TIMELINE

RAILROAD TIMELINE

In Seattle on Western
Avenue at Columbia Street
Station - July 4, 1895.

Lake Shore and Eastern
Railway (in 1890 became
Northern Pacific)

Engine No. 2

A rainy summer day

Seattle Times photo

	Date				Citation
1	Mar	3	1853	Congress appropriated $150,000 to explore 4 transcontinental routes under the Corp of Topographical Engineers, a division of the U.S. Army.	Lewis Wiki
2	Feb	5	1855	Congress appropriated $30,000 for road work from Missouri to Walla Walla, WA	Lewis
3	Jul	2	1864	Northern Pacific chartered by Congress and Abraham Lincoln	NPRHA
4	May	10	1869	Final spike of first transcontinental railway driven at Promontory Summit UT which was mostly Union Pacific. That line connected Omaha NE and San Francisco CA	Central Pacific RR
5	1870 - 71			Surveys made to Puget Sound making Seattle the terminus with financial support of Philadelphia banker Jay Cooke	Armbruster
6	Feb	15	1870	Construction of NP begins near Duluth MN near Lake Superior	Lewis
7	Mar	19	1871	Construction of NP begins at Kalama WA	Laubaugh
8	Oct	8	1872	NP connects Tenino to Kalama WA	Marshall
9	Sep	18	1873	Jay Cooke declares bankruptcy	Munden
10	Jul	14	1873	Tacoma announced as terminus by NP	MacIntosh
11	Dec	16	1873	First NP train reaches Tacoma from Kalama with McCarver (founder of Tacoma) driving last spike	Laubaugh Lewis
12	May	1	1874	Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad began construction (narrow gauge - 3 feet to inside of rails) when Seattle leaders learned Tacoma was to become terminus. Private individuals volunteering	MacIntosh
13	Nov	1	1877	NP completes line from Tacoma to Wilkeson for coal	WSRHS
14			1879	Work resumes on the NP transcontinental route after the failure of the Cooke in 1873.	Lewis
15	Apr		1880	Financier Henry Villard visits Seattle and studies possibility of making Seattle the western terminus	Ambruster
16	Oct		1880	NP received track rights on south bank of Columbia from Oregon Railway and Navigation Company from Wallula to Portland	Laubaugh
17	Nov	26	1880	Villard and the Oregon Improvement Company buys Seattle & Walla Walla for $350,000 and renames it Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad and he says he will join Seattle to Portland	Caldbick
18	June	24	1881	Oregon & Transcontinental formed by Villard to build branch lines to NP	Ambruster
19	Sep	15	1881	Villard takes control of NP as President by raising funds in a "blind trust"	Clews Wiki
20	Oct	7	1881	Villard visits Seattle and states NP would extend to Seattle	Lange Ambruster Grant
21	Mar	7	1882	O&T given 30 foot right of way on Seattle waterfront (known as the "Ram's horn").. RIght of way given by Seattle City Council to connect Seattle to NP.	Dorpat Wiki Ambruster
22	Aug	19	1882	NP and Puget Sound Shore RR incorporated to build branch from existing 1877 coal rail line at Meeker (Puyallup) to Stuck (Auburn)	Wiki WikiVisually
23	Sep		1882	NP incorporates Puget Sound Shore Railroad to acquire valley property south from Seattle. Standard gauge was built over the C&PS narrow gauge Seattle to Black River.	Wiki
24	Oct		1882	Survey completed for Black River Junction to Puyallup through the valley including former Native American land	Ambruster
25	Oct	6	1882	Bids opened for building the Seattle to Stuck (Auburn) extension of the PSSR for 23 miles total. Also 7 miles of track from the 1877 Wilkeson-Puyallup coal line to Stuck. (Stuck was 16 miles from Tacoma). This was most inexpensive connection between Tacoma and Seattle at the time	Ambruster
26	Nov	1	1882	Construction began to connect Black River Junction and Puyallup (Meeker) under Villard's watch with contractors from San Francisco and Portland	Ambruster
27	Feb		1883	Line from Portland to Goble OR construction started. Goble is opposite Kalama WA on the Columbia which is only half a mile wide at this point.	Laubaugh
28	Apr		1883	Over 250 Chinese and 50 white men built half mile of track per day despite flooding of Stuck and White Rivers working north from Puyallup to Stuck	Ambruster
			1883	NP Cascades division formed to provide for terms of the charter for NP. Included was the shortcut from Pasco to Tacoma over Stampede Pass.	MacIntosh Smalley
29	Aug		1883	Rails completed to Stuck (Auburn) from Puyallup. Grading completed 8 miles north from Stuck towards Black River and ready for ties..	Ambruster
	Aug	22	1883	2 crews working for NP meet at Gold Creek MT completing the transcontinental line	Wiki
30	Sep	1	1883	Black River to Seattle contract awarded and 1,400 Chinese laborers began grading and leveling	Ambruster
31	Sep	8	1883	Last spike ceremony for NP at Gold Creek MT connecting Duluth MN and Portland OR	Ambruster Wiki
