Railroad Tracks

I wonder when the lonely sounds of the steam locomotive faded from the ears of the residents of Covington and the surrounding areas.  And when did the first blast of a diesel locomotive’s horn echo through the hills and valleys of Covington?

Ever since I was a kid I’ve heard the raucous blast of many a diesel-electric locomotive as it passed through Covington next to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) substation.  When I was young I heard them often.  Not just the cacophony of sound from Covington, but also from the tracks that cross 216th near Rooter’s at Lake Sawyer.  As time when on, the tracks were used less and less and for quite some time they weren’t used at all. 

Eventually, upgrades were made and the tracks were once again in use, but not as often as before.  Even today, on occasion I hear the distant whistle of a train passing through Covington. 

Back when signals and semaphores were used by the railroad more extensively than they are now (most are controlled by satellite today), my family would play a game when we crossed the tracks by the BPA.  The signal several hundred feet down the tracks would change from red to yellow to green or vice-versa.  Our game was always to guess what color it would be when we crossed.  I don’t remember what the winner or loser got, but it was always a highlight when we crossed that train crossing.

At one time, before the “no trespassing” signs were posted along the tracks and before the media highlighted the dangers and deaths due to people walking along railroad tracks, my dad and I did walk those very tracks in Covington.  We started at the intersection by Rooters and ended by the BPA.  I remember fearing a train coming down the tracks while we walked, but found the scenery and quietness exhilarating.  As a matter of fact, I believe a train did come by and I made sure I was completely away from the tracks as it passed.  Exciting, fear-inspiring and mind-imprinting, that short afternoon jaunt has stuck with me for years. 

The family that lives in the house next to the tracks in Covington has been there for years.  My dad has known them for many, many years.  I can only imagine what it must sound like when those long freight trains or other trains pass by that home on a dark, quiet night. 

I wonder for how long the trains will continue to pass through Covington on their way to the mountains?  Will those tracks be removed someday to leave a path that can be used as a trail?  Will more railroad traffic someday ply the rails?  Who really knows?