Northern Pacific locomotive No. 1783 rested on the turntable at the Northern Pacific Railway round house at 2211 East D St. in May of 1949. The round house was built in the late 1890s to service Northern Pacific's fleet of steam locomotives. Over the years, as the railroad companies switched from steam to diesel-electric engines, work at the round house dropped off. In the early 1970s the round house was closed down, and eventually demolished. The Reliance Lumber Company at 323 Puyallup Avenue can be seen behind the railroad facilities.. (TNT 11/30/1971 p.1) TPL-4421, TPL-3728

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad companies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad roundhouses--Tacoma;

Milwaukee Road engine E-3 left Tacoma in early June, 1949 for Chicago to take part in a Railroad Fair that was scheduled to begin on June 25. The mammoth engine, known as "the world's mightiest electric locomotive" was stationed in Tacoma and pulled passenger trains through Seattle and over the Cascades. She was 67 feet in length, weighed 521,200 pounds and had 24 drive wheels. In the 1920's the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad pioneered the modern application of clean, quiet, electricity to power heavy trains. In 1949 and the 1950's the company purchased new electric locomotives. For electrification, the Milwaukee originally intended to generate their own power, but the railroad decided to purchase commercial alternating current and convert it on their own property to direct current. (TNT, 6/2/1949, p.6; Pacific Northwest Railroads of McGee and Nixon, Richard Green) TPL-9426

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroad companies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Maxwell-Runacres. A June 24, 1949, view of two bridges over the rushing Spokane River in downtown Spokane, Washington. A railroad train is crossing the river on the upper bridge. A reader has identified the arched bridge closest to the foreground as the Monroe Bridge in Spokane. This was the third Monroe (Street) Bridge. At the time of its November 23, 1911, opening, it was considered the largest concrete-arch bridge in the United States. The steel viaduct running diagonally across it was built by the Union Pacific Railroad three years later in 1914 and not removed until 1973 in time for Expo '74. The historic bridge gradually deteriorated and was dismantled with a new bridge, nearly identical to the old, opening in September of 2005. (www.historylink.org) (Identification provided by reader)

Railroad bridges--Spokane; Railroads--Spokane; Bridges--Spokane; Monroe Street Bridge (Spokane); Spokane River (Wash.);

In June 1946 Northern Pacific Railway decided to expand their freight depot and add modern offices to this location. The building remodeling is an important improvement for the railroad company, it will give Northern Pacific Railway modern facilities and an important West Coast terminal. Exterior view of the recently finished freight station and offices, located on Puyallup Avenue.

Railroad companies--Tacoma; Railroad stations--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Shipping--Tacoma; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen auxiliary group held their regular meeting, after the regular business was discusses they were joined by the Brotherhood members for a social hour and refreshments. The social hour was hosted by Mrs. James Murphy and Gladys Miller, of the Milwaukee division No. 317 G.I.A. The meeting was held at the International Order of Odd Fellows Hall (T.N.T., 6/20/48, p. D-4).

Railroad employees; Railroad employees' unions--Tacoma; Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen No. 403 (Tacoma); Odd Fellows Hall (Tacoma);

On March 8, 1948, Tacoma Scouts troop 78, representing a number of grade schools, was given a special tour through the South Tacoma Northern Pacific shops at 5102 South Adams Street accompanied by Scoutmaster H.F. DesVoigne (back row, far right). They were shown the huge 5,000 pound hammer used to pound out railroad drive rods and a 2 1/2 ton steam-operated hammer that was dropped by gravity and stopped by steam using manual controls. They watched as it was used to crack open a walnut without crushing it. The group is standing in front of Northern Pacific Railway Company engine number 98. ( The names of the scouts are listed in the Tacoma Times.) (McMurtrie) (T.Times, 3/12/1948, p.2)

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Boy Scouts (Tacoma)--1940-1950; Railroad facilities--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad companies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Maintenance & repair--Tacoma; Railroad employees;

A group of workmen load 100 lb. bags of flour into a Southern Pacific railroad freight car at the Sperry Flour-General Mills plant on Tacoma's waterfront in February 1948. The company's facilities, on what is now Schuster Parkway, was ideally located between the railroad tracks and the "Ocean Dock". The company's products included all white flours, whole wheat, pancake and cake flours, cereals and mixed feed. Sperry's cereals were sent to Portland for packaging. The flour operations at the mill ceased in 1965, and the last of the mill buildings was demolished in the late 1980s. (Special order for special edition, Tacoma Times, George Beckingham)

Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Southern Pacific Lines (Tacoma); General Mills, Inc., Sperry Division (Tacoma);

