Steam on the Chelatchie Prairie: The Route (Continued)

After passing through the tunnel, the railroad roughly parallels Lucia Falls Road and provides a view of the Lewis River, while on the other side, rock outcroppings occasionally hang over the tracks.

The railroad turns to cross Lucia Falls Road and then the Lewis River on Bridge 23. This is the largest bridge on the entire line between Vancouver and Chelatchie Prairie. The bridge's construction appears to be somewhat unusual, though it is hard to photograph from the road.

In the above pictures, the train is backing through the Lucia Falls Road grade crossing and across Bridge 23. The pictures below show the view of the Lewis River from the train as it crosses the bridge.

After crossing to the south side of the Lewis River, the railroad travels out of sight of both the road and the river, traveling through the dense evergreen forest to emerge at Lucia.

Continue to The Return Trip…