How many of you have a picture of your first time? As I mentioned in my recent post on Stampede my first railfan adventure was in the spring of 1977 on a visit to Stampede Pass. Here I am outside of Tunnel 4 in full railfan regalia topped off with a BN logo on my pinstripe hat. Classic.
So what’s changed in this photo? Station sign Stampede has moved to a new home (most literally). It now resides on the other side of Tunnel 4 at was is considered ‘Old Stampede’. This location is no longer the east end of the Stampede siding and this point is no longer under CTC control (TWC now). The speed board just west of the tunnel is gone, replaced by a constant 20 mph from Lester to Easton. There’s a speeder set off just west of the speed board, that’s of course gone. During the reopening of the pass in 1996, the wood ties were replaced by concrete up to the west portal. Surprisingly the Tunnel 4 snowshed is the same, virtually unchanged after 30 years. Wish I could say that about me, I’ve grown another couple of feet and have facial hair.
This photo was snapped with a Kodak Instamatic camera and the film developed by King Size Photo in Seattle on Kodak paper. The paper has a ‘Magicstick’ backing to peel and stick into your photo album. The original photo is in surprisingly good shape after 30 years.
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