tr
al s
bd217 at scn.org
Sat Aug 9 17:59:53 PDT 1997
Pacific Northwest Railroading
Features
SP&S Ry. Historical
Society
SP&S Convention
Points of
Interest
Union
Pacific
E9's
Southern Pacific
4449
Sections
Modern Railroads
Historical Railroads
Tourist RR/Museums
General
sites
Model Railroads
The Pacific Northwest has an abundance of railroading attractions,
ranging from active
passenger service (Amtrak) to active Class 1 freight service (BNSF, UP),
to numerous
active branch lines, to tourist trains, to museums, and model railroad
clubs. This page
focuses on railroading in Oregon and Washington.
I'm based in Vancouver, WA where the BNSF and UP provide the hottest
mainline action
in the Portland, OR area.
Ride the rails of the Spokane Portland & Seattle Railway on the
official web page of
the SP&S Railway Historical Society.
SP&S Convention: Annual convention scheduled for July 5, 1997.
The Pacific Northwest is rich with railroading history. From
logging to long-haul
freight and passenger service, railroads played an important part
in the development of
the Pacific Northwest. Many railroading points of interest are
within 50 miles of
Portland, OR.
The Union Pacific E9's led an excursion on Sept. 30/Oct. 1, 1995
from Portland, OR
to Bend in Central Oregon, and back. The route taken was the UP
through the
Columbia River Gorge, connecting with the Oregon Trunk at the mouth
of the
Deschutes River. This trip was sandwiched by excursions with the UP
3985, which
took the weekend off and sat idle at Portland's Albina Yard. I
fanned the E9 segment,
bringing back photos from the weekend trip.
The Southern Pacific 4449 rode the rails of the Willamette Valley
in October 1995.
The Willamette Pacific and the Portland Western sponsored the
weeklong excursion
promoting the railroads in communities throughout the valley. I
caught the action on
two of those days, and came back with about 60 photographs. I've
made 5 of these
available to browse on the SP 4449 photos page.
Modern Railroads
Vancouver Train Spotters: Railfanning from the middle of the wye in
Vancouver, Wa.
(Robert Quillin).
Camron's Train Page: Railfan guide to the Walla Walla Valley, and
photos of
railroading in Oregon and Washington (Camron Settlemier).
Willamette & Pacific : Official site for the Willamette &
Pacific railroad (Nathan
Eby).
Corvallis, OR Homepage: Personal web page covering the Willamette &
Pacific
railroad (Nathan Eby).
Stampede Pass: Photos of work being done on Stampede Pass, getting
it ready for
BNSF freight action.
Washington State DOT (Freight): Information of rail freight systems
in Washington.
Washington State DOT (Passenger): Information of passenger rail
systems in
Washington.
Northwest railroading: Pacific Northwest railroading sites (Russell
Graham).
The Railhead: Vancouver WA train pics (Toni Ryan).
Go to Top
Historic Railroads
SP Daylight pics: SP4449 pics from May 4, 1996 excursion from
Portland, OR to
Seattle, WA (Harald Hohendorf).
Friends of 4449: The Friends of 4449 sponsors excursion trips of
the SP 4449 (Larry
Miller).
Images by RC: SP 4449 photos from May 1996 excursion to
Vancouver, B.C.
(Bob Castaneda).
Pacific Northwest Chapter: The Pacific Northwest Chapter of the
National Railway
Historical Society.
PRPA: The Pacific Railroad Preservation Association is dedicated to
restoring,
maintaining, and operating historic railway equipment of the
Pacific Northwest
(Randal O'Toole).
Washington State Railways Historical Society: Formed in 1990,
the WSRHS is
dedicated to the preservation of Washington railroads (Jim Bowers).
Dayton WA Historical Depot Society: The oldest Railroad depot
in Washington
state (Steve Jacobson).
The Railroad That Ran By the Tide: Ilwaco Railway & Navigation Co.
(Raymond J.
Feagans).
Gray Harbor RR: History of the Gray Harbor RR (Mike Davison).
Northern Pacific Compendium: A multi-authored site covering the
Northern Pacific.
