Fern Hill's kindergarten and first grade classes were receiving a tour of the Northern Pacific's roundhouse, inspecting rail equipment and would get to ride aboard a Union Pacific train in November of 1947. In appreciation for the field trip the school children presented the railroad companies with a train frieze from their art class. View of Fern Hill's school children, teachers, volunteers and train staff at the Northern Pacific Roundhouse near East D St. and So. 23rd St. (T.Times, 11/14/47, p. 1, 17).

Railroads--Tacoma; School children--Tacoma--1940-1950; School excursions--Tacoma; Railroad roundhouses--Tacoma; Union Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Fern Hill School (Tacoma);

Chamber of Commerce delegation of about ten men going to Montana, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, Mr. Burns. Tacoma business men are standing by the engine of the Olympia Hiawatha ready for a tour to Montana the week of February 15, 1948. A well-diversified cross section of business and industrial interests were represented. They were to visit Butte, Helena, Great Falls, Billings and Missoula. Montanans were looking west for more of their needs and this trade promotion tour was designed to strengthen business ties between the two areas. L-R, Cecil Walrath, N.O. Galteland, Leo Gallagher, John Hamilton (on cab ladder), Fred H. Marvin, A.W. Hardy, Samuel Lister and Fred Sandstrom. The engineer, Sam Winn, is shown looking out from the engineer's cab. (T.Times, 2/9/1948, p.17; 2/16/1948, p.16) TPL-1711

Railroads--Tacoma--1940-1950; Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Travel--Tacoma--1940-1950;

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);

Special order for special edition, Studio, by Tacoma Times, George Beckingham. Two men are reviewing the quality of the ground material being loaded onto a railroad freight car at the General Mills-Sperry plant. The mill produced all white flours, whole wheat, pancake and cake flours, cereals and mixed feed.

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

Dressed as a train engineer, wearing hat, jacket and gloves, Leon Titus, the president of Titus Motor Co. fulfilled a longtime dream on May 7, 1948. Mr. Titus was given special permission to ride in the cab of Union Pacific locomotive # 3981. The huge 122-foot long engine was the largest in the pacific northwest, and was used on the Seattle-Tacoma-Portland run. He was allowed to ride to Seattle and back in the cab. (T.N.T., 5/9/48, p. A-13). TPL-9867

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroads--Tacoma; Businessmen--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Union Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Union Station (Tacoma); Titus, Leon E.;

Leon Titus was allowed to ride in the cab of a 122 foot long locomotive, this train makes the Seattle--Tacoma--Portland run daily. Leon would get to ride to Seattle and back to Tacoma. Mr. Titus has been a longtime enthusiast about railroading. View of Leon Titus dressed in his train-wear, he is standing with the Union Pacific train conductor (T.N.T., 5/9/48, p. A-13). TPL-9868

Railroad locomotives--Tacoma; Railroads--Tacoma; Businessmen--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Union Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Union Station (Tacoma); Titus, Leon E.;

Northern Pacific started a gradual change from steam to diesel power in 1938, they had their first freight diesel electric locomotive in operation and on the road in 1944 and passenger diesels have been added since 1947. Throughout the years Northern Pacific has expanded in Tacoma and in the United States. Exterior view of Northern Pacific Railway's new freight station and office building.

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

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);

Northern Pacific Railway's new freight station and office building was constructed using brick building materials. The building provided modern office space and efficient freight handling facilities. The office portion is 70 feet by 57 feet, and the freight station is 55 feet by 250 feet. The new facilities include parking space and pavement along Puyallup Avenue, this will be used exclusively by the freight station.

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);

Milwaukee sleeper #5741 (Mt. Washington), interior showing car and compartment #12, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, L.E. Newman. Sleeping cars had been used on railways as early as 1827 and there were many names for them: day and sleeping cars, boudoir cars, and slumbercoaches to name a few. Usually they ran in the second half of the train. Sleeping cars were considered traveling first class. The Milwaukee Road had two famous passenger trains, the Olympian and the Columbian. (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;

Milwaukee sleeper #5741 (Mt. Washington), interior showing car and compartment #12, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, L.E. Newman. Railroads had many kinds of special cars to make long-distance traveling more enjoyable: coaches, dining cars, lounge cars, sleeping cars, observation cars and business cars. A trip between Tacoma and Chicago took 58 hours and 45 minutes, crossed 26 mountain ranges and provided over 1,400 miles of river valleys for the traveler to see. (The Pacific Northwest Railroads of McGee and Nixon, Richard Green)

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;

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;

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);

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);

Members from Afifi Temple and their spouses would be traveling to Denver, Colorado to attend a Shriner Director's meeting. The club members would be traveling aboard Union Pacific's "Portland Rose", they would be returning on April 4, 1949. Names appear in newspaper (T. Times, 3/29/49, p. 2).

