| Posted by SES on March 23, 2022 | |
Wow! What a treat to see a rearely photographed segment of Northern Pacific Heritage. I read an article once that this line and the Northern Pacific CW Line from Cheney, WA to Coulee City were an uncompleted project started by Seattle investors. When Northern Pacific decided to make Tacoma, WA their main terminus and only branch out to Seattle, many businessmen in Seattle were unhappy about the action. They decided to engineer their own mainline across the state. They built their new railroad and made it as far as Snoqualmie/North Bend at the base of Snoqualmie Pass. They also built west from Cheney, WA, making it as far as Coulee City, forming what is now known as the famous CW Line. The investors either were reluctant to invest further when faced with the expense of building over the mountains or surveyors had a difficult time engineering a route over the Cascades, but either way, the lines were never connected and the two lines made their way into Northern Pacific hands any way. It looks like a few segments survive as tourist railroads in Issiquah and North Bend and the CW Line still exists, bringing seasonal grain loads to Cheney for BNSF pickup.
|
Gotta agree with SES, thank you for posting this. Images of the line are very rare and its history is really interesting. Aside from the track remaining in Issaquah, there's a good slice between Bothell and Woodinville going back to nature that I photograph occasionally as the creek is eating it away. Also the bridge near Snoqualmie Falls still stands. I remember seeing some of the last trains as a kid, the area has changed a lot in that time, sadly no more trains on the eastside.
|
I lived above Lake Sammamish for a time in the 70s and early 80s. During my last years with CNW we had an office in Issaquah across the street from Darigold, and my window looked right at the end of the BN tracks, so got to see this train when it would make its run into town quite often. Always a nice distraction.
|
|