Northern Pacific Railroad: Northern Pacific. (B. Giffin)
Great Northern Railway: Original owner of the OGRE (Orange Green
Railway
Engine) paint scheme (Lindsay Korst).
Oregon Electric Railway: The Oregon Electric Railway Historical
Society page (Marc
Coan).
History of Union Pacific line in the Columbia Gorge: Senior
honors project by
Pacific University student (Blake Timm).
Troutdale Rail Depot Museum: Restored depot in Troutdale, OR
on the Union
Pacific line (Oregon Online Highways).
The Railhead: SP&S train pics (Toni Ryan).
Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historical Society: Official Chapter
affiliated with the
National Railroad Historical Society.
Go to Top
Tourist RR/Museums
Western Washington steam RRs: A guide to the Mt. Rainier Scenic RR,
Lake
Whatcom RR, and the Chehalis-Centralia RR (Rubicon).
Northwest Rail Excursions: Excursion Train information covering
British Columbia,
Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana (Steve
Eshom).
Medford Railway Park: Live steam in Southern Oregon.
Sumpter Valley Railroad: Live steam in Eastern Oregon.
Lewis & Clark Railway: Operated out of Battleground WA (Clark
County, WA).
Mount Hood Railroad: Take a trip through the orchards of Hood
River Valley
(Oregon Online Highways).
Mount Hood Railroad: (Portland Oregon Visitors Association)
Willamette Shore Trolley: Trolley line along the shore of the
Willamette River
between Portland and Lake Oswego (Oregon Online Highways)
Crooked River Railroad Company: Tourist train running on the
City of
Prineville line (Oregon Online Highways)
Tillamook's Fun Run Express: Tourist train running on the
Oregon shore
(Oregon Online Highways)
Yakima Valley Rail and Steam Museum: Also the home of the
Toppenish,
Simcoe & Western RR.
Go to Top
General sites
Northwest Rail News: Keep up on the latest breaking railroad
news in the Pacific
Northwest (Erik Halstead).
Portland Second Section: This page covers railroading in the
Portland, OR area
(James Spears). It concentrates on model railroad clubs and
layouts, and other railroad
interest groups, with special interest in the SP&S 700 restoration
group.
Go to Top
The Western Washington Steam Railroad
Page
Last updated 7/24/97
This web page is for all you folks who are interested in steam
locomotives and want to
know where in Washington you can go to see them.
I plan to add "dead" locomotives in parks and museums, but the emphasis
is on "living"
steam locomotives.
The information I include on these pages was gathered by myself, and is
provided as is,
with no warranty. I have no "official" affiliations with any
organization or business
mentioned here. If my information is inaccurate, or out of date, I
accept NO LIABILITY.
I do appreciate corrections, and if you can supply any additional, or
interesting
information, I'd be happy to make the correction, or include the
information.
Western Washington
The Mount Rainier Scenic RR
The Chehalis-Centralia RR
The Lake Whatcom Railway
Remlinger Farms Railroad
The Anacortes Railway
The Camp 6 Logging Exhibit
New! SP&S 539 Restoration Project
New! Shelton Washington
New! Washington Parks and Static Displays
Another place to visit, although they haven't operated steam for a
couple of years is The
Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, just east of Seattle. They use
either their old
Alco or a Fairbanks Morse diesel to power the trains. Both diesels are
logging railroad
veterans. I include them here because they also have some interesting
steam locomotives in
storage including a couple of 2-6-6-2 logging Mallets. Unfortunately,
conservation of
their steam collection does not appear to be a priority, or even a
concern.
Steam Railroads that I've visited outside of Washington state.
British Columbia
A little to the north of Washington State are our neighbors in the
Canadian province of
British Colombia. Here's a link to Railroads and Railroad Museums in
B.C.
Eastern Washington
The Washington State Railroads Historical Society is based in Pasco but
has members all
over the state.
Camron's Train Page features pictures and trains in the Tri-Cities area.
The Yakima Valley Rail and Steam Museum web page is maintained by Alan
Woolf.
Check out his railroad and photography pages!
If anyone knows of any other railroad related museums or web pages for
eastern
Washington, please let me know!
Here are some future links I plan (hope) to do in 1997:
More (?) eastern Washington Steam and tourist rail roads
I'm looking for more information on the two passenger cars in Concrete
WA, and the
tourist railroad that didn't quite happen.
