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Written by Tinhare
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Saturday, 03 January 2009 22:37 |
Very Brief History
The line was part of the original mainline that ran from Tacoma, WA to Portland, OR. The Prairie line section ran from Tacoma down to Tenino.
It was bypassed in 1914 when the Northern Pacific laid a new double track mainline which split off of the original line at Tenino and then via Nisqually followed the Sound around to Point Defiance and entering Tacoma from the North. The main reason for changing the route was that the Prairie Line had a 2.2 mile grade of 2.2% as it left Tacoma and headed South. Although the new Point Defiance line was longer by approximately 3.5 miles it was basically flat.
When the new line was completed the Union Pacific moved all of its operation over and the Northern Pacific moved most of theirs. The Great Northern on the other hand continued to use the old line until the early 1940's.
Main Stations/Depots
The main stations on the line were located at, starting from Tacoma and heading South
- Lakeview
- Roy
- Yelm
- Rainier
- West Tenino
After West Tenino it rejoined the main line and proceded down through Centralia to Portland. |
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Last Updated on Saturday, 03 January 2009 23:12 |
NP Prairie Line 