32	Sept	11	1883	First Northern Pacific transcontinental train arrived in Portland	PRPA WSRHS
33	Sep	14	1883	Villard comes to Seattle by steamboat from Tacoma. 3 miles of track were unfinished between Kent and Black River Junction. Also piling near Seattle was not complete.	Dorpat Ambruster
34	Sep	14	1883	Villard quickly takes steamboat back to Tacoma for return east. NP was falling on stock market.	Ambruster
35	Sep	18	1883	Villard resigns from Oregon Transcontinental Company and Oregon Railway and Navigation Company	New York Times
36	Jan	4	1884	Villard resigns as President of NP	Ambruster Everipedia
37	Mar	30	1884	Oregon Improvement Co. virtually completes line Seattle to Tacoma since NP is bankrupt. Both NP and Oregon Improvement Companies could not agree who would run the Seattle to Tacoma line.	Ambruster
38	Jun	17	1884	First standard gauge train to run into Seattle arrives from Tacoma pulled by NP locomotive number 306. It carried only railroad officials.	Lange Ambruster
39	Jul	6	1884	Another train to Seattle from Tacoma arrives over terrible rails in 3-1/4 hours and backs up to Tacoma. This was meant to be the start of regular service.	Ambruster
40	Aug	21	1884	Seattle to Tacoma line closed by Puget Sound Shore Railroad due to lack of funds. The ORPHAN ROAD got its name.	Ambruster Lange
41	Aug	23	1884	Incorporation of Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore RR so as to acquire the line from Meeker to Seattle. ...However nothing happened.	PSSRR Wiki
42	Oct	9	1884	Columbia River ferry begins service. It travels from near Goble OR to Kalama WA. The ferry "Tacoma" completes train service from Portland to Tacoma with a 40 minute transfer from Oregon to Washington across the river. It was 338 feet long and carried 10 passenger cars plus a road engine and a yard engine or 21 freight car. Service to Seattle still unavailable.	Laubaugh Holmes PRPA Columbia County Museum
43	Dec	12	1884	Completion of narrow gauge railroad for 22.5 miles to Franklin and Black Diamond up the Cedar River which allowed Seattle to prosper from coal trade	Kombol Stein BDHS
44	Apr	15	1885	Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern incorporated by Burke and Gilman to build to Sumas and Spokane, but it was absorbed by NP in 1892	MacIntosh
45	Jul	7	1885	NP President Harris meets with Seattle businessmen where they learn Orphan Road will reopen October 1st.	Ambruster
46	Sep	26	1885	Erastus "Foghorn" Green calls a mass meeting in Kent to get action from railroads	Ambruster
47	Oct	26	1885	Trains finally began running again between Tacoma and Seattle over the ORPHAN ROAD which was in two parts: Puget Sound Shore RR - Seattle to Stuck (Auburn) (23.5 miles) . Northern Pacific RR - Stuck (Auburn) to Tacoma (16 miles)	Ambruster Lange Lange Squire
48	Jul	3	1887	Stampede Pass opened on switchbacks over the top of the tunnel by NP	NPRHA Wiki
49	May	27	1888	Stampede Pass Tunnel opened by NP	MacIntosh Wiki
50	Jun	21	1888	Villard regains control of NP	Wiki Prabook
51	Nov	27	1888	Fairhaven & Southern Railroad incorporated to build a line from British Columbia to the Columbia River	Ambruster book Skagit River Journal Fairhaven History
52	Apr		1889	F & S Grading started at Fairhaven (Bellingham)	Skagit River Journal
53	early		1890	Fairhaven and Southern purchased by Great Northern	Dorpat
54	Jun	6	1889	Great fire of Seattle burns most of railroads in Seattle	Lange
55	Jan	17	1890	Puget Sound Shore line purchased by NP for one million dollars (Meeker to Stuck)	Ambruster
56	Jul	21	1890	Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern comes under NP control	WSRHS
57	Nov	25	1890	Seattle Lake Shore and Eastern Railroad completed to Anacortes	Skagit River Journal
58	Feb	14	1891	Seattle to New Westminster connected by F&SRR (GN). Celebration held at Blaine.	WSRHS
59	Oct	12	1891	Final spike driven by Great Northern connecting Seattle and New Westminster BC	PRGNRR
60	Nov	27	1891	Fairhaven & Southern Railroad purchased by GN and first passenger train goes from Seattle to New Westminster BC offering a second transcontinental service via Canada using Canadian Pacific Railroad completed Nov. 11, 1885	PRGNRR
61	May	1	1892	Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern consolidated with NP	Dilgard Video at 37:00 NWRM IHM
62			1892	2,618 miles of railroad in Washington	Lewis
63	Jun	18	1893	First GN train departs Seattle for St. Paul MN over Stevens Pass. Fare = $35	PRGNRR
64	Jun	27	1896	Oregon Improvement Co. declares bankruptcy	New York Sun
65	Jul	17	1897	Klondike Gold Rush in Alaska	Lange
66	Nov	14	1897	Columbia & Puget Sound (NP subsidiary) converted to standard gauge - 4 feet 8.5 inches at inside of rails	WSRHS
