By Susan Gonzales

 

SV&W Crew along with several guests enjoying a nice spring day at the Lake Whatcom Railway near Bellingham, WA.

The regular May meeting of the Skagit Valley and Whidbey Model Railroad club was not held at its regular meeting place but on a train in the foothills of Whatcom County. We had a delicious lunch at Bob’s Burgers & Brews just off I-5 on Cook Road prior to our departure time. All 23 of us were able to order and eat in record time.

We made our way to the Wickersham parking lot off Highway 9 where we purchased our tickets for a special ride on the Lake Whatcom Railway. While waiting for our other attendees, we were allowed to wander through the shed that holds a steam engine and other cars. We boarded the train being pulled by a diesel and began our trip.  Lovely ride through heavily wooded areas, the sun was out and we had entertainment in person of Ben the Banjo Man.  We sang along to old folk songs and railroad songs. In between songs, Frank, the owner of Lake Whatcom Railway Inc., told stories of the railroad. We went through a tunnel made out of culvert material. The end of the ride was beautiful Mirror Lake. We backed down the track to return to our point of departure.

#1070 an NP Class L-9 0-6-0 sitting in the storage shed awaiting boiler work.

A handcar was brought out for those hardy souls who wanted to try their hand at pumping some iron down the track.  It was very entertaining for those of us watching. We had a great afternoon outing and the rain held off till we were done.

(This little excursion railroad sits along HWY 9 north of Sedro Woolley and east of Bellingham near the shores of Lake Whatcom. The township of Wickersham was once a whistle stop for the Northern Pacific on it’s way to Sumas and was a connection point for the Bellingham Bay and Eastern Railroad. Find out more about the Lake Whatcom Railway by clicking here. ed.)