Puget Sound Shore Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Puget Sound Shore Railroad and successor Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad built a branch line
of the Northern Pacific Railroad between Puyallup and Seattle, Washington
, U.S., and partially constructed a line around the east side of Lake Washington
to Woodinville.
competed to be its Pacific terminus. Tacoma, about 40 miles (64.4 km) south of Seattle, became the winner in July 1873, when the NP, then building north from Portland, selected it. Seattle businessmen immediately incorporated the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad and Transportation Company to build their own line east, but were only able to build 20 miles (32.2 km) or narrow gauge
line to a coal mine at Newcastle. Although it proved successful in carrying coal to the ocean, it did not give Seattle its eastward connection.
Henry Villard
, owner of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, bought the Seattle and Walla Walla in November 1880 and reorganized it as the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad (C&PS), intending to connect the two in eastern Washington. Villard gained control of the NP in June 1881, and created the Oregon and Transcontinental Company
(O&T) as a holding company
for the NP and other companies that would build branch lines prohibited by the NP's charter. In contrast to the NP's earlier spurning of Seattle, Villard promised that the main line would not end at Tacoma, which it had reached in 1874, but would continue to Seattle.
That city granted the O&T right of way along Elliott Bay
between King and Cedar Streets in March 1882, and on August 19 the Puget Sound Shore Railroad was incorporated to build the branch. From a junction with the 1877 Tacoma–Wilkeson branch at Meeker (east of Puyallup) north to Stuck Junction (south of Auburn), the NP itself constructed the line; the remainder to Seattle was built by the new company. North of Black River Junction, the Puget Sound Shore Railroad built its standard gauge
line on the grade of the narrow gauge
C&PS at the base of Beacon Hill, by laying two new standard gauge rails and replacing one of the C&PS's rails between them in a dual gauge
setup. At a junction point near Addition Street (just north of Atlantic Street), the new line left the C&PS's curving alignment and headed directly northwest on a trestle
, crossing King Street at First Avenue and then following the waterfront.
The last spike of the NP's transcontinental line was driven on September 8, 1883, but Villard's financial empire collapsed later that year, with the branch to Seattle not yet completed. New NP president Charles B. Wright announced that Tacoma would be the railroad's terminus, with Seattle simply the end of a local branch line. O&T subsidiary Oregon Improvement Company completed the construction, and Seattle's first standard gauge train entered the city on June 17, 1884. Regular service between Seattle and Tacoma did not begin until July 6, 1884, but in late August it suddenly ended when the NP and Oregon Improvement Company could not agree on the operation of what had become known as the "Orphan Road".
The NP incorporated a new lessor subsidiary, the Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad, on August 23, 1884, to acquire the entire line between Meeker and Seattle. Talks dragged on, and finally, in early October 1885, the NP began repairing the damage from a year of neglect, reopening it permanently on October 26. On October 31, 1889, the property of the Puget Sound Shore Railroad was sold to the new NP subsidiary, and on April 21, 1898, the line was sold to the reorganized Northern Pacific Railway
. In addition, the company in 1890 and 1891 had partially constructed a branch from Black River Junction around the east side of Lake Washington
to Woodinville, which the NP completed in 1903 and 1904. (The NP's line over Stampede Pass
would open in 1887, connecting near Wilkeson with the old branch and shortening the distance east from Seattle and Tacoma.)
The C&PS standard-gauged its line in 1897, and in 1901 the C&PS and NP came to an agreement to split the shared right-of-way, the NP taking the west half and the C&PS the east half. The NP also built a new line between Argo and Seattle, mostly along Colorado Avenue, and in 1903 the two companies swapped lines north of Argo. The C&PS now crossed the NP at Argo to reach the Colorado Avenue trackage, and the NP became sole owner of the grade at the base of Beacon Hill north of Argo. This grade soon became a minor branch when a straighter line on Second Avenue opened, connecting at the new King Street Station with the Great Northern Railway
's new tunnel
under downtown.
The main line between Meeker and Seattle has remained as a major part of today's BNSF Railway
, now forming the north end of the Seattle–Vancouver Seattle Subdivision, and carries Amtrak
's Coast Starlight
and Cascades. On the other hand, the Woodinville Subdivision
around the east side of Lake Washington has been mostly abandoned.
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
of the Northern Pacific Railroad between Puyallup and Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, U.S., and partially constructed a line around the east side of Lake Washington
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
to Woodinville.
History
After Congress chartered the Northern Pacific Railroad (NP) in 1864, the communities along Puget SoundPuget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
competed to be its Pacific terminus. Tacoma, about 40 miles (64.4 km) south of Seattle, became the winner in July 1873, when the NP, then building north from Portland, selected it. Seattle businessmen immediately incorporated the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad and Transportation Company to build their own line east, but were only able to build 20 miles (32.2 km) or narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
line to a coal mine at Newcastle. Although it proved successful in carrying coal to the ocean, it did not give Seattle its eastward connection.
Henry Villard
Henry Villard
Henry Villard was an American journalist and financier who was an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway....