67	Dec	1	1897	Pacific Coast Co, purchased the property of Oregon Improvement Co.	Archives West
68	Apr	21	1898	NP starts service from Meeker (Puyallup) to Seattle	WSRHS
69			1899	Palmer Cutoff construction started (distance from east to Seattle reduced by 20.9 miles / distance from east to Tacoma reduced by 3.2 miles) Construction length 21.7 miles. Palmer is about 9 miles east of Black Diamond on the Green River. The Cutoff ended in Auburn (Stuck).	Sprau
70	Jan		1900	Flooding slowed construction of Palmer Cutooff. 3 bridges built in Auburn	Sprau
71	Aug	20	1900	Great Northern 2.63 mile Cascade Tunnel excavation started	WSRHS
72	Aug	29	1900	Palmer Cutoff complete (only transcontinental trains used the line at first)	Sprau
73	Apr	4	1903	Great Northern one mile tunnel within Seattle started	McClary
74	Oct	26	1904	Seattle GN tunnel holed through. One mile long, double track, King Street Station to Alaska Way	McClary
75	May	12	1906	NP King Street Station opens in Seattle	WSRHS
76			1906	3,292 miles of railroad in Washington	Lewis
77	Apr	6	1906	Milwaukee obtained track rights from Maple Valley to Seattle from Columbia & Puget Sound	BDHS
78	Dec	14	1908	James Hill negotiated track rights over NP for Great Northern in King County	Sprau
79	Nov	5	1908	Ferry over Columbia at Goble OR (6 miles south of Rainier OR) to Kalama WA replaced by bridge at Portland to Vancouver	Herrington
80	May	19	1909	Chicago Milwaukee & Puget Sound Railroad (Milwaukee) completed line from Seattle to Chicago with last spike ar Deer Lodge MT.	Ojibwa
81	Jan	1	1910	Oregon and Washington Railroad (later Oregon Washington and Navigation then Union Pacific) jointly owned track rights over Milwaukee (Tacoma to Black River)	Strack
82			1910	3,795 miles of railroad in Washington	Lewis
	May	1	1911	Tacoma Union Station opened by NP	Wiki
83	May	20	1911	Seattle Union Station completed by Milwaukee Road and UP	Wiki
84	May	29	1911	Milwaukee began twice daily service Seattle to Chicago	Caldbick
85	May		1912	There are now six transcontinental railroads that enter the Pacific Northwest.	Lewis
86	Apr	10	1913	Roundhouse, shops, etc. completed in Auburn making Auburn a railroad town with over 600 NP employees	Phillips
87	Feb	23	1916	Columbia & Puget Sound became Pacific Coast Railroad Company	Brandon
88			1921	Coal mines began closing and coal as freight was diminished as the the oil companies in California grew	Hidy
89	Sept		1925	Passenger service to local towns discontinued out of Seattle's King Street Station due to increasing use of automobiles	BDHS
90	Oct	31	1951	Pacific Coast R.R. Co. purchased by GN	BDHS
91	Mar	3	1970	NP and GN merge to become Burlington Northern	Wilma Sprau
92	Mar		1980	Milwaukee abandoned track rights on the Pacific Extension (west of Terry MT in Eastern Montana) due to poor management. 1,100 miles of track	American Rails
93			1980	UP became sole owner of tracks and property formerly owned by Milwaukee in Auburn	Sprau
94	Mar	15	1980	Last Milwaukee train over White River Valley tracks due to incompetent management.. Lack of investment in track maintenance Double entry of expenses to show great losses for taxes Cars rebuilt, sold, and leased back Abandoned many profitable lines	Sprau Jones American Rails
95			1983	NP (BN) Auburn yard closed	Sprau
96			1983	Original NP track from Enumclaw to Orting removed. White River bridge removed	Sprau
97	Aug		1984	BN mothballs Stampede Pass Tunnel	Wiki
98	Sep	22	1995	Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. created when BN bought Atchison & Santa Fe's corporate parent	Wiki
99			1995	BNSF begins rehabilitation of Stampede Pass line	Wiki
100	Dec	5	1996	Stampede Pass reopened after $150 million renovation by BNSF	Wilma
101	Dec		1996	Atchison & Santa Fe merged into Burlington Northern and renamed Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway	Wiki
102	Jan	24	2005	Name shortened to BNSF Railway Company	Wiki
103	Feb	12	2010	Berkshire Hathaway acquires all shares of BNSF	Wiki
104			Today	BNSF continues over NP tracks east of Pacific near East Valley Highway and Skinner Road
105			Today	UP continues over Milwaukee tracks near Butte Avenue

	Northern Pacific bridge crew completing widened bridge at Stuck River in Pacific WA ca.1907 Original bridge was constructed in 1883. from White River Valley Museum

	Sumner Station 1906 from Sumner Historical Society Spartan Agency, LLC

	Auburn Station 1915 from White River Valley Museum

In Milton near the Puget Sound Electric Railway sawmill in 1901. This steam locomotive was used to carry logs to the mill during the construction of the Railway which opened September 25, 1902.

Engine No. 2

Crew is hard at work.

Photo by Hill