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Washington Railroading and Railfanning In "The Evergreen State"

Today, Washington railroading is dominated by BNSF Railway, which owns three main lines in the Evergreen State and controls the lucrative container traffic coming from the Puget Sound region. Washington is also rich in railroad history as the state was the final destination of northern plains railroads attempting to reach Seattle and the west coast. From an operational standpoint Washington has plenty to offer with the Cascade Range covering much of the state and the spectacular Columbia River carving its way through the state’s western region. So, whether you are interested in seeing BNSF stack trains blast their way through legendary Cascade Tunnel (found along Great Northern’s old main line, it is the longest tunnel in the country at eight miles) or see Amtrak Cascades skirt along the Puget Sound, the Evergreen State is home to all of this plus much, much more.

Washington railroading has its beginnings dating back to 1851 when the Cascade Portage Railway opened six miles of railroad between Hamilton Island and Stevenson, Washington (the railroad operated until 1907). By 1883 the first of the “Hill” lines reached the Puget Sound with the Northern Pacific Railway opening its main line between Minneapolis and Seattle that year. Ten years later in 1893 the other transcontinental “Hill” line also opened, the Great Northern Railway, operating over much of the same territory as its allying road. The final railroad to compete in the Pacific Northwest was the Milwaukee Road, which completed its main line to Seattle much later than its two competitors by not reaching Puget Sound until 1909.

While the MILW, NP and GN were the transcontinental routes through Washington other notable Class I railroads also served the state including the NP-GN owned Spokane, Portland & Seattle (which served as a bridge route for the railroads connecting its namesake cities along with northwestern Oregon) and the Union Pacific, which reached as far east as Spokane and as far west as Seattle/Tacoma.

Of all of Washington's railroads perhaps the SP&S is the most interesting. The railroad proudly claimed itself The Northwest’s Own Railway and while it operated less than 1,000 miles of railroad it was a vital link for parents Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads.

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 CB&Q in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern, the largest western railroad of its time.

The SP&S has its roots dating back to 1900 when James J. Hill, owner of the GN, NP, and CB&Q (which by that time the three railroads had stretched from Chicago to Seattle and nearly all major Northwestern markets in between), sought to create a new railroad, known as the Portland & Seattle, to connect his former railroads at Spokane, Washington with Portland, Oregon. Although a lengthy battle would ensue with the Southern Pacific, who tried to prevent Hill from constructing his new railroad to the Pacific Coast, the line was completed in 1908 and renamed the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway.

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.

Today successor BNSF operates all of the ex-GN, NP, and SP&S trackage and because of the strategic advantage all three carriers’ routes held in Washington it is not surprising that BNSF continues to hold the upper hand in the state (as evidenced by the endless string of container and grain traffic that travel to and from the Puget Sound region). It was not always this way, however. Prior to the Milwaukee Road abandoning the Pacific Northwest it, amazingly, dominated the intermodal market along the Puget Sound so much so that due to the railroad’s horrendous maintenance practices by the 1970s it simply became overwhelmed by the traffic volumes that the physical plant could no longer support such strain and forced the railroad into bankruptcy in the late 1970s.

Even today, the Milwaukee Road's main line would have also made for a vital link to Chicago with its direct route but unfortunately virtually nothing remains of it in the State of Washington.

In any event, the Union Pacific and several shortlines, some of which include the Bountiful Grain and Craig Mountain Railroad, Tacoma Rail and the Tri-City & Olympia Railroad operate the remaining trackage in the Evergreen State.

In total, these railroads operate over 3,000 route miles today although at one time the Evergreen State was home to over 5,500 miles. For more information about Washington railroading, in terms of mileage over the years please take a look at the chart below.

Washington railroading also includes a number of commuter and passenger rail operations. Amtrak operates the Coast Starlight and Empire Builder from Seattle’s King Street Station and is also contracted by the state to operate the Talgo trainsets between Eugene, Portland (Oregon), Seattle, Bellingham (Washington), and Vancouver, British Columbia. Along with Sounder commuter trains (which operated between Seattle and Tacoma), commuter rail has become an extremely popular mode of transportation in Washington since debuting in the 1990s, and future extensions of the service are planned.

If you enjoy excursion trains and tourist railroads, Washington railroading features several! While the popular Spirit of Washington Dinner Train closed in the fall of 2007 others like the Mount Rainer Scenic Railroad and the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad continue to offer stunning views of the Cascade Mountains and Washington countryside. The Evergreen State is also home to several railroad museums such as the Northwest Railway Museum and the Washington State Railroads Historical Society Museum.

In all, whether you are interested in seeing stack trains work their way through the stiff grades of the state's eastern half, watching commuter trains hurry up and down Puget Sound, or just enjoy a relaxing trip aboard an excursion train, Washington railroading features all of this plus much, much more.

For more reading about Washington's rail history you might want to pick up a copy of Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History Vol. III: Oregon and Washington by author Don Robertson. The book gives a fine, indepth account in more than 300 pages covering both the history and operations of railroads in both states. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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