The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, The Northwest’s Own Railway

The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway may have been a small railroad in terms of its actual size but it served as an important link for its parents, the Northern Pacific Railway and Great Northern Railway, into the gateways of Portland and northwestern Oregon. The little bridge line also was well liked in the many communities it served, one reason of how it obtained its slogan, “The Northwest’s Own Railway.” The SP&S was never an independent company and was expressly created to ferry traffic back and forth for its owners, which it did quite well for over 60 years. While the railroad did have its own identity and played an important role it never operated any of its own passenger trains and its parents always determined its direction. In the end it was folded into the merger of the NP, GN, and GN-controlled Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern Railroad, the largest western railroad of its time.

After completing its main line all the way to Spokane in 1909 the SP&S was extended down into Oregon when it acquired the Oregon Electric which gave the railroad access to the state capital of Salem. Following other acquisitions and construction of new railroad the SP&S reached points in Oregon such as Eugene, Bend, and the Pacific Coast at Seaside and Hammond giving it entry into the lucrative lumber and timber traffic of the region.

Unfortunately, the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway was treated mostly like an unwanted step-child by its parents for much of its life. For instance, obtaining freight cars for service could be a like pulling teeth sometimes and the railroad almost always got second-hand equipment from the Great Northern and Northern Pacific (whatever was left over as GN and NP always took the good stuff). The SP&S did, however, finally receive new motive power in 1937 when it was given six massive Class Z-6 4-6-6-4s from a Northern Pacific batch of 21 ordered from Alco. Later, beginning in the 1940s, the railroad began receiving new diesels from EMD and Alco, the latter locomotives of which how many fondly remember the railroad, as large Century 424s, 425s and 636s along with FAs led many long SP&S freight trains through Washington and western Oregon.

Following the arrival of the new diesels and Challengers the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway had little financial trouble for the rest of days (the influx of traffic brought on by World War II sure didn't hurt any either). While the SP&S's life was, perhaps, not as interesting or long-lived as other classic fallen flags, its lines were key routes to points like Seattle, Portland and northwestern Oregon that continue to serve as important arteries in the BNSF Railway System today.

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For an all-time diesel locomotive roster of the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway please click here. Also, for an excellent listing of EMD-built diesel locomotives, including those owned by the SP&S please click here. Lastly, please click here to locate preserved SP&S diesel locomotives.

The American Locomotive Company

Electro-Motive Division

For a more complete roster of Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway steam locomotives please click here. Also, for information regarding surviving SP&S steam locomotives please click here.

Notable Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Passenger Trains

Empire Builder (GN's flagship hosted from Spokane to Portland by the SP&S.)

North Coast Limited (NP's flagship hosted from Portland to Spokane by the SP&S.)

Columbia River Express: (Portland - Spokane)

Oriental Limited: GN's train which connected Chicago to Portland, via the SP&S between Spokane and Portland.

Mainstreeter: NP's train which connected Portland to Chicago, via the SP&S between Spokane and Portland.

Western Star: GN's train which connected Portland to SpokanePortland to Chicago, via the SP&S between Spokane and Portland.

(A deep thanks to the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University for allowing Ron Nixon's historic collection of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle to be featured here. Please note that the photos featured on this page feature their corresponding image number so that you may quickly and easily find more information about it from their website. To view Ron Nixon's entire collection please click here.)

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