HomeMy WebLinkAbout1902-09 - Puget Sound Electric Railway (Interurban Railway)51MOT;1i , r rr=,l 1.1
system ahead of its time
OMMEL
IVI f I I lesyWs
"Now they're talking about all
these rail transit plans. It's too bad
Imagine a transit rail system that
we can't have the interurban rurban back
whisks coburturcri from the down-
said Doris Ramstead of Auburn.
*n Aubturft.station to downtown
orria. in about 1inutes,
T 5 m
At age 87, Rarnstead is among the
dwindling numbers of local resi-
ro,m the Kent or Renton stations,
dents with, memories of the Interur-
pa�enger cars traveling as fast as 60
ban, She recalls the green pasengeer
mph bring shoppirs to a downtown
a cts with leather and metal seasts, he
Seattle, station,; where they walk a
blue -suited conductors and motor -
few blocks to the reSion's finest
men, the shrill blasts of the whistles
department stores and elegant res-
at stations and the smooth ride
taurants .
No, this isn't another multi-bil-
through the once -rural Urcen River
Valley.
lion -dollar mass transit proposal
Local, historians say the interur-
from the Regional Transit Authori-
ban was a transit system ahead of its
ty,
It's the Puget Sound Electric Rail-
time when it began operations. But
by the late 1920s, it was behind the
Photo courtesy at Rontion Hisilmlical Society
The Puget Sound Electric Railway — better known as the Interurban
way - better known to longtime
times.
— served the Valley community from 1902 until 1928. Local historians
South King County residents as the
Ridership was rapidly declining"
may the Interurban was a transit system ahead of Rs time when It
Intertirban - a passenger transit sys-
becau6c of the increasing mumbers
began operations. But ridership declined due to increasing numbers
Op that served the Valley corturm-
fit 1928,
See INTERURBAN, A6
of cars and trucks. The final blow was the opening of Highway 99 in
1928, creating a more direct link between Seattle and Tacoma,
Al until
This photo, taken, near Kerit pA*r 10 IS46, thows flloo�ded Inlefurban Prdl trricks,, Pllolq raawn;N,, A Willflil Riw)fl
Iumul blow was the (xPeningtif HIP'li-
Way 99, 41 1928, j;reafing a mo,U
direct link- hetwUll Se aide AW
Tacurna
f4iji; for �'6, Yww,trs. Ille LiflUTU-11111011
semcd iucusixlnwer, w,01,
" 11 waw ft WAS inCTUAl-
bje� how swift, it wc2fl,"' Raniistead
s'aid.
A, 19207 gradiao,w of Aluburn Ffigh
Sichool, slive was ainong thc vorrwou-
Iollie� Whio
Put 4111 t1161 N.Md C-1011101 iffid rvOr to
downu)wn *.halloo, Eo hrww,e and
shop at Rhcidi:r on Furst Avenuo or
`redcriwk if;. Nclsorll
a"Wc had warm 7&(Ip% Into,[ 4A
lhtt Oli i J%INI Whi sq I cd
dirough," Ramwaead raw,alled,
WERS [he gnoq ei'liticlilt In/tolic at
JjjAnSrN)fTJ1 iOD ilbC.1 C.' Wifw"
WIllegr CILM&C, a 79 -yejr-old Kew
resident, 211M!i rude tile Inti2rurixan its
Cl.ldd dUpril167 11%0
TTui was our Sariurday
("lx)ke Terrlopilb(,rvd -'Wo-'4I uitc,
Oiff nkkols ,,And dirrIts rhitir wo innde
li picking herries or doing aver
cplvru,,s PoW ride ni Svakilq;� Thi: trilin
slappiNJI'at Plairicel
wc"d Vu [f] a It"' li ic, ia I lie U her ih
'Whemor "
Warren Wing of Tja,kwila, a 76
yell I 4)[AJ 1`121 i led gXMLj I eFl IplOy Ce ail ILI
0110MOW1 hiSlillify buff, raFwa flii`fa lhe
I nivn,uhalh iiw Tit child He Juim-rd Ins
f4fli,vt on trip; OrTim SoilWt ill kho
I igkwfla: qall)nn, whcj,Q tr was a
sluirl wailk 0I a i;,xDjjuIdi kslnm,g hkdu
on ffic Dilwarnish Rivor.
