The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S) was a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

in the

northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each s ...

United States. Incorporated in 1905, it was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the

Northern Pacific Railway The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, wh ...

to build a railroad along the north bank of the

Columbia River The Columbia River ( Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia ...

. Remnants of the line are currently operated by

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

and the Portland and Western Railroad.

History

Steam locomotive in Vancouver, Washington -a

Ocean Shore Limited Spokane Portland and Seattle Railroad

The railroad was chartered in 1905 by James J. Hill to connect the two transcontinental railroads owned by him, the

Northern Pacific Northern Pacific may refer to: * Northern Pacific Airways, an upcoming airline * Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference, an NCAA Division I conference * Northern Pacific Hockey League, an American Tier III junior ice hockey league * Northern Pac ...

(NP) and

Great Northern Great Northern may refer to: Transport * One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation). * Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway. * Great ...

(GN), to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

from

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...

, to gain a portion of the lumber trade in Oregon, a business then dominated by

E.H. Harriman Edward Henry Harriman (February 20, 1848 – September 9, 1909) was an American financier and railroad executive. Early life Harriman was born on February 20, 1848, in Hempstead, New York, the son of Orlando Harriman Sr., an Episcopal clergym ...

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

and Southern Pacific railroads. Construction began in 1906"Greatest Year for Railroad Construction: Building in Territory Tributary to Portland During 1906 Breaks All Records—City Now Strategic Point in Struggle of Giants". (January 1, 1907). '' The Morning Oregonian'' (Portland), section 2, p. 20. under the name Portland & Seattle Railway, proceeding to the east and south from

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

. The work included construction of three major bridges over the Columbia River, the Oregon Slough, and the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

. The northernmost of these was the first bridge of any kind to be built across the lower

."Finish Bridge Over Columbia; Steel Structure of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad icCompleted—Last Bolt In Yesterday". (June 26, 1908). '' The Morning Oregonian'' (Portland), p. 11. Despite legal challenges from Harriman, within a year the line had been built as far as Pasco along the Columbia River, where it connected with NP. The first section to open was from Pasco west to Cliffs (near

Maryhill Maryhill ( gd, Cnoc Màiri) is an area of the City of Glasgow in Scotland. Maryhill is a former burgh. Maryhill stretches over along Maryhill Road. The far north west of the area is served by Maryhill railway station. History Hew Hill, ...

), a length of , on December 15, 1907."History of North Bank Road". (November 6, 1908). ''The Morning Oregonian'', p. 12. Operation was extended west to Lyle, further west, on January 15, 1908, as construction continued on the section from Pasco to Vancouver. In January 1908 "Spokane" was added to the railroad's name, making it the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway."Important Articles Filed: North Bank Changes Name rom Portland & Seattle Railway Company to Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Company Increases Capital and Will Extend". (January 30, 1908). '' The Morning Oregonian'' (Portland), p. 11. SP&S freight and passenger service (from Pasco) to Portland was inaugurated in November 1908."First Train on Hill Road: Regular Passenger Service Inaugurated From Local Terminus". (November 18, 1908). ''The Morning Oregonian'', p. 11. By 1909 the railroad had completed construction of its line up to Spokane along the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

. In 1910 SP&S gained control of the Oregon Electric interurban railway, which the Great Northern had acquired two years before. Under the control of the SP&S the railroad was extended southward to Eugene by 1912. SP&S also operated a second subsidiary railroad in western Oregon, the

Oregon Traction Company Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

, which owned a route along the south bank of the Columbia River, through Astoria to Seaside. A third route on which the SP&S operated extended southward from

Wishram, Washington Wishram is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Klickitat County, Washington, United States. The population was 342 at the 2010 census, up from 213 at the 2000 census. The site of the historic Celilo Falls is nearby. ...

, to

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U ...

, was the Oregon Trunk Railway Company. Edward Harriman's Oregon & Washington Railway & Navigation Company also was building a railroad south from the Columbia River to Bend resulting in a railroad war in which each railroad attempted to sabotage the other. In the end, the railroad opened using mostly the track of the Oregon Trunk, with a short portion of the Oregon & Washington Railway & Navigation Company track, and both railroads used the route (an arrangement that still exists with BNSF owning the majority of the line and UP having trackage rights). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the SP&S carried war materials to the Pacific Theatre; new industries located along the Columbia River, taking advantage of cheap electricity from

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

dams on the river. New industries served by the SP&S included aluminum plants, sawmills, chemical factories and grain elevators. In 1954, a SP&S train derailed after hitting a rockslide on the route to Bend, Oregon, killing all crew members. Part of the train landed in the

Deschutes River Deschutes River may refer to: *Deschutes River (Oregon) **Little Deschutes River (Oregon), a tributary of the Deschutes River in Oregon *Deschutes River (Washington) The Deschutes River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. Its headwater ...

, including a boxcar, which landed in a rapid that was later named " Boxcar Rapids" after the incident.

Passenger trains

Spokane Portland and Seattle Railroad North Bank dining car

The SP&S's passenger operations mostly involved hosting connections with parents' trains, such as the ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great Northe ...

'' and ''

North Coast Limited The ''North Coast Limited'' was a named passenger train operated by the Northern Pacific Railway between Chicago and Seattle via Bismarck, North Dakota. It started on April 29, 1900, and continued as a Burlington Northern Railroad train after t ...

'', which were combined to form the Streamliner (#1/#2). '' Oriental Limited'', '' Mainstreeter'', and '' Western Star'' connected with (#3/#4). However, some of these SP&S trains were named. The ''Inland Empire Express'' (daytime) and ''North Bank Limited'' (overnight) provided daily, through service between Portland (

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

) and Spokane."Mountain, River and Canyon Scenery to Spokane" (SP&S advertisement). (February 28, 1922). '' The Morning Oregonian'' (Portland), p. 7. The ''Columbia River Express'' (#5/#6) operated between Portland and Pasco, connecting at Pasco with Northern Pacific #5/#6 for service to/from Spokane. The only surviving SP&S Business car, the #99 or "''The Ruth M.''" is in operating condition, and resides at the

Chehalis–Centralia Railroad The Chehalis–Centralia Railroad (CHTX) is a heritage railroad based in Chehalis, Washington. The railroad operated No. 15, a 2-8-2 steam locomotive built by Baldwin in 1916, over a 10-mile section of former Milwaukee Road track. The route w ...

. The car is used as "premier seating", and during dinner trains can host a private party of up to eight in its lounge and dining room. The car is in need of several cosmetic and mechanical repairs including a rebuild of its HVAC system to run on electricity/generator, there are several rust holes that need to be filled, and the car needs to be sandblasted and repainted. The SP&S Historical Society is assisting with the repaint efforts.

Preservation

Preserved steam locomotives: *

Spokane, Portland and Seattle 700 Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 is the oldest and only surviving example of the class " E-1" 4-8-4 " Northern" type steam locomotive and the only surviving original Spokane, Portland and Seattle steam locomotive. It was built by the Baldwin Loco ...

- A 4-8-4 preserved and operational in Portland, Or. * Spokane, Portland and Seattle 539 - A 2-8-2 preserved on static display.

References

External links

Spokane Portland and Seattle Railway Historical Society
{{Former Class I Predecessors of the Burlington Northern Railroad Former Class I railroads in the United States Defunct Washington (state) railroads Defunct Oregon railroads Railway companies established in 1908 Railway companies disestablished in 1979 Joint ventures 1908 establishments in the United States Standard gauge railways in the United States

History

Passenger trains

Preservation

See also

References

Further reading

External links