I'm also looking for leads regarding the "Bow Lake Railroad"(?) which
I've heard is up
near Anacortes.
Send your questions, comments or corrections to: Rubicon at AccessOne.com
Return to the Rubicon Homepage
http://www.accessone.com/~rubicon/MRSRR.html
The Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad
Last updated 4/2/97
Located in the town of Elbe, this is in my (humble) opinion, the crown
jewel of steam in
Western Washington. They have five operating steam locomotives, ample
track running
through the woods and across impressive bridges, and it is a great ride!
The 1997 operating season begins on May 24th, with trains running on
weekends. Starting
June 15th, the trains will run daily. The 1 1/2 hour trip begins at
Elbe, with a short layover
at Mineral Lake, then returns to Elbe.
Departure times from Elbe are: 11:00, 1:15 and 3:00
Fares are: Adults $9.50, Seniors $8.50, Juniors $7.50 and Children $6.50
The Cascadian Dinner Train returns to the rails every Saturday evening
starting May 24th.
For Information call: 360-569-2588 or write:
Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad
P.O. Box 921
Elbe, WA 98330
Some on going projects at the Mount Rainier RR, that I'm aware of, are
the restoration of
2-8-2 #70 (former Rayonier). There is also the "Skookum" 2-4-4-2 that's
been in storage
at the shops at Mineral for a while.
For those of you have Nils Huxtable's book, Classic North American
Steam, you can see
a picture of #70 on page 78 when it was in Snoqualmie Washington at the
Puget Sound
and Snoqualmie.
They also have some classic diesels including a former Great Northern F
unit. I need to get
more details, and when I do, I'll post them here.
The following images were taken at the 1995 "Geared Triple Header"
(April) and "Mike
Double Header" (October).
Climax #10 (62K 736x480 jpg)
Pacific Coast Shay #11 (72K 736x480 jpg)
Three truck Heisler #91 (63K 736x480 jpg)
A geared triple header (87K 736x480 jpg)
2-8-2T #17 (72K 736x480 jpg)
2-8-2 #5 (96K 736x480 jpg)
Three geared locomotives (87K 736x480 jpg)
Return to the Western Washington Steam Page
Snoqualmie Valley
Railroad Company
(206) 888-0373
Tracks Back Into Time
Enjoy a Railroad Excursion over tracks built by the Seattle, Lake Shore
and Eastern Railway in the 1880's. Relive the clickity-clack of steel
wheels
on rails, the gentle swaying of the cars and the "All Aboard" of the
Conductor. While in Snoqualmie visit the 1890 built depot that is on the
National Register of Historic Places, its many displays, and the
Northwest
Railway Museum Store.
Northwest Railway Museum
(Puget Sound Railway Historical
Association)
1996 Program Schedule
Interpretive Railway - "The Snoqualmie Valley Railroad
Company"
Regular Public Program:
Sundays - April 7th through October 27th
Saturdays - May 18th through September 28th
There are frequent departures from Snoqualmie and North Bend.
Please call (206) 888-0373 for up to date schedule and fare
information.
School Train May 10th - Call for departure times (206) 888-0373
Santa Train - November 30th through December 15th - Call for schedule!
(206) 888-0373
Snoqualmie Depot and Depot Bookstore - 10:00am - 5:00pm Friday
through Monday - Effective April 1996.
Running Trades Progam
Interested people can train to become Brakement,
Conductors, Firemen and Engineers. Training takes place
during most regular railway operation but volunteers must
first study and be examined on Railway Operating Rules.
Minimum age for Brakemen and Firemen is 18 years;
Conductors and Engineers is 21 years. First scheduled training class is
March 2nd at 10:00am in the Snoqualmie Depot. For more information call
888-0373.