, owner of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, bought the Seattle and Walla Walla in November 1880 and reorganized it as the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad (C&PS), intending to connect the two in eastern Washington. Villard gained control of the NP in June 1881, and created the Oregon and Transcontinental Company
Oregon and Transcontinental Company
The Oregon and Transcontinental Company was a 19th-century holding company in the United States, organized by Henry Villard in 1881 to control the Northern Pacific Railroad and Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. In 1890, it became the North American Company, which was incorporated in New Jersey...
(O&T) as a holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
for the NP and other companies that would build branch lines prohibited by the NP's charter. In contrast to the NP's earlier spurning of Seattle, Villard promised that the main line would not end at Tacoma, which it had reached in 1874, but would continue to Seattle.
That city granted the O&T right of way along Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay is the body of water on which Seattle, Washington, is located. A line drawn from Alki Point in the south to West Point in the north serves to mark the generally accepted division between the bay and the open sound...
between King and Cedar Streets in March 1882, and on August 19 the Puget Sound Shore Railroad was incorporated to build the branch. From a junction with the 1877 Tacoma–Wilkeson branch at Meeker (east of Puyallup) north to Stuck Junction (south of Auburn), the NP itself constructed the line; the remainder to Seattle was built by the new company. North of Black River Junction, the Puget Sound Shore Railroad built its standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
line on the grade of the narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
C&PS at the base of Beacon Hill, by laying two new standard gauge rails and replacing one of the C&PS's rails between them in a dual gauge
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
setup. At a junction point near Addition Street (just north of Atlantic Street), the new line left the C&PS's curving alignment and headed directly northwest on a trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
, crossing King Street at First Avenue and then following the waterfront.
The last spike of the NP's transcontinental line was driven on September 8, 1883, but Villard's financial empire collapsed later that year, with the branch to Seattle not yet completed. New NP president Charles B. Wright announced that Tacoma would be the railroad's terminus, with Seattle simply the end of a local branch line. O&T subsidiary Oregon Improvement Company completed the construction, and Seattle's first standard gauge train entered the city on June 17, 1884. Regular service between Seattle and Tacoma did not begin until July 6, 1884, but in late August it suddenly ended when the NP and Oregon Improvement Company could not agree on the operation of what had become known as the "Orphan Road".
The NP incorporated a new lessor subsidiary, the Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad, on August 23, 1884, to acquire the entire line between Meeker and Seattle. Talks dragged on, and finally, in early October 1885, the NP began repairing the damage from a year of neglect, reopening it permanently on October 26. On October 31, 1889, the property of the Puget Sound Shore Railroad was sold to the new NP subsidiary, and on April 21, 1898, the line was sold to the reorganized Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
. In addition, the company in 1890 and 1891 had partially constructed a branch from Black River Junction around the east side of Lake Washington
Lake Washington
Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It is bordered by the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and...
to Woodinville, which the NP completed in 1903 and 1904. (The NP's line over Stampede Pass
Stampede Pass
Stampede Pass is a mountain pass through the Cascade Range just south of Snoqualmie Pass in Washington.-Discovery of the Pass:The pass was discovered by Virgil Bogue, a civil engineer working for the Northern Pacific Railway...
would open in 1887, connecting near Wilkeson with the old branch and shortening the distance east from Seattle and Tacoma.)
The C&PS standard-gauged its line in 1897, and in 1901 the C&PS and NP came to an agreement to split the shared right-of-way, the NP taking the west half and the C&PS the east half. The NP also built a new line between Argo and Seattle, mostly along Colorado Avenue, and in 1903 the two companies swapped lines north of Argo. The C&PS now crossed the NP at Argo to reach the Colorado Avenue trackage, and the NP became sole owner of the grade at the base of Beacon Hill north of Argo. This grade soon became a minor branch when a straighter line on Second Avenue opened, connecting at the new King Street Station with the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (US)
The Great Northern Railway , running from Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Seattle, Washington—more than 1,700 miles —was the creation of the 19th century railroad tycoon James J. Hill and was developed from the Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad...
's new tunnel
Great Northern Tunnel
The Great Northern Tunnel is a double tracked railway tunnel under downtown Seattle, Washington, completed by the Great Northern Railway in 1905, and now owned by the BNSF Railway and is on its Scenic Subdivision. At the time it was built, the tunnel was the highest and widest in the United States...
under downtown.
The main line between Meeker and Seattle has remained as a major part of today's BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
, now forming the north end of the Seattle–Vancouver Seattle Subdivision, and carries Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Coast Starlight
Coast Starlight
The Coast Starlight is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States. It runs from King Street Station in Seattle, Washington, to Union Station in Los Angeles, California. The train's name was formed as a merging of two of Southern Pacific's train names, the Coast...
and Cascades. On the other hand, the Woodinville Subdivision
Woodinville Subdivision
The Woodinville Subdivision is a railroad line that was formerly owned by BNSF Railway and takes its names from one of its original end points in Woodinville, Washington, United States. The line extends approximately in east King County and Snohomish County. The line's ownership has been...
around the east side of Lake Washington has been mostly abandoned.