Puget Sound Shore Railroad
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Fate | Assets transferred to Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad in 1889; later merged into Northern Pacific Railway |
| Headquarters | Seattle , United States |
| Parent | Northern Pacific Railroad |
The Puget Sound Shore Railroad (officially known as The Puget Sound Shore Railroad Company) along with its successor, the Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad (officially Northern Pacific & Puget Sound Shore Railroad Company), constructed a branch line for the Northern Pacific Railroad connecting Puyallup to Seattle, Washington. Additionally, they partially developed a route skirting the eastern shore of Lake Washington extending to Woodinville.
History
Following the 1864 congressional chartering of the Northern Pacific Railroad (NP), various Puget Sound communities competed to become the railroad’s western terminus. In July 1873, Tacoma, located approximately 30 miles south of Seattle, was selected as NP’s endpoint while construction advanced northward from Portland. Meanwhile, Seattle entrepreneurs established the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad and Transportation Company to build eastward; however, this effort only achieved a narrow gauge line reaching a coal mine at Newcastle. Although this line successfully transported coal to Seattle’s docks, it failed to establish an eastbound rail connection for the city.
In November 1880, Henry Villard, owner of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, purchased the Seattle and Walla Walla and reorganized it as the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad (C&PS), with ambitions to link eastern Washington. Villard took control of NP in June 1881 and created the Oregon and Transcontinental Company (O&T) as a holding entity for NP and its subsidiary companies tasked with branch construction, which NP’s charter limited. Contrary to NP’s prior dismissal of Seattle as a terminus, Villard pledged that the main line would extend past Tacoma all the way to Seattle.
In March 1882, Seattle granted O&T a right of way along Elliott Bay. Subsequently, on August 19, 1882, the Puget Sound Shore Railroad was established specifically to build this branch. NP constructed the segment from Meeker (east of Puyallup) northward to Stuck Junction (south of Auburn), while the new company completed the stretch from there into Seattle. North of Black River Junction, the Puget Sound Shore Railroad laid standard gauge tracks parallel to the existing narrow gauge C&PS route at Beacon Hill using a dual gauge configuration. Near Addition Street, this new line veered northwest across a trestle that crossed King Street at First Avenue along Seattle’s waterfront.
Although NP’s transcontinental railroad was ceremoniously completed with its last spike on September 8, 1883, Villard’s financial downfall delayed finishing the Seattle branch. The succeeding NP president, Charles B. Wright, reaffirmed Tacoma as the primary terminus, relegating Seattle to branch status. The Oregon Improvement Company, an O&T subsidiary, finalized construction; Seattle welcomed its first standard gauge train on June 17, 1884. Regular service between Tacoma and Seattle commenced on July 6 but was abruptly halted in late August due to operational conflicts over what became known as the "Orphan Road."
On August 23, 1884, NP created the Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad subsidiary to acquire full ownership of the Meeker–Seattle route. After extended negotiations and track repairs on neglected sections, service resumed permanently on October 26, 1885. The original Puget Sound Shore Railroad assets were transferred to this subsidiary on October 31, 1889; it was later merged into the reorganized NP in 1898. Between 1890 and 1891, partial work began on a branch extending from Black River Junction around Lake Washington’s eastern perimeter to Woodinville; this line was completed by NP in 1904. Additionally, NP inaugurated its Stampede Pass route near Wilkeson in 1887, reducing eastbound travel distances from both Seattle and Tacoma.
The C&PS converted its tracks to standard gauge by 1897; by 1901 both C&PS and NP shared certain rights-of-way with NP occupying the western half. NP constructed a new Argo–Seattle alignment primarily following Colorado Avenue; in 1903 both railroads exchanged lines north of Argo. As a result, C&PS crossed beneath NP at Argo to utilize Colorado Avenue trackage while NP gained exclusive control over Beacon Hill’s northern base beyond Argo. This alignment became secondary after a more direct Second Avenue route connected King Street Station with Great Northern Railway's downtown tunnel.
Currently, the main Meeker–Seattle corridor remains vital within BNSF Railway, serving as the northern portion of the Seattle–Vancouver Seattle Subdivision. It accommodates Amtrak's Coast Starlight and Cascades trains. In contrast, the Woodinville Subdivision encircling Lake Washington has largely fallen into disuse.