Milwaukee sleeper #5741 (Mt. Washington), interior showing car and compartment #12, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, L.E. Newman. Over the years many different styles of sleeping compartments were designed. In this type, the sloping ceiling of the compartment folded down and the upper berth was already made up. The seat cushions were arranged to form the bed of the lower berth and the mattress was then put in place. The bed was made up with sheets, blanket and pillows and next the curtains were hung. An experienced porter could do the entire job in just three minutes. (The American Railroad Passenger Car, John H. White, Jr.)

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroad companies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad sleeping cars--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad passenger cars--Tacoma--1940-1950; Seating furniture--Tacoma--1940-1950;

285 carload pile of phosphate at Port Piers to be shipped, Times, Corky Maybin. A huge stockpile of phosphate had been growing on Port of Tacoma property from 285 carloads of the material delivered from Idaho pending shipment to Japan. Tacoma had no bunker facilities at the time and ships scheduled to take the load were not yet in port. It required continuous day and night work of several power shovels to handle the stockpile. A man is shown giving directions to the crane operator for dumping the phosphate. Birchfield Boiler's facilities are seen in the background. (T.Times, 9/21/1948, p.1)

Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hoisting machinery; Phosphate mining--Idaho; Laborers;

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company started running trains from Tacoma around 1909; this railroad company was one of the last ones to establish operations to and from the Pacific Northwest. The railroad operated daily passenger and freight trains from Tacoma; the famous streamliner, Olympian Hiawatha, offered the first streamline service between Tacoma and Chicago, and reduced this trip by fifteen hours.

Railroad cars--Tacoma; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroad sidings--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma);

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad had a 300 acre shop and railway terminal plant; the shop area originally opened in 1906 even before railway operations had started. The Milwaukee terminals were completed in 1906 and services began in 1909. The railroad expanded their services shortly after the end of World War II and better communication with the trains and engineers was established, therefore providing higher standards of safety.

Railroad cars--Tacoma; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroad sidings--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma);

Terminal Warehouses offered their clients a steel and concrete building which provided them with strong fireproof storage, they also provided cartage and other warehouse services. Terminal was one of the four warehouses owned by Pacific Storage and Distributing Company, these warehouses served the Pierce County area. Exterior view of Terminal Warehouses Inc., railroad freight car and railroad tracks give convenient loading and unloading accessibility; photo ordered by Pacific Storage and Distributing Company, a representative for American Chain of Warehouses.

Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Warehouses--Tacoma; Storehouses--Tacoma; Terminal Warehouses, Inc. (Tacoma); Pacific Storage & Distributing Co. (Tacoma);

John R. Keizer is a yardmaster for Northern Pacific Railway Company; John's job is to route the railroad cars through the yard, he has been doing this for forty years. John was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and moved to Tacoma many years ago; he has two sons, William and Fred, who also work for Northern Pacific. View of son Forest (Bill) Keizer (aboard train) and John R. Keizer (right), yardmaster for Northern Pacific Railway Company, photo taken for the Sunday Tacoma Times 25 Year Club (T. Times, 12/26/48, p. 27). (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Railroads--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad companies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad cars--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Railroad switching--Tacoma; Railroad employees; Keizer, John R.; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1926. Northern Pacific Railway, No. 1. Railroad crossing with man by stop sign, "Stop RRX" painted on street, tall industrial stack belching smoke in background. (filed with Argentum)

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad signals;

ca. 1926. Wenatchee Apple display in window at Great Northern Railroad ticket office, located at Transportation Row. (alternate address 112-18 So. 9th St.) Placards in the window offer the information that "over 15,000 car loads of apples are shipped annually over the Great Northern Railway" and that "National Apple Week" is "October 31 through November 7th." The sign board below the "Tickets" neon sign has pictures of Paramount stars Jack Holt and Billie Dove eating Wenatchee apples while in the Cascades filming "Ancient Highway." (filed with Argentum)

Railroad companies--Tacoma; Offices--Tacoma--1920-1930; Facades--Tacoma--1920-1930; Ticket offices; Window displays; Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1926. Wenatchee Apple display in window at Great Northern Railroad ticket office, located in Transportation Row. (alternate address 112-18 So. 9th) Two unidentified men pose in the window along with the apples advertising National Apple Week, October 31 to November 6. (filed with Argentum)

Railroad companies--Tacoma; Offices--Tacoma--1920-1930; Facades--Tacoma--1920-1930; Ticket offices; Window displays; Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1926. A railroad crossing. A factory belches smoke in the distance. Photograph is labeled "No. 4." (WSHS)

Railroad crossings--1920-1930;

ca. 1926. The Northern Pacific Railway yard at "D" St., Tacoma, circa 1926. Two men were posed in front of the roundhouse office locker room, left. The two boxes with stacks on opposite sides of the tracks were "blow-down boxes." The Hostlers or the Engineers would pull the steam locomotives up to the boxes, lining up the blow down pipe at the bottom of the boiler and would release a strong jet of steam to clean out any debris in the boiler. The boxes served to protect anyone nearby, the steam being directed into the box and up the chimney to vent where it could not scald anyone. The coaling tower is in the background. Photograph is labelled "NO. 2." (WSHS) (identifying information supplied by a former railroad employee) image NO. 1 scanned as A1867 image 1

