension of Lake Washington
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
. The line runs approximately 40 miles (64.4 km) from Renton
Renton, Washington
Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...
in the south to Snohomish
Snohomish, Washington
Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County founded by the british, Washington, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2010 census. The mayor of Snohomish is Karen Guzak, and the City Manager is Larry Bauman...
in the north. Before the abandonment of the rail line by BNSF, freight trains ran six days a week, including those carrying Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
's aircraft fuselages to its assembly plant in Renton. It was also used daily by the popular Spirit of Washington Dinner Train
Spirit of Washington Dinner Train
The Spirit of Washington dinner train was a dinner train that operated for 15 years out of Renton, Washington, with trips heading from Renton to Woodinville and back, and then for ten months out of Tacoma, with trips heading from Tacoma to Lake Kapowsin near Mount Rainier...
, but this service ceased at the end of June 2007.
The trestle was originally completed in 1904 as part of the Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
's Lake Washington
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
Belt Line from Black River
Black River (Duwamish River)
The Black River, also known as the Duwamish River, was a river in King County in the U.S. state of Washington. It drained Lake Washington until 1916 when the opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal lowered the lake, causing the Black River to dry up...
Junction (south of Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
) to Woodinville
Woodinville, Washington
Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,938 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. There is also a much larger population with Woodinville mailing addresses in adjacent unincorporated areas of King and Snohomish counties...
. It was subsequently rebuilt four separate times, in 1913, 1924, 1934, and 1943, due to deterioration of the timber. In 1974, a road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
, the Lake Hills Connector, was cut through the trestle, replacing a short section with a concrete and steel structure.
Wilburton Trestle saw its last regularly scheduled passenger trains in July 1922. Several Casey Jones
Casey Jones
John Luther Jones was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad...
excursion trains crossed the trestle in the 1950s and 1960s.
The trestle is a distinctive landmark noticed by travelers on Interstate 405
Interstate 405 (Washington)
Interstate 405 in Washington is a stretch of freeway that bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington. The northern terminus is in Lynnwood and the southern terminus is in Tukwila...
through Bellevue. While it is believed that this is the trestle pictured in the 1963 Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
movie It Happened at the World's Fair
It Happened at the World's Fair
It Happened at the World's Fair is a 1963 musical film starring Elvis Presley as a cropdusting pilot.The motion picture was filmed in Seattle, Washington, site of the Century 21 Exposition, the 1962 World's Fair. The governor of Washington at the time, Albert Rosellini, suggested the setting to...
, further evidence indicates that that trestle was over the White River
White River (Washington)
The White River is a white, glacial river in the U.S. state of Washington. It flows about 75 miles from its source, the Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier, to join the Puyallup River at Sumner...
between Enumclaw
Enumclaw, Washington
Enumclaw is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,669 at the 2010 census.The Enumclaw Plateau, on which the city resides, was formed by a volcanic mudflow from Mount Rainier approximately 5,700 years ago....
and Buckley
Buckley, Washington
Buckley is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,354 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Buckley is located at near the communities of Enumclaw, Bonney Lake, and Wilkeson....
.
Wilburton Trestle should not be confused with Wilburton Tunnel, which was a tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
for the southbound lanes of I-405
Interstate 405 (Washington)
Interstate 405 in Washington is a stretch of freeway that bypasses Seattle east of Lake Washington. The northern terminus is in Lynnwood and the southern terminus is in Tukwila...
under the railroad. The tunnel was located about a quarter mile south of the trestle prior to its demolition on August 16, 2008 for freeway improvement and widening.
External links
- Virtual Tour of Wilburton Trestle at VR Seattle (requires QuickTimeQuickTimeQuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
)