Expanding the Arteries of Tacoma's Waterfront
The Northern Pacific is laying new tracks and trestles along the bay to bridge the gap between rail and ship.
The Northern Pacific is making several important changes in its tracks along the waterfront. The switches throughout the yards are being ballasted and brought up to grade and a new track is being built connecting the switches with the track on the bay side of the Oriental dock. To accomplish this it is necessary to put in piling along the north end of the warehouse and construct trestle work for the support of the track. When the track is completed cars can be switched from the main line onto the wharf and unloaded directly into the vessels. This will greatly facilitate the handling of freight.
“When the track is completed cars can be switched from the main line onto the wharf and unloaded directly into the vessels.”
The waterfront and the rail infrastructure defined Tacoma's 20th-century growth. These structural changes represent the era of the 'booster' economy that established the city as a major shipping hub, long before the modern redevelopment of the Thea Foss Waterway.
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