ThO 1'026 SOUnd Flocmv Ra i I waA,
W.1% bide [)Ya9l Wrlvviild , ri'I'lulp thol,
evolved inla Rupel Mwor (7o. The
Infi2rurbaln n"( w " , rJY offervO lviiflr�-
1xiii,w6i 1,1ut On! elvictril"AiNJ Third
1,ifl rhm pc,,wkicrud dite cars A,",l
hi-Imt,ght thc first
Irrii as C.", to Jnzjny vilfley hcll I les
11% dle L!Jrly E19(kh", Aling, €010, ]Ile
coiNk'lly lxjoliis'h!d llJ%TT4k1A!ll1CMN
pros hairning, the cd
iik'4(,Vo: r1o'.4cl k, Chic v4lllagcw, of
Kent anif Auburn on o Z4-hi-ftll'
hii
tti.lt ihilil
hirouphi a deadly rya 'haiiald lay die
Dow,cnN of cm , horses and dopy
"ierc fillcd l,y clou I (IcuMin cm:krl Ilgv"
yTor,', Ylli-ion ahoy rituched Illat rail.
Wing and odlrrs "N"re chill
di,,,n i;il Ove I 920s rerneinher ix!rn
warnings liolMi pareliti urd lvacherr
to, Stay a�Aly frinrli OU-1
r,r**% ai thal third rail.
Rut hoyv, WlIl hw twary
jov Ko(rij nf Auburn rvicalk 1hiii 1-.w
and iriendi jlainpod i:ifl 4vnd cm the
third' rail., two lcol al it thric, A,s lunig
ii,, y�oo wimcn'l iouchinthe track
hed zmf the Olrd pad x lhe ,anik-
tjnle,, '�ilij p)rtv4ii5dvd and
weiri 6cculicultd. said Kczh, 14,
-1 irriagine olho IOek, ifL ALIT rat 11
;j p(l Kent! agul 4,°�v wry wh C ir W, trial
tlIQ SaFt IC lh,inrp. I fi, I iff K
Afjcj� irwwoanclh
of the I olviLlioxill, Wing (wfic,les,
porh2fps I� tar
dX1118 COOMM0,11taw colic rad%x,�q 'If [ilk
ilea odochildirentiai Ihv1iaC*3JIJ0F�
art N,�JNIC in c;jw, 4,144r, "'cil, Flit
""marl alit stiiv,
%V "iti,ox i", iPas N irr4
I n
off rht rnoy I n.
g Itral ns
iw#a, gut. od'M wd:'A
vzwi man!, tirlse, Ironk
elld o 1.11C iloin and lell 11.. ik nk,
,SMiLl, YOU hCnj jj 14"It 14j)r
ries. iind l don'l of
Intionlrbalt Aso h"PudV,,d
,vid V4c,
or nulk-, w,;jns at mv% Our o
allalk.1 1516WkIJE!�,Of imd
g% Eike Oirtlli*i. (.Ylincl,
d�l or Sliix'Ai>
alb, , NAid ' ing,, llix I'Mro"'Ri-F,
eit honlk:d hrk,kil'iliffl that
co, Jui wady
Ov" V"alIC.N.
-Owled to
whiloh rorlt
ink: IAdy-uy,:� dvml,�,e
War 1. Ell is I,NOrjfle
0 UVO i, i1cr ii M ere bet 1Y2,F road
%it", 01V cj,e 10 il"Callm,
III YOUr CMH L-Al `paPIIP
aile opc"ni IF r4 Ili rhiwa.% a,,)
il.jlr, 5"'01e; Ai'kl
as hde,r Ow. Iritell."aboij
ThL. Mdjj', 'AOLd ,Q(,iJ1!lP'l"k'W
A Iliru ac,d aft.