Railroad stations--Tacoma; Fraternal organizations--Tacoma; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroads--Tacoma; Union Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Union Station (Tacoma);

In March of 1949, 57 children from the morning and afternoon kindergarten classes of the Fern Hill school took a 40 mile roundtrip train ride from Tacoma's Union Station to Auburn. Ninety percent of the children had never been on a train before. After the ride, they were given a tour of the station by the stationmaster, and all 57 children climbed onto a giant scale in the baggage room. The entire group weighed 2,880 lbs. (T.N.T., 3/27/49, p. A-7). TPL-8804

Railroad stations--Tacoma; Children--Tacoma--1940-1950; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma); Railroads--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad travel--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Great Northern Railway Company operated passenger trains and freight car shipping services from Tacoma. The company had freight yards, railroad repair stations and passenger ticket terminals. The train car repairs and shipping were handled at the yards located at 2021-23 East D Street, with a freight office at 401 East 21st Street; the passenger station was located at 116 South 9th Street. View of Great Northern railroad freight car number 43959 at the Great Northern freight house. TPL-10458

Railroads--Tacoma; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Great Northern Railway Co. (Tacoma);

Northern Pacific started a gradual change from steam to diesel power in 1938, they had their first freight diesel electric locomotive in operation and on the road in 1944 and passenger diesels have been added since 1947. Throughout the years Northern Pacific has expanded in Tacoma and in the United States. View of water column at Northern Pacific Railway Company's yards, located at 2102-2324 East L Street in Tacoma's tideflats area.

Railroad tracks--Tacoma; Penstocks--Tacoma; Hydraulic facilities--Tacoma; Water pumps--Tacoma; Water use--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroads--Tacoma--1940-1950; Railroad companies--Tacoma; Northern Pacific Railway Co. (Tacoma);

Engine round house at Northern Pacific Railway, Elwin Barker. The Northern Pacific Railroad was created by Congress on July 2, 1864. Actual construction got underway in 1870 near Carlton, Minnesota. The railroad closely followed the route of Lewis and Clark. Then, after 13 years, the last spike was driven at Gold Creek, Montana, on September 8, 1893. (Pacific Northwest Railroads of McGee and Nixon, Richard Green)

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

Engine round house at Northern Pacific Railway, Elwin Barker. The North Coast Limited first went into service April 29, 1900. This passenger train was the pride of the Northwest Pacific. In the Pacific Northwest, the NP was the first railroad to offer sleeping and dining cars. As a passenger going from eastern Montana to western Washington, you would move across the flat lands of eastern Montana, across the Rocky Mountains, through valleys in Idaho and Washington, climb over the Cascade Mountains, and drop into the shipping port of Seattle. (Pacific Northwest Railroads of McGee and Nixon, Richard Green)

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

Engine round house at Northern Pacific Railway, Elwin Barker. A side view of locomotive number 1783. In Washington state, the mainline crossed the Cascade Mountains at Stampede Pass, through Stampede Tunnel, 9,834 feet long built at an altitude of 2,852 feet. A switchback was originally used to cross the Pass until a tunnel was completed in May 1888. (Pacific Northwest Railroads of McGee and Nixon, Richard Green)

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

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;

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.);

Several shots at Milwaukee shops, also studio shots of three people, Great Lakes Steel Crop., Steel Floor Div., Detroit, Mich. Men are working on a railroad car at the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company shop. A man has stopped his welding job while several men in suits are reviewing the work.

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

Several shots at Milwaukee shops, also studio shots of three people, Great Lakes Steel Crop., Steel Floor Div., Detroit, Mich. Three unidentified people are talking together outside where they can overlook the industrial Tacoma Tideflats. The man on the left holds a cane in his hands, crossed in front of him. The woman in the middle wears a straw hat decorated with artificial flowers. The gentleman on the right is wearing a bow tie and a double-breasted suit.

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma); Aged persons--Tacoma--1940-1950;