List of Washington (state) railroads

The following railroads operate in the U.S. state of Washington.

Common freight carriers

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Private freight carriers

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Passenger carriers

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Defunct railroads

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Name Mark System[nb 1] From To Successor Notes
Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad MILW 1883 1912 Bellingham & Northern Railway
*Bellingham International Railroad BIRR BNSF 1995
Bellingham Bay and Eastern Railroad NP 1891 1903 Northern Pacific Railway
Bellingham and Northern Railway MILW 1912 1918 Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
Bellingham Terminals and Railway Company MILW 1909 1912 Bellingham and Northern Railway
Blakely Railroad 1896 1917 N/A
Blue Mountain Railroad BLMR 1992 1999 Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad
BNSF Acquisition, Inc. 1996 2008 BNSF Railway, Columbia Basin Railroad
Burlington Northern Inc. BN 1970 1981 Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad BN 1981 1996 Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
Burlington Northern (Oregon–Washington) Inc. 1981 1985 Burlington Northern Railroad
Camas Prairie RailNet CSP 1998 2004 Great Northwest Railroad
Camas Prairie Railroad CSP NP/ UP 1909 1998 Camas Prairie RailNet
Cascades Railroad UP 1859 N/A
Central Washington Railroad NP 1888 1898 Washington Central Railway
Centralia Eastern Railroad NP 1907 1917 Northern Pacific Railway
Chehalis and Cowlitz Railway GN/ MILW/ NP/ UP 1911 1916 Cowlitz, Chehalis and Cascade Railway
Chehalis Western Railroad 1980 1992 Tacoma Eastern Railway
Chehalis Western Railroad 1936 1975 Curtis, Milburn and Eastern Railroad
Chelatchie Prairie Railroad CCPR 1981 1986 Lewis and Clark Railway
Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway CM&PS MILW 12/31/1908 1/1/1913 Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway MILW 1912 1928 Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway of Washington MILW 1906 1909 Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad MILW MILW 1928 1980 Chehalis Western Railroad, Pend Oreille Valley Railroad, Seattle and North Coast Railroad
Clealum Railroad NP 1886 1898 Northern Pacific Railway
Clearwater Short Line Railway NP 1898 1914 Northern Pacific Railway
Columbia Railway and Navigation Company GN/ NP 1890 1902 Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
Columbia and Palouse Railroad UP 1882 1910 Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad GN 1880 1916 Pacific Coast Railroad
Columbia and Red Mountain Railway GN 1895 1907 Great Northern Railway
Columbia River and Northern Railway GN/ NP 1902 1908 Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
Columbia Valley Railroad UP 1899 1907 Ilwaco Railroad
Connell Northern Railway NP 1909 1914 Northern Pacific Railway
Cowlitz, Chehalis and Cascade Railway GN/ MILW/ NP/ UP 1916 1955 N/A
Curtis, Milburn and Eastern Railroad CMER 1973 1993 N/A
Eastern-Washington Railroad UP 1904 Spokane – Columbia River Railroad and Navigation Company
Eastern Washington Railway NP 1885 1886 Spokane and Palouse Railway
Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad EWG 2007 2018 Washington Eastern Railroad
Eastside Railway UP 1896 1914 Olympia Terminal Railway
Everett and Cherry Valley Traction Company GN 1907 1912 Great Northern Railway
Everett and Monte Cristo Railway NP 1892 1900 Monte Cristo Railway, Seattle and International Railway
Fairhaven and Southern Railroad GN 1888 1898 Seattle and Montana Railroad
Farmers' Railway, Navigation and Steamboat Portage Company GN/ NP 1885 1890 Farmers' Transportation Company
Farmers' Transportation Company GN/ NP 1890 1890 Columbia Railway and Navigation Company
Grays Harbor and Puget Sound Railway UP 1906 1910 Oregon and Washington Railroad
Great Northern Railway GN GN 1890 1970 Burlington Northern Inc.
Green River and Northern Railroad NP 1890 1898 Northern Pacific Railway
Hartford Eastern Railway HE 1915 1933 N/A
H and H Railroad 1904 1938
Idaho and Washington Northern Railroad I&WN MILW 1907 1916 Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
Idaho and Western Railway MILW 1909 1912 Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway
Ilwaco Railroad UP 1907 1910 Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company
Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company UP 1888 1907 Ilwaco Railroad
Klickitat Northern Railroad 1914 1918 N/A
Kootenai Valley Railway GN 1898 1913 Great Northern Railway
Lake Creek and Coeur d'Alene Railroad UP 1906 1910 Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company
