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20 stories matching tracklay

  1. Two Miles of Steel a Day: Hill's Great Northern Starts Laying Track Toward the Sound

    Tracklaying on the Great Northern's main line east from Lowell began yesterday, and a steam tracklayer is expected to throw down two to three miles of rail a day on the road to Snohomish.

    Aug 26, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerLowell, Everett, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money · Boom & Bust

  2. 2,200 Men, a Steel Bridge and a Tunnel: The Railroad Eats the Valley

    The Idaho & Washington Northern's Metaline extension is three-quarters graded out of Ione, the bridge north of Newport is spanned, and tracklayers expect to reach Dalkena by mid-June.

    Jun 3, 1909The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentNewport, Pend Oreille CountyWork & Pay · Boom & Bust

  3. Great Northern Railroad Pushes Toward the Columbia

    Tracklayers near the river as construction crews work around the clock to connect the Big Bend country to the Seattle market.

    Sep 20, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerRock Island, Douglas CountyBoom & Bust

  4. The Railroad Pushes Seven Miles North—Dalkena by June 15

    Tracklayers, ballast crews, and a stubborn slide: the Idaho Washington Northern extension is racing high water and sharp curves toward Dalkena.

    Jun 10, 1909The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentNewport, Pend Oreille CountyBoom & Bust

  5. Three Miles a Day: The Great Northern Races the Snow to the Columbia

    With tracklayers advancing west from Spokane and a tunnel still to be bored, John F. Stevens tells Seattle he needs men—and expects to connect the line by mid-November.

    Aug 29, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerRock Island, Douglas CountyWork & Pay

  6. Great Northern Crews Link Spokane and Push Toward the Columbia

    Tracklaying reaches a fever pitch as James J. Hill's Great Northern connects to Spokane, with plans to bridge the Cascades and link Seattle to the East by the new year.

    Jun 1, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyBoom & Bust

  7. The Rails Reach Ione

    Tracklayers beat their deadline, a first freight train rolls in, and a new passenger schedule is set for Nov. 8.

    Nov 4, 1909The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentIone, Pend Oreille CountyBoom & Bust

  8. Hand-Dug Tunnel Opens the Way for Newport's Northern Railroad

    Three hundred men, two shifts, and hand drilling only: the Idaho & Washington Northern blasts through Blueslide and sets its sights on Ione.

    Jul 29, 1909The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentBlueslideWork & Pay · Boom & Bust

  9. Bridge Collapse Inquiry Mired in Secrecy

    A tenth victim has died following a bridge collapse on the Great Northern line, as company officials actively obstruct the inquest.

    Oct 27, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWenatchee River, Wenatchee, Chelan CountyWork & Pay · Disasters

  10. Life on the Construction Train

    A reporter’s harrowing journey to the front lines of the Great Northern railroad expansion through the Skykomish Valley.

    Nov 11, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSkykomish, King CountyBoom & Bust

  11. Steel on the Grade: The I.W.N. Pushes North From Usk

    Twelve carloads of steel arrived in Newport this week as the Idaho & Washington Northern extension resumed tracklaying, with a new station open at Usk and a tunnel still to finish at Blueslide.

    Jul 15, 1909The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentUsk, Pend Oreille CountyWork & Pay · Boom & Bust

  12. The Railroad Promises a New Line to Willapa Harbor

    A Northern Pacific official says the Chehalis-to-South Bend line will be finished by July 1, opening timber and farm country to the coast.

    Mar 1, 1892The Olympia TribuneWillapa Harbor, South Bend, Pacific CountyBoom & Bust

  13. Forging the Iron Path Through the Cascades

    A look at the grueling engineering feat of the Great Northern Railway’s passage across the mountain divide.

    Jul 5, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerStevens Pass, Skykomish, King CountyBoom & Bust

  14. The Last Spike for the Great Northern

    Without fanfare, the transcontinental link is finished in the Cascades, promising a new era for Seattle.

    Jan 7, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerStevens Pass, Skykomish, King CountyBoom & Bust

  15. The Brutal Toll of the Great Northern Expansion

    Snow-shovelers strike for higher wages while workers battle five-foot drifts and constant mountain slides to complete the transcontinental link.

    Dec 27, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSkykomish, King CountyWork & Pay

  16. The Secret Railway Building Under Seattle’s Streets

    While the city slept, a mysterious construction crew pushed a new railway line through the downtown core, dodging private lots and baffling local observers.

    Jan 26, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

  17. The Great Northern Is Coming as Fast as Men and Money Can Push It

    A contractor's progress report puts track at the Columbia by October—if enough workers can be found.

    Aug 23, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyBoom & Bust

  18. Surveyors Hunt a Mountain Pass for Newport’s Railroad Future

    Great Northern surveyors reportedly found a low-grade route through the mountains, fueling hopes of a Newport–Chewelah cutoff and a rail boom across the Pend Oreille country.

    Jul 22, 1909The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentNewport, Pend Oreille CountyBoom & Bust

  19. The Iron Flash: How Spokane Fell for a Railroad

    In a daring midnight maneuver that bypassed local obstructionists, the Oregon and Washington Territory railroad laid its tracks through downtown Spokane in a single night, turning a political standoff into a civic celebration.

    Jan 16, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWhitman, Spokane, Spokane CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

  20. Blueslide Breakthrough: The Tunnel That Pushed the Idaho & Washington Northern Through

    After months of hand drilling, a crew of more than 500 blows a heading through the Blueslide tunnel — while the railroad’s general manager limps on crutches after a freak construction accident.

    Jun 24, 1909The Newport Miner (Newport, WA) 1899-CurrentBlueslideWork & Pay · Boom & Bust

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