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L
Dy CHARLOTTE D. NXIORIG
C-1-170 .many a reTii( 71 t of
Sound ale"I the words
lacoma Interm-Nin" rcc:ill a
1-Miltitude of mcniorics.
I Nearly 30 years have, elllj)sl�(l SiECO
the trains of int<Trurban cars niadc
their final run„ The end of their
sclif"Oule mml-xd on clid of nn era
th,ar :m,armed the first qLmrL(.,r ol the_l
century.,
, In Septmher, 1902, the T U ;4 ", t
Sound Electric Railway, better 11noWt1%
as the Seattle -Tacoma Interurban,, in-
augurated, its first run between thesi---
two rapidly' expanding cities and cora-..
111,unities en route. A branch line io
Renton was .mother well -remembered
link in the system.
,For 26 years the electric interurban
cam rumbled through the valley with
a,whistle as familiar to the cars of
those they served as the striking of
a clock. Thousands of commuters
]mew the iron rails as a link between
h o m e and employment, recreation,
school and church. Freight distribu-
tion was another important functiom
of the. line.
'r In the early part of the 1000'§ rails
were the only means of rapid transit.
While the interurban cars covered the
terrain at speeds up to 60 and 70
miles an hour, wagons pulled by
teams of horses jogged along'higlh-'
ways that were, dusty in the Summer
months and muddy in the winter.
Autornobiles were few enough to
,attract at
tention in lxissing. Yet, in
't quarter I of a Century, their steady
jncrea�e and the innovation of busscs
corripotition which eventually
I'llt an end not only to the Seattle-
,i'acoirla Interurban but also to the
E'verott Interurban, the. Sea1Llc-PcT)f0T1
Railway (better known as the Rninicr
Valley Urios) and c v e n
Strcctcl"r's.
TIE increase of automobile trafk,
however, by its very Prowth lcls
brought about acute problems. Will
Scattle, in time, experience a return
,ell inliltiple-car trains serving suo-
urban communities? If so, the cycle
will be complete, and the "old" ag4in
become "new." But the picture never
1,17M be quite the same as that of days
gone by.
The author, having grown up in the
Duwarnish Valley, was a frequent
passenger of the Seattle -Tacoma
Interurban during many of the years
The line was in operation. Life literally
revolved around home and school,
sunshine and rain and the interurban!
I It would be hard to say which of in-
numerable memories are most Vivid.
Watcbing the minute hand of a clock
to avoid missing trains runnin[; on an
hourly schedule. Morning and evening
walks, to the station, The electricaltly
charged third rail —an exposed
ing monster" that meant sudden cleatli
should anyone be ignorant or fool-
hardy enough to touch it,
To stop an oncon-Ling train a pros-
M'
O'A
0
2
7
%
N, 0144i."
1 M`Lintil the last, run in 1923, renew yed ,memories of the o�ld days wits the
A- .1 1I r o - I 1 11 1 � 1— 1
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,.. � IMT1 dt M it��lt ��, Iwr � f
� .'J�fyw '..w. •..Hd
OND of the interurban cars on tha Renton
line was photographed about
1917 at Renton Junction. Its open tors
were 1-1. A. Wellman, left, motor-
man, and H. E. Rumery, conductor. A sign
beside the track at the lower left
warned ilae public to keep avray from the
electrically charged third rail, The
ear's overhead trolley was for use inside city limits.
