I was out driving the Veazie-Cumberland Rd/Cumberland Kanaskat Rd last week and noticed a lot of Center-beams and TOFC's on the rail line parallel to the roadway. Does anyone know why they are there? Are they just stored there? Or abounded? I am also interested in the history of the Palmer Wye/Jct. And the line that connected into Enumclaw. What's the history there? A Big Thanks to those that answer this thread.
Where is this? Like state and cities? Remember, this is a worldwide forum. Guessing its on the BNSF/UP Joint Line in Colorado. Cars parked is common, normally for low traffic flow. Lumber might be slow, and they don't need all the centerbeams and flats to haul wood products currently.
The Veazie spur departs from the BNSF Satmpede Pass at Palmer Junction in Washington State. https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&so...121.890328&spn=0.007914,0.016544&z=16&iwloc=A I've worked for BNSF for 9 years and the only thing I've ever heard it used for was storing cars. I don't know much about history, but I'd start with the NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILWAY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
You got me interested. I'd heard that the Veazie spur once connected to the current BNSF mainline at Meeker (near Puyallup). I searched around and found a webpage entitled History of the Northern Pacific Prairie Line Which includes a map showing the track going from Meeker to Palmer Junction. Here is a full map of Western Washington I also found an NP Station Roster. That line was known as the Buckley Line, Burnett and Wilkenson Branches Fifth Subdivision Tacoma Division. Very Interesting.
Still interested? I read the article: How Auburn Became a Railroading TownPart I: Featuring the Northern Pacific's "Palmer Cutoff" Apparently the Buckley Line was the original Northern Pacific Mainline from Stampede Pass to Tacoma and Seattle. The route proved "difficult and circuitous" and eventually a better route was acheived by extending the Stampede Line was from Palmer Junction to Auburn.
It was indeed the original main. When I was young, there was still a lot of forest products business on this subdivision. In earlier years there was also some coal. There was line "coordination" on part of it, with the Milwaukee Road and their Enumclaw line. Where two once parallel branches were combined in places to make one line. This junction of today is different from the original, due to the Howard Hanson Dam and NP main track relocation.
Ken is right. This jct is not what it used to be. When you drive out towards Cumberland you pass by some of the original jct. Most notably is shortly after you take the right turn and cross over the BNSF Stampede mainline you will notice an old depot on your right. This was the original depot at Kanaskat. As far as the line that runs parallel to the roadway, that is indeed the original mainline that went to Sumner. This line is now used for nothing more than storage as it goes essentially nowhere. I have seen anything from centerbeams, bulkheads, and fuel foilers on this line. The line was severed about 4-5 miles out of Sumner and about 2-3 miles out of Enumclaw. The Sumner end is now part of the Meeker Southern.
A bit of additional info- The line south of Palmer Junction should still go to the old RR rock pit at Veazie. (Spelled "Veazey" on the nearby MILW.) Also, that abandoned depot (in 1959) is actually their third on that one site. That original burned down the night of December 29-30, 1943, when the operator overloaded the coal stove and then fell asleep. The second was a box car depot, until a few months later when the third opened. When that line was relocated past there, uphill a few hundred feet, the Government built a new, fourth depot, which was a twin to that one still standing. BN bulldozed that last one.
I actually was in the last depot around 1996-97 when BNSF was rebuilding the line. It might have been a month or 2 later that BNSF razed the depot. Also of note, just before the road makes its right hand turn to cross over the Green River, there is a steel water tower just off to the left of the road in the trees. It is just a couple hundred feet past the old depot on the left hand side.
Wow, thanks everyone. This info is very helpful, I love learning about old lines and where they went. I've hiked some of the very old line in South Prairie and Wilkeson. I've heard that some of the line in Orting is used and looked on Google Earth. I looks like BNSF has built a branch to a facility and a storage area. The "Foothills Trail" that parallels that line for awhile and has stated that it is an 'active line'. Any info on this?
This is what is now operated as the Meeker Southern RR. That branch you saw could be the spur at what is known as McMillan, which has been in place for many, many years. At least back into the 1970s.
Yes that would be the other end of the original NP mainline that I referred to earlier. This is now operated by the Meeker Southern. There is no runaround track so this is a push-pull operation. I have never seen a train on it, but I do know about through an acquaintance that is an engineer for the RR.
I believe that portion is now run by the Meeker Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of the Ballard Terminal Railroad. Greg Amer The Industrial Lead gregamer.com
Byron Cole owns and operates the Ballard Terminal RR, the Meeker Southern RR, and is also part owner in Eastside Freight out of Woodinville. Ryan
