The engineer has just opened the throttle to get underway.  When an operating steam engine sits, unmoved for any period of time condensation builds in the cylinders.  Steam and air can compress, water and vapor cannot.  So, when the train is to be moved the engineer must open the cylinder cocks at the bottom of the piston chamber and let the movement of the piston drive out the moisture.  Obviously, it is not a safe place to observe, note the seagull scrambling to exit the scene.

In the picture, the Great Northern mallet # 2050 is exiting Interbay Yard in Seattle, with a long freight.  Snow in Seattle is not rare, rather, just an annoyance to be dealt with.  Having snow and cold temps does enhance the drama of steam and smoke, however.

That’s Queen Anne hill in the background, with city center beyond.  Soon this freight will cross Bridge #4, over the Lake Washington Ship Canal trekking north along Puget Sound.  Its destination could be Stevens Pass and points east, or continue north to Bellingham or Vancouver, B.C.  

Our two oldest kids learned how to count watching slow moving boxcars from this same vantage point.  We lived in nearby Ballard in ’61 & 62.  All diesel by then, darn.

Credits:    Hall Will Collection, Museum of History & Science, Seattle

Submitted by Gary Ostlund