A copy of an earlier photograph of two steam engines pulling a load of logs. Engine No. 7 is the front engine with a cattle catcher on her front. Steam-whistles can be seen on both locomotives. The crew stand nearby while the engineer and fireman lean from the cab. The letters B.B.&.B.C. are seen on the coal tender. This was a Bellingham Bay and British Columbia locomotive, an early railroad in Bellingham/Whatcom County. Ordered by Philip S. VanWyck who was the director of the Tacoma Vocational-Technical School in 1953. (Additional information provided by a reader)

Railroad locomotives; Steam-whistles;

ca. 1957. Copy of customer print. A Northern Pacific Railway refrigerator car is stationary on tracks in a 1957 photograph requested by the Pacific Car & Foundry Co. All vital information regarding the boxcar is listed on its side, including weight, dimensions and capacity limits. Apparently this was a newly engaged car as of September, 1957. TPL-5838

Railroad refrigerator cars; Signs (Notices); Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

Chicago-Milwaukee railroad night train crew. The front row appears to be the staff for the dining room. In the back row are stewards, conductors and engineers. The railroad company began operating passenger and freight trains out of Tacoma in 1909. TPL-995

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

A photograph taken at night on April 21, 1954, of the new Milwaukee Road passenger depot indicates the building was rectangular, with a two-layer flat roof, and surrounded by tinted plate glass windows. Waiting passengers could easily see the trains yet they were comfortably protected from the often inhospitable elements. The railroad's name, The Milwaukee Road, is illuminated on the exterior tower. The more convenient $150,000 passenger train depot on E. 11th and Milwaukee Way replaced an older model; it was made of Roman brick. (TNT 4-18-54, p. 1)

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1954. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St.Paul & Pacific Railroad Co., commonly called The Milwaukee Road, opened a new passenger depot at East 11th and Milwaukee Way, on the tideflats, in April of 1954. Made of Roman brick, the $150,000 structure was a comfortable place to wait for incoming or outgoing trains. Large plate glass windows provided a clear view of the trains while keeping passengers safe and dry. The railroad company had used a simple wooden building at 25th and A Street since just after the turn of the century. The Milwaukee Road railroad went bankrupt in the late 1970s; all its land and buildings on the tideflats were purchased by Sea-Land in the early 1980s. TPL-3729

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroad stations--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Members and officers of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co.'s Board of Directors pose for a photograph alongside a locomotive at the Milwaukee Road's Depot on September 17, 1954. The new $150,000 passenger depot had opened up in April, 1954, on the tideflats parallel to the railroad's freight yards. The railroad company provided an economic boost to the region for decades; in 1954 alone, employment totaled over 1000 people. The Milwaukee Road's board had toured the line's Tacoma shops and then lunched at the Winthrop Hotel. Their visit to Washington would conclude the 4,500 mile inspection tour. Chairman Leo T. Crowley (standing third from the right) announced that the Road has ordered diesels to replace all steam locomotives. Electrically-operated divisions in Washington, Oregon and Montana would continue to operate. (TPL-1714, TNT 9-19-54, C-12)

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroad companies--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad stations--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Cub Scouts from area packs with the engineer on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. In keeping with the Cub Scout January '55 theme of "Railroading," the Milwaukee road provided a seven car train for more than 1,500 Scouts & their leaders to tour on Saturday, the 22nd at their passenger depot at E. 11th and Milwaukee Way. The boys & leaders all came from units of the Mt. Rainier Council of the Boy Scouts of America. (TNT 1/23/1955, pg. A-2)

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Railroad companies--Tacoma--1950-1960; Cub Scouts (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Boy Scouts (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

How many men can fit through the doors of a new Milwaukee Road boxcar? At least eight on March 7, 1968. The Chicago, Milwaukee Railroad was exhibiting its new boxcars and new engines at the CMRR yard. Photograph ordered by Public Relations Department, Chicago, Milwaukee Railroad, Seattle.

Railroad freight cars; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma);

All Aboard! A new Milwaukee Road engine is ready to roll in this March 7, 1968, photograph taken at the Chicago, Milwaukee Railroad yards. The railroad company had invested in several new boxcars and engines. Photograph ordered by Public Relations Department, Chicago, Milwaukee Railroad Co., Seattle.

Railroads; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma);

On display at the Union depot, 1717 Pacific Avenue, in early February of 1927 was the giant Great Northern electric locomotive #5007. It had made its way from East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Washington State, a distance of 2600 miles. This unidentified group of men, some of the hundreds in attendance, took the opportunity to have their photograph taken with the latest "Iron Horse" before it left town. #5007 weighed in at 715,000 pounds and had an overall length of 94'4". G44.1-097; G44.1-069 (TNT 2-3-27, p. 14-article)

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1920-1930; Union Station (Tacoma);

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, Engine #10250. The electric bipolar Class EP2 locomotives, manufactured by Alco-GE, were put in service from Othello to Tacoma in 1920. They performed beyond all expectations, with great economy and low maintenance, surviving until they were scrapped in the 1960s. TPL-2377; G44.1-087

