Visually, the recently-completed improvements to the railroad crossing on state Route 6 near Adna are relatively minor.
Those familiar with the area will likely notice the new crossing gates and see that guardrails and crossing infrastructure look newer, but others who haven’t previously stopped for one of the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum’s excursion trains may not register the changes.
While the improvements may look unsubstantial to some, the project increases safety at the crossing and officials hope that will help the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum (CCRM) regain the insurance necessary to resume passenger operations.
CCRM shut down all revenue-generating passenger rail operations in early March after it lost its liability insurance coverage.
A major contributor to that insurance loss was the history of crashes involving CCRM’s trains crossing state Route 6. The first crash occurred in July 2017 and involved a Curtis man who failed to yield right of way and collided with the passing steam train, suffering fatal injuries. The second crash occurred in October 2019 and involved a Raymond man who crashed into CCRM’s dinner train while the train was traveling backwards.
The man filed a lawsuit against CCRM in May 2021 claiming the collision and his injuries were directly caused by the “tortious conduct” of the museum and its staff, according to previous Chronicle reporting. That lawsuit is still active, according to CCRM.
In 2020, CCRM applied for funds from the Federal Highway Administration Section 130 program, which finances projects that eliminate hazards at railway-highway crossings. The Washington state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) received federal funding on CCRM’s behalf for the crossing project this year and contracted Midvale Electric Inc. out of Sunnyside to do the work, according to CCRM project manager Bill Deutscher.
“This is about a $450,000 project and basically, except for a little staff time, it didn't cost us anything,” Deutscher said.
Construction at the state Route 6 railroad crossing wrapped up on Aug. 26.
The railroad crossing now boasts new lights attached to a new cantilever, updated guardrails and wishbone crossing gates.
A new control booth a few feet down down the track contains all the electronics that run the crossing system, as well as backup batteries that would keep it operational during a power outage.
Signals on the rails 925 feet from the road send electric currents down the rail when a train passes to trigger the crossing.
“That’s to give the adequate 42-second warning time (before the train crosses the road),” said Deutscher.
When the trigger goes off, a warning bell starts ringing, lights mounted to the cantilever flash red and the crossing arms lower over the roadway.
It will still be some time before CCRM can resume passenger operations and see the new crossing signals in action, but Deutscher assures that the system is fully operational.
“It’s ready to go,” he said of the new railroad crossing signals.
CCRM will be responsible for the crossing system’s continued maintenance.
To further improve the safety of CCRM’s excursions, CCRM has removed hazard equipment and surplus mechanical items from its yard, added two front-facing and two rear-facing video cameras on its diesel engine, purchased a new fueling system for its diesel engine and installed additional signage on its tracks, according to a presentation CCRM gave to the Port of Chehalis last month.
Before CCRM can resume its passenger operations, the railroad will need to finish repairing a 1-mile section of track west of the Willapa Hills Trail that was damaged during early January flooding.
CCRM has received a Small Business Administration loan and a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund that repair work, according to CCRM President Mary Kay Nelson.
“Plans are now being made to replace culverts and railroad ties with ballast and material to enable the train to carry passengers on excursions once the general liability insurance is in place,” she said in an email to The Chronicle.
CCRM is waiting until the track repairs are done to re-apply for general liability insurance, Nelson said.
Nelson hopes the pieces will be in place for CCRM to run its Pumpkin Train starting Oct. 15, but there is no timeline for getting the trains back up and running.
Her goal is to at least be able to run the popular Polar Express train ride as normal in December.
In the meantime, CCRM is making the most of its premises-liability insurance coverage, which allows railroad workers to return to the site and allows CCRM to hold fundraising events at and around the depot, so long as the trains aren’t moving.
CCRM held a stationary “Escape Room Dinner Train” at the depot in July and will hold a stationary “School of Wizardry Express” Oct. 1-2 as fundraisers for track repairs and CCRM’s operational costs.
More information on the upcoming events can be found online at https://steamtrainride.com/.