History of Snoqualmie Railway/Depot
All Aboard to Preserve History! Membership Information
c. 1996 azl.com/NW Railway Museum. This site courtesy of North Bend
Chevy Olds Geo.
http://www.azl.com/train/
Snoqualmie Valley
Railroad Company
(206) 888-0373
One of the Puget Sound region's most prominent historic landmarks, the
railroad station in the old logging town of Snoqualmie, celebrated its
100th
anniversary on August 3rd, 1990. The depot, owned by the non-profic
Puget Sound Railway Historical Association, is on the National Register
of
Historic Places. Steam trains depart from the depot every summer weekend
for runs through the scenic Snoqualmie Valley. The station also
represents
a change in the Valley's economy from dependence on logging and lumber
to a growing tourism industry.
History
Railroads were America's primary mode of transportation for well over a
century. Their ability to move people and goods efficiently made it
possible
for the United States to evolve from a string of former colonies along
the
Atlantic coast to a continental world power.
The Pacific Northwest was a remote and isolated region of this country
until the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway in the 1870's. Tacoma
was
selected for the railway's Puget Sound terminus. Both the NP and Tacoma
worked to make it the dominant city on the Sound, usually at Seattle's
expense. Seattle, desiring a rail link of its own, was determined not to
be
outdone. The town's leaders gave their support to the Seattle, Lake
Shore
and Eastern Railway, organized in April 1885 and financed by local
interests. The goal was to build across the state, and the connect with
the
Great Northern Railway which was reaching toward Spokane.
The line was pushed north from Seattle along Elliot Bay, skirted
Ballard,
then turned east along the Ship Canal and Lake Union. It followed the
western shore of Lake Washington to Woodinville. (Most of this track has
been removed and has become the popular Burke-Gilman Trail.) At
Woodinville the line split. One branch went north to meet the Canadian
Pacific Railway at Sumas. The other line snaked through the communities
of Redmond, and Issaquah, before reaching the foothills of the
Snoqualmie
Valley.
The Snoqualmie Valley was on an Indian trade route. Tribes would hold
council at the foot of Snoqualmie Falls. The first white settlers
arrived in
the 1860's and began to farm. A 4,000 acre hops ranch became the upper
valley's biggest industry. The huge stands of cedar and fir were not
commercially useful as there was no practical way to get the logs or
finished lumber to the market.
The arrival of the railroad changed everything. On June 10, 1889, just
months before statehood, the S.L.S. & E. Railway opened its line to the
Snoqualmie Valley. Now lumber could be shipped out, while supplies and
machinery could be brought in. People could go between Seattle and the
Valley in a few hours. This brought a population increase and prosperity
to
the area.
The line was built as far as Tanner, two miles east of North Bend. Ahead
lie
the rugged Cascades, and tremendous construction costs. The railway's
managers were faced with the task of soliciting investment in their
enterprise. At the same time, rumors were cirulating that the SLS&E was
having financial difficulties. To dispel fears that the railroad was not
a good
investment, it was decided to construct a large and fancy depot in
Snoqualmie which was expected to become the largest city between Seattle
and the Cascades.
In May 1890, the firm of Scott and Anderson was chosen to build a depot
in Snoqualmie. The contract specified that it had to be completed in
ninety
days. The site was given to the railroad by the city. The station cost
$4,200
to build and was the finest depot on the railroad. Despite the effort,
the
railroad was never extended further east although it did reach the
Canadian
border.
In 1957, the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association was founded to
preserve the Pacific Northwest's railroad heritage. Over the years the
Association has restored the Snoqualmie Depot to its original granduer,
and maintains five miles of track and railway equipment. No visit to
Snoqualmie is complete with a stop at the depot!
History of Snoqualmie Railway/Depot
All Aboard to Preserve History! Membership Information
Return to Snoqualmie Valley Business Directory
c. 1996 azl.com/Snoqualmie Valley Railway. This site courtesy of North
Bend Chevy Olds
Geo.
Model Railroads
Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club: Portland's largest and grandest
layout
depicting the Columbia Gorge from Portland to Wishram, and the
Oregon Trunk from
Wishram to Bend.
P&SW RR: A hypothetical railroad located in Washington, running
from Chehalis to
the Canadian border.
BSME: Bellingham Society of Model Engineers.
PSMRE: Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers located in the
Washington State
Historical Museum in Tacoma.
Go to Top
I'm continually looking for additional sites dedicated to
railroading in the Pacific
Northwest. If you have information about sites, or have one of your
own that you
would like me to list, send me an email.
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