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Photo taken by Nathan Morton in January 2009

Overview: Tunnel under the Cascade Mountains just south of Snoqualmie Pass on BNSF Railway (former Northern Pacific Railway)
Location: Kittitas County, Washington, and King County, Washington
History: Tunnel opened in May of 1888, forced-air ventilation added later
Design: The Stampede Pass railroad tunnel is arched in the center; that is, you cannot see daylight at either end of the tunnel when looking through to the other end; unlike both the first (2 mile) and second (8 mile) Stevens Pass tunnels, which were "boresighted" and ran in a straight line and at a constant downward angle from east to west. Steam engines going uphill in either direction within the confines of the Stampede Tunnel was the cause of many train crews and passengers being nearly choked to death by the buildup of exhaust gasses within the tunnel; this led to a forced-air ventilation equipment being added at the west end of the tunnel at a later date. The grade is 2.2 percent on the east side from the town of Easton and 2.2 percent on the west side from the town of Lester.
Dimensions: Total length: 9,844.0 ft. (1.9 mi.)
Deck width: 16.0 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 22.0 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude: +47.27001, -121.34992 (decimal degrees)
47°16'12" N, 121°20'60" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 10/624813/5236490 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map: Stampede Pass
Inventory number: BH 38491 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

June 13, 2012: New photo from Nathan Morton
April 27, 2012: Updated by Daniel Hopkins: Added category "Railroad"
April 26, 2012: Updated by Luke Harden: Added category "Northern Pacific Railroad"
March 29, 2009: Updated by Nathan Morton
January 9, 2009: New photos from Nathan Morton
January 8, 2009: Added by Nathan Morton