Lewis and Clark Railway LINC 1987 2004 Columbia Basin Railroad
Longview, Portland and Northern Railway LPN 1922 1981 Chelatchie Prairie Railroad
Mason County Central Railroad 1889 1891 Shelton Southwestern Railroad
Montana Rail Link MRL BNSF 10/31/1987 1/1/2024 BNSF
Mill Creek Railroad NP 1903 1905 Washington and Columbia River Railway
Mill Creek Flume and Manufacturing Company NP 1880 1903 Mill Creek Railroad
Monte Cristo Railway NP 1900 1903 Northern Pacific Railway
Newaukum Railroad 1914 1914 Newaukum Valley Railroad
Newaukum Valley Railroad NV 1914 1943 N/A
North Coast Railroad NCRR UP 1906 1910 Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company
North Coast Railway NCRY UP 1905 1906 North Coast Railroad
North Yakima and Valley Railway NP 1905 1914 Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railroad NP 1864 1896 Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway NP NP 1896 1970 Burlington Northern Inc.
Northern Pacific and Cascade Railroad NP 1884 1898 Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad NP 1884 1898 Northern Pacific Railway
Olympia Railroad Union NP 1874 1877 Olympia and Chehalis Valley Railroad
Olympia and Chehalis Valley Railroad NP 1881 1891 Port Townsend Southern Railroad
Olympia Southern Railway MILW 1913 1913 Puget Sound and Willapa Harbor Railway
Olympia Terminal Railway MILW, UP 1911 1915 Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company, Puget Sound and Willapa Harbor Railway
Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company UP 1896 1910 Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company
Oregon Railway Extensions Company UP 1888 1896 Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
Oregon Railway and Navigation Company UP 1879 1896 Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
Oregon Steam Navigation Company UP 1860 1880 Oregon Railway and Navigation Company
Oregon Short Line Railway UP 1887 1889 Oregon Short Line and Utah Northern Railway
Oregon Short Line and Utah Northern Railway UP 1889 1896 N/A Leased the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company
Oregon Trunk Railway OT GN/ NP 1909 1981 Burlington Northern (Oregon–Washington) Inc.
Oregon and Washington Railroad UP 1906 1910 Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company
Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company OWR&N UP 1910 1987 Union Pacific Railroad
Oregon, Washington and Idaho Railroad UP 1903 1910 Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company
Oregon and Washington Territory Railroad NP 1886 1892 Washington and Columbia River Railway
Pacific Railway MILW 1905 1906 Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway of Washington
Pacific Coast Railroad PC GN 1916 1970 Burlington Northern Inc.
Pacific and Eastern Railway MILW 1906 1913 Puget Sound and Willapa Harbor Railway
Port Angeles Western Railroad 1925 1950 N/A
Port Ludlow, Port Angeles and Lake Crescent Railway MILW 1911 1911 Seattle, Port Angeles and Lake Crescent Railway
Port Townsend Railroad PTRR MILW 1945 1975 Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Port Townsend and Puget Sound Railway 1914 1929 N/A Leased the Port Townsend Southern Railroad
Port Townsend Southern Railroad MILW, NP 1887 1945 Port Townsend Railroad
Portland and Puget Sound Railroad NP 1889 Washington and Oregon Railway
Portland and Seattle Railway GN/ NP 1905 1908 Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
Portland, Vancouver and Yakima Railway NP 1897 1903 Washington Railway and Navigation Company
Priest Rapids Railway MILW 1907 1910 Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway
Puget Sound and Cascade Railway 1912 1939 Mount Vernon Terminal Railway
Puget Sound and Grays Harbor Railroad and Transportation Company NP 1886 1896 Blakely Railroad, United Railroads of Washington
Puget Sound Shore Railroad NP 1882 1889 Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad
Puget Sound and Willapa Harbor Railway MILW 1913 1918 Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
Republic and Kettle Valley Railway 1900 1906 Spokane and British Columbia Railway
St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway GN 1879 1907 Great Northern Railway
Sea Lion Railroad 1997 1998 Ballard Terminal Railroad
Seattle and International Railway NP 1896 1901 Northern Pacific Railway
Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway SLS&E NP 1885 1896 Seattle and International Railway, Spokane and Seattle Railway
Seattle and Montana Railroad GN 1898 1907 Great Northern Railway
Seattle and Montana Railway GN 1890 1898 Seattle and Montana Railroad
Seattle and North Coast Railroad SNCT 1979 1984 N/A
Seattle and Northern Railway GN 1888 1902 Seattle and Montana Railroad
