Edmonds, Washington – Sunset Avenue (Milepost 18)
Located 15 miles north of Seattle and along the Puget Sound is the small city of Edmonds (population: 40,000+). Railroad Milepost 18, located just north of the Washington State Ferry Dock along Sunset Avenue is an ideal area to watch passing trains. The railroad runs between Sunset Avenue and Brackett's Landing North (the beach along the Puget Sound). The sidewalk along Sunset Avenue has benches facing the tracks to rest between trains. South of Milepost 18, the railroad become single track. The double track continues north for 10 miles. 18-miles north of Edmonds, the BNSF Northern Transcon line branches off to the east, this line continues north to Vancouver, BC. Quite often southbound trains will stop at MP 18 to wait for northbound trains. Photography of the railroad in Edmonds is wonderful, photographing from the east side of the tracks will offer the Puget Sound, beach and maybe even a ferry as the backdrop. Photographing from the west side will provide the beach and shoreline as the foreground to the shot of passing trains. In between trains, passing ships may catch your interest as they sail along the sound.
Location info:
Town / City: Edmonds, WA
Location Name: Milepost 18 – Sunset Avenue. [301 Sunset Ave N, Edmonds, WA 98020]
Railroad(s): BNSF Railway (Former Great Northern RR) / Amtrak (Empire Builder trains # 7 & # 8) and 4 daily Cascades trains to/from Vancouver, BC / Sounder Commuter trains (weekdays only).
Rail Traffic: Expect 20 freights during a 24-hour period. Amtrak has 6 trains daily, and Sounder operates 8 trains per day on weekdays only (6:11am, 6:41am, 7:11am, 7:41am & 4:32pm, 5:00pm, 5:32pm, 6:02pm). [My personal experience: I was here for just over 5 hours (12noon to 5:20pm), I only saw 4-trains, 1 BNSF freight, 2 Sounder commuter trains, and Amtrak # 8, the Empire Builder.]
Site Details: Although not an actual railfan park, the strip of land between Sunset Avenue and the railroad is owned and maintained by the city, several park benches face the railroad and the Puget Sound. There is no cover from foul weather of shade from those bright sunny days. In the unlucky event you visit on a rainy day, hopefully you can get a parking spot on Sunset Avenue with a view of the railroad. The railroad can also be viewed from the beach which opens another viewpoint.
Restrooms on site: No.
Food: None on site, however a short walk from the Sunset Avenue, several cafes & bars offer good food.
Picnic Area: There is at least 1 picnic table along Sunset Avenue.
Parking: There is free parking on Sunset Avenue, but spots are limited.
Lighted for evening railfanning: Although there are street lights, it may not be engough light to video passing trains.
Scanner Frequencies: 161.160 (Seattle Terminal Disp.) / 161.250 (North Branch Disp) / 161.100 (Seattle East Disp.)
Motels / Hotels: There are no railfan motels in Edmonds. Best Western is located 1-block from the train station and is a good choice for anyone without a vehicle visiting Edmonds. Other hotels are located near I-5.
Located 15 miles north of Seattle and along the Puget Sound is the small city of Edmonds (population: 40,000+). Railroad Milepost 18, located just north of the Washington State Ferry Dock along Sunset Avenue is an ideal area to watch passing trains. The railroad runs between Sunset Avenue and Brackett's Landing North (the beach along the Puget Sound). The sidewalk along Sunset Avenue has benches facing the tracks to rest between trains. South of Milepost 18, the railroad become single track. The double track continues north for 10 miles. 18-miles north of Edmonds, the BNSF Northern Transcon line branches off to the east, this line continues north to Vancouver, BC. Quite often southbound trains will stop at MP 18 to wait for northbound trains. Photography of the railroad in Edmonds is wonderful, photographing from the east side of the tracks will offer the Puget Sound, beach and maybe even a ferry as the backdrop. Photographing from the west side will provide the beach and shoreline as the foreground to the shot of passing trains. In between trains, passing ships may catch your interest as they sail along the sound.
Location info:
Town / City: Edmonds, WA
Location Name: Milepost 18 – Sunset Avenue. [301 Sunset Ave N, Edmonds, WA 98020]
Railroad(s): BNSF Railway (Former Great Northern RR) / Amtrak (Empire Builder trains # 7 & # 8) and 4 daily Cascades trains to/from Vancouver, BC / Sounder Commuter trains (weekdays only).
Rail Traffic: Expect 20 freights during a 24-hour period. Amtrak has 6 trains daily, and Sounder operates 8 trains per day on weekdays only (6:11am, 6:41am, 7:11am, 7:41am & 4:32pm, 5:00pm, 5:32pm, 6:02pm). [My personal experience: I was here for just over 5 hours (12noon to 5:20pm), I only saw 4-trains, 1 BNSF freight, 2 Sounder commuter trains, and Amtrak # 8, the Empire Builder.]
Site Details: Although not an actual railfan park, the strip of land between Sunset Avenue and the railroad is owned and maintained by the city, several park benches face the railroad and the Puget Sound. There is no cover from foul weather of shade from those bright sunny days. In the unlucky event you visit on a rainy day, hopefully you can get a parking spot on Sunset Avenue with a view of the railroad. The railroad can also be viewed from the beach which opens another viewpoint.
Restrooms on site: No.
Food: None on site, however a short walk from the Sunset Avenue, several cafes & bars offer good food.
Picnic Area: There is at least 1 picnic table along Sunset Avenue.
Parking: There is free parking on Sunset Avenue, but spots are limited.
Lighted for evening railfanning: Although there are street lights, it may not be engough light to video passing trains.
Scanner Frequencies: 161.160 (Seattle Terminal Disp.) / 161.250 (North Branch Disp) / 161.100 (Seattle East Disp.)
Motels / Hotels: There are no railfan motels in Edmonds. Best Western is located 1-block from the train station and is a good choice for anyone without a vehicle visiting Edmonds. Other hotels are located near I-5.
