Nostalgia & History > Port Angeles Western Railroad

Was out yesterday doing a short 8 mile hike on what was originally known as the Port Angeles Western Railroad.  This is located about 20 miles west of Port Angeles, Washington, out on the Olympic Peninsula.

These days this is part of the Olympic Discovery Trail.  The section I hiked was an out and back eight mile hike along the shore of Lake Crescent and was the Spruce Production Division of the Port Angeles Western Railroad.  Reading at Wikipedia tells a short info paragraph about this Division.  It was built in 1914 and shut down around 1950.

I took a bunch of pictures and will post a few of them for anyone who wants to take a look.

First picture is what is left of the old roadbed.  Over the past 65 years nature has reclaimed most of the recognizable roadbed but it's still there if you know what to look for.  Tree growth, small landslides and rock slides have chewed away at any noticeable alignment.  There are two old, short railroad tunnels to check out if you keep an eye out for them.  Pictures two and three show the entrances to both ends and they are filling up with rock slide debris. You will notice the picture I took was actually looking down into the tunnel from what used to be near the roof of the tunnel.  Supposedly they are not safe to crawl through but while I was there four kids came climbing out.  No thanks.

The next three pictures show how much of the roadbed has been eroded away over the years where the roadbed had been next to the lake.  There are many small landslides and rock slides throughout the mileage I hiked.  On one side you had a 20 foot drop to the lake and the other side a hunded foot high rock cliff with trees hanging over the edge in places.  I kept thinking a good shake of the ground around there and down they would come.  no earthquakes please.

Final three pictures show the second tunnel from both entrances.  Old heavy duty, weathered, and worn railroad timbers were visible as well as old iron rods of some kind.  No problem walking through this short tunnel.  Sliding down the loose rock on one end was interesting though.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spruce_Railroad_Trail




 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/15 13:47 by RS11.

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NIce pictures.  Here is a copy of a PAW timetable.
Thanks for sharing...
Todd Montgomery
Springfield OR

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Here is the rest of the Timetable..
Todd M.

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Todd...thanks for that info.  That really puts things in perspective.  Info like what you have provided is hard to come by.  Appreciate you sharing that.

Jim

No problem, glad I could help.
Thanks again for the pictures...
Todd M.

Very interesting..thanks for sharing...

Todd, 

Thanks for the posting. Its pics like this that can really take you back to, "what was". Its too bad more pics have not been done on other pikes that are no more
  
Thanks,   Nudge

Couple of images I took "somewhere" on the Seattle waterfront in 1985. Did these units have any connection with the Port Angeles Western???  Doug

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hoggerdoug...I didn't know for sure so I Googled it.  Here's the link.  It seems it was part of the subject I wrote about.  Under the "History" of the railroad it does mention the Port Angeles Western Railroad was one segment around Lake Crescent where I took the pictures.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_and_North_Coast_Railroad

an amazing amount of infrastructure was built to support our WW 1 war effort

hoggerdoug Wrote:
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> Couple of images I took "somewhere" on the Seattle
> waterfront in 1985. Did these units have any
> connection with the Port Angeles Western???  Doug\

The SNC was on an old Milwaukee Branch.  When you photographed those units, the SNC had gone under as they were moved over to Seattle.  The railroad connected with a barge service but hauled to Port Angeles.  From what RS11 is saying, it sounds like that roadbed never was part of the Milwaukee if it went under in 1950.

Rick

The SW-1 is (or was) on the Ballard Terminal Railroad in Seattle.

Dick Samuels