Seattle, Port Angeles and Lake Crescent Railway MILW 1911 1915 Seattle, Port Angeles and Western Railway
Seattle, Port Angeles and Western Railway MILW 1915 1918 Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
Seattle and San Francisco Railway and Navigation Company NP 1899 1903 Northern Pacific Railway
Seattle Southeastern Railway MILW 1906 1912 Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway
Seattle Terminal Railway and Elevator Company NP 1890 1903 Northern Pacific Railway
Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad GN 1876 1880 Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad
Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad and Transportation Company GN 1873 1876 Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad
Seattle and West Coast Railway NP 1887 1888 Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway
Shelton Southwestern Railroad 1891 1898 Shelton Southwestern Railway
Shelton Southwestern Railway 1898 N/A
Snake River Valley Railroad UP 1898 1910 Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company
Snohomish, Skykomish and Spokane Railway and Transportation Company NP 1889 1892 Everett and Monte Cristo Railway
Spokane and British Columbia Railway 1906 1919 N/A
Spokane, Coeur d'Alene and Palouse Railway SC&P GN 1926 1943 Great Northern Railway Electric until 1941
Spokane – Columbia River Railroad and Navigation Company UP 1905 1906 North Coast Railroad
Spokane Falls and Idaho Railroad NP 1886 1898 Northern Pacific Railway
Spokane Falls and Northern Railway SF&N GN 1888 1907 Great Northern Railway
Spokane International Railroad SI, SIRY UP 1941 subsidiary in 1958, merged 1987 Union Pacific Railroad
Spokane International Railway UP 1905 1941 Spokane International Railroad
Spokane and Palouse Railway NP 1886 1898 Northern Pacific Railway
Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway SP&S, SPS GN/ NP 1908 1979 Burlington Northern Inc.
Spokane and Seattle Railway NP 1896 1900 Northern Pacific Railway
Spokane Union Depot Company UP 1900 1910 Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company
Tacoma Eastern Railroad MILW 1890 1918 Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
Tacoma Eastern Railway TE 1995 1998 Tacoma Rail
Tacoma Municipal Belt Line Railway TMBL 1998 Tacoma Rail
Tacoma, Olympia and Chehalis Valley Railroad NP 1889 1890 Tacoma, Olympia and Grays Harbor Railroad
Tacoma, Olympia and Grays Harbor Railroad NP 1890 1892 United Railroads of Washington
Tacoma, Orting and Southeastern Railroad NP 1888 1898 Northern Pacific Railway
Thurston Railroad Construction Company NP 1877 1881 Olympia and Chehalis Valley Railroad
Toppenish, Simcoe and Western Railway NP 1909 1912 North Yakima and Valley Railway
Union Depot Company of Spokane Falls UP 1889 1898 Spokane Union Depot Company
United Railroads of Washington NP 1890 1898 Northern Pacific Railway
Vancouver, Klickitat and Yakima Railroad NP 1887 1897 Portland, Vancouver and Yakima Railway
Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad UP 1868 1910 Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
Walla Walla Valley Railway WWV NP 1910 1985 N/A Electric until 1949
Washington Railway and Navigation Company NP 1903 1903 Northern Pacific Railway
Washington Central Railroad WCRC 1986 1996 BNSF Acquisition, Inc., Columbia Basin Railroad
Washington Central Railway NP 1898 1914 Northern Pacific Railway
Washington and Columbia River Railway NP 1892 1907 Northern Pacific Railway
Washington Electric Railway GN/ MILW/ NP/ UP 1912 1916 Cowlitz, Chehalis and Cascade Railway
Washington and Great Northern Railway GN 1901 1907 Great Northern Railway
Washington and Idaho Railroad UP 1886 1896 Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
Washington and Idaho Railway WIR WSDOT 2006 2019 Spokane, Spangle & Palouse Railway
Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway WI&M MILW 1905 1980 Burlington Northern Inc.
Washington Northern Railway UP 1906 1906 Oregon and Washington Railroad
Washington and Oregon Railway NP 1900 1903 Washington Railway and Navigation Company
Washington Short Line Railway NP 1888 1900 Northern Pacific Railway
Washington Western Railway WTW 1912 1929 N/A
Waterville Railway 1909 1948 N/A
Western American Company NP 1896 1901 Northern Pacific Railway
Yakima and Pacific Coast Railroad NP 1890 1892 United Railroads of Washington
Electric

Notes

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  1. ^ This is one or more of the Class I railroads that the railroad became part of, if any.

References

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  • [1] provides finding aid to article subject from the Special Collections, Washington State Historical Society (WSHS)