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

View across railroad tracks of the Northern Pacific Railway locomotive #4007 as seen on January 4, 1932. #4007 is pulling a long line of cars. Four unidentified men, including the driver, are present. TPL-2383; G44.1-104

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1889. Northern Pacific Headquarters at 621 Pacific Avenue, circa 1889. The railroad had chosen Tacoma as its western terminus in 1873; from that point, the city would grow furiously from a small hamlet to a metropolis of about 30,000 by 1890. Construction of Northern Pacific's stone and brick headquarters with its distinctive tower, located on the bluff overlooking their half-moon railroad yards, began in the summer of 1887 and was completed the following year. Its 53 offices and storerooms and 19 vaults were utilized by the Tacoma Land Company, Weyerhaeuser Company and Northern Pacific. Northern Pacific would sell the building to the City of Tacoma in 1922 as the railroad planned to move its offices to Seattle. Photograph courtesy of the John Ogden Collection. (Tacoma Rediviva, p. 27+) TPL-10172

Northern Pacific Headquarters Building (Tacoma); Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1933. Retiring Northern Pacific Stationmaster at office Union Station with his hand on the lever of the switchboard. Photograph ordered by the News Tribune.

ca. 1948. This photograph, taken in 1948, shows Engine No. 903 of the Tacoma Municipal Beltline Railway pulling freight cars on the Tacoma Tideflats. In January of 1948, Tacoma bought two almost new 65-ton diesel locomotives through the War Assets Administration. The Beltline Railroad was able to buy both locomotives from the federal government for only $41,000. They had originally cost over a quarter of a million dollars. (TNT 01/14/1948 p.14)

On February 3, 1927, T.F. McGettigan, left, test engineer, and his helper E.R. "Red" Randolph, in doorway, pose with the great electric locomotive #5007 that they accompanied from Pittsburgh to Tacoma. The locomotive was constructed for the Great Northern Railroad by Baldwin Locomotive Works and Westinghouse Electric Co. working together. On completion, it was hitched to a through freight train, destination Everett, Wa. Although the engine was not working, it still needed care during the trip and McGettigan and Randolph were assigned that task. Freight trains make few stops and do not usually carry passengers, so the pair packed a ham and 13 dozen eggs and set up a small stove on the engine. They slept on planks suspended over the machinery and endured temperatures of 40 degrees below zero when crossing the Rockies. The behemoth locomotive was on display in Tacoma on February 2 (see G44.1-069) and then proceeded on to Portland, then Everett, where it was placed into service. (TNT 2/3/1927 p.14)

Heisler locomotive on railroad tracks at Whitney Engineering Co. plant on October 10, 1925. Heisler was considered the fastest of the three most prevalent geared steam locomotives. It was manufactured until 1941. TPL-2126; G44.1-050 (www.gearsteamed.com/heisler/heisler.htm-article on locomotive)

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad tracks--Tacoma--1920-1930; Whitney Engineering Co. (Tacoma);

Just after 6 p.m. on November 17, 1925, Northern Pacific passenger train #424 derailed about 2 miles west of Olympia. The train, travelling about 30-50 mph, plowed into the bank on the side of the track, burying itself in the earth before it turned over on its side, crushing veteran engineer Edward M. Putnam. Subsequent train cars were knocked off their wheels. Twenty-five people were injured, several critically, with passenger Laura Hahn dying of her injuries on November 21st. Days after the wreck, the cause of the accident was still undetermined. The track appeared to be in good condition and the engine was too badly damaged for further assessment. (TNT 11/18/1925, pg. 1-article; TNT 11-23-25, p. 9-obituary of Mrs. Hahn; TNT 11-30-25, p. 20-article) G77.1-068

Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroad companies--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad locomotives--1920-1930; Railroad accidents--Olympia--1920-1930;

On May 29, 1924 engine # 2505 of the Great Northern Railroad pulled into Tacoma's Union Station. The powerful engine was used to pull the new, all steel Pullman cars of the Oriental Limited, one of the ten trains operated by Great Northern from Chicago to Tacoma. The train, accompanied by a select group of company officials, was on a special introductory cross-country tour. Its new Pullman cars were very luxurious with a full spacious dining room, baths for men and women, and sleepers with headboards, reading lights and individual ventilators. (TNT 5/29/1924, pg. 3) G44.1-131; TPL-673

Railroad locomotives; Union Station (Tacoma); Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma);

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

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

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;

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);

Interior of office, Great Northern. Employees help individuals with tickets and travel plans. Other employees talk on the phone or handle other office duties. There is a long, curved counter to handle inquiries. (alternate address 112-18 So. 9th)

Railroads--Tacoma--1940-1950; Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma); Ticket offices--Tacoma--1940-1950;