Railroad tracks; Railroads--1920-1930; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad locomotives;

ca. 1926. Northern Pacific Railway Yard at "D" St., Tacoma, circa 1926. Photograph is labelled "NO. 3." A bridge and a factory can be seen in the distance. The roundhouse office locker room can be partially seen on the left. The boxes with stacks next to the tracks left are "blow-down boxes." The engineer would pull the locomotive up next to the boxes, so that the blow down pipe of the steam engine lined up with the box and release a strong jet of steam to clean out any debris in the boiler. The steam would be directed into the box and out the chimney, preventing anyone being scalded. (WSHS) (information provided by a former Northern Pacific employee) Image #1 scanned as A1867 image 1)

Railroad tracks; Railroads--1920-1930; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad locomotives;

ca. 1927. A man holds a stop sign at an unidentified Railroad crossing. In the background is a factory. Photograph is labelled "NO. 1." (WSHS)

Railroad crossings--1920-1930;

ca. 1927. Man walking along street at railroad crossing. Bridge in the background, Tacoma city skyline also. Storage tank at right. Photograph is labelled "NO. 2." (WSHS)

Railroad crossings--1920-1930;

ca. 1927. A man stands beside railroad tracks. (WSHS)

Railroad tracks--1920-1930;

ca. 1927. Man walking beside railroad tracks. A car on the tracks is transporting logs. The skyline of Tacoma can be seen on the hillside behind. (WSHS)

Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1927. A view along railroad tracks. Logs loaded on a railroad car are seen on the left and an automobile traveling along a road that intersects with the railroad tracks is seen on the right. (WSHS)

Railroad tracks;

ca. 1937. Interior of railroad boxcar filled with boxes of Staley's Breakfast Syrup and Cream Corn Starch. For Pacific Fruit and Produce Company, circa 1937. Man at rear of boxcar was not identified.

Railroad freight cars; Shipping--1930-1940;

ca. 1937. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific locomotive 10250, EP2 after accident, circa 1937. (filed with Argentum)

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1937. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific locomotive 10250, EP2 after accident, circa 1937. (filed with Argentum)

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma);

Harry Clark, 65, who lived at 3823 E. J St. is shown sitting at the throttle of a Northern Pacific locomotive in this photograph from December 1938. Mr. Clark had just retired after working for over 48 years as a railroad engineer and "truckman." A truckman repaired broken parts on locomotives. His many years as an engineer made him an excellent engine repairman. (T. Times, 12/28/38, p.5)

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma)--People; Railroad locomotives; Railroad employees; Clark, Harry;

All Aboard, as 280 local Shriners prepare to board a sixteen car special train on June 4, 1938 enroute to the 1938 Imperial Council Session to be held June 6-9 in Los Angeles. Several Shriners stand on the observation platform of the train at Union Station. The sign on the railroad car reads: "Afifi Shrine, Golden Jubilee Special, 1888 - 1938, Tacoma, Wash." They will be joined by fraternal brothers from Southwest and Central Washington. (T. Times 6/3/1938, pg. 2)

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroads--Tacoma; Fraternal organizations--Tacoma; Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Tacoma); Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad travel--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1939. Copy negative for Cheney Lumber Company of train cars loaded with lumber.

Railroad cars; Lumber

Group picture at the Northern Pacific Railroad roundhouse. Roundhouse employees standing on or in front of train engine w/A.A. Huston, Roundhouse Foreman

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma)--People; Railroad locomotives;

Northern Pacific Roundhouse employees standing on or beside train locomotive 2250 w/A.A. Huston, Roundhouse Foreman

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma)--People; Railroad locomotives;

Workers at Northern Pacific Railroad's South Tacoma shops during Wendell Willkie's visit. Mr. Willkie was the Republican candidate for President in 1940. (T. Times)

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Railroad employees; Political campaigns; Presidential elections;

In August of 1940 the Northern Pacific Railway Shops softball team went up against the team from Johnson Paint for the Pierce County softball championship. Before a crowd of 1,100 fans at Sumner High field the NP team put up a valiant effort against the "Painters", the defending county champions. Ultimately they gave up three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and lost 6 to 4. Johnson Paint went on to play in the state championship series where they lost in the final game against Dunn Lumber, to take 2nd place. (T. Times)

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Softball--Tacoma--1940-1950; Softball players--Tacoma--1940-1950;

In the beginning, everything was business as usual on Tuesday morning, July 1, 1941. The flat cars on the Belt Line were dumping a load of logs at the Cascade Log Co. pond on E. 11th Street. The logs usually roll into the water as the cars travel on the tilted track. On this day, however, one of the cars came loose from the wheel base and attempted to follow the logs into the water. A crew soon arrived to right and repair the car. (T.Times 7/1/1941 p.1)

Railroad accidents--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cascade Log Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Logs; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma;

Northern Pacific Railroad coal cars being filled by conveyor in front of corrugated metal building.

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Coal--Tacoma;

Truck loaded with fuel wood overturned by Municipal Belt Line train engine on 11th Street near Tacoma Harbor Lumber Company on January 6, 1943. Although the Lotan Fuel Co. truck was extensively damaged, there were no reported injuries. It is unclear whether the truck was attempting to cross the tracks at the time of the accident. (T.Times, 1-7-43, p. 6)

Railroad accidents--Tacoma; Municipal Belt Line (Tacoma); Tacoma Harbor Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lotan Fuel Co. (Tacoma);