p,ctive passenger pulled the hand
freight depar�ment and in the ticket:'
lever of a signal box. The rule was,
office of the Seattle terminal at Occi- �..,
wilcn in doubt, s i g n a 1 anything
dental Avenue and Yestcr Way,
headed your way. Limiteds would
From this station it was only a
wall: to the business and shOp-
answer in whistle -language, fairly
shricking "Stand back! We're going
short
ping district. The corner of Yesla-
straight tlarour;h!" And while those
and Occidental in those days relrr
assembled laress%�d against the railing
tively was as busy as Third Avenue
different.
of the station platform, the train
and Pine Street toddy —but
dark - blue uniforms
would whiz by with a deafening roar
Conductors in
and a gust of wind that closed your
with brass buttons stood beside one-,
"All
eyes and made you hold your breath,
two- and three -car trains, calling
If the approaching train was a local,
aboard! Kent, Auburn and Tacoma"."
it would answer with a softly spoken
Or "Renton and way points!" Fre-
-`Toot-toot" and come to a stop be-
quently more than one train would be
side you.
in line, awaiting departure.
Aboard the train passengers read
newspapers or textbooks, chatted with
NOTHER "old timer" with val-
rcquaintance and looked out the
umes of memories of interurban
windows. Many of the scenes that
travel is H. E. Rumery, 520 Stevens
their attention have been rele-
St., Renton. Rumery's employment by
clairned
gated to memory lane long since.
the Seattle -Tacoma Interurban bcg,,an
Among them were the tide flats below
in September-, 1910, and lasted until
a trestle wtaerc First Avenue South
the wheels stopped turning, in 1928.
runs tod.-ly,
Rumery recalls, the days when cnt s
Tllt trc ;(lt L of other:; in lho vol
wereo icr uled to cupacity "kith s;lutl..
p
Icy, c,tossinf, ueas ubject to floo&g,
yard workers during the Grist World
passengers an illusion of riding
War. He also tells of the influenza
gave
In tile sky. It also pronlpt:ed pangs of
epidemic In 1918, when pas'senf'(rs
apprehension when the possibility of
were 1 ecluircd to wear gataze. m�;�hs
a ear's jtullpinr; the track was seized
as at conta;;iora preventative. Reftl s;a!
b
upon by imagination.
of one burly rider to comply with this
regulation resulted in his being
t
�'VEN conductors, brakemen zin d
c,victed from the car by a poi ccn an
t, Na motormen were not immune to an
called it Georgetown.
occasional thrill.
Three drawbridges —without tencl-
Roy J. I-fenderson, 4815 S. 124th
ers — crossing.*, the DLM'amish l:iVVIr,
St., employed by the Seattle -Tacoma
were an enigma to Rumery.
interurban Pram 1.914 until its last
"In 18 years I never saw one
run in December, 1928, recalls that
opened," he said.
Ng Y
after his first swaying, t, y bouncing "ut
'ir1-
ride over the First Avenue South
T'IIER wtn•kadtry nlc>rnor•ies
trestle, he wonde t.d II" he rc,Illy
NJ,clutirl ttarl�;�,ttPe c ornp;irr nicii(,< h.l lr
wanted to keep his job!
full of nesysp,Ipul_S to he <Itlivcrl d
>nostors gave s fa bad time,
"Awmu
along the lint:... 11,11-1or cacti V1'ller(' Ihq
too," Henderson said. "lee 'on the
elite of the clay, dressed in fashion;
third rail would stall the train while
bespeaking the time.,;, reclined in hers}r
connections sputtered and sparkled
chairs. "Smoking -room" coil f iolIs
and flashed like northern lights."
about local developments . cvcnrs
Concerning f r e i g la t, Henderson
sucia as tlae ship canal and the restrll-
told of a "coal run" anci a "brick
ant lowering; of the level of 1.;tkc
run" into Seattle from the coal mines
Washington, anci the clOsing ut' th/'
,and brick yards of Renton, with as
Georgetown brewery bec: n se oaf pro -
many as 25 cars hauled at one time.
hibit.ion,
A "milk run,," a "meat run" and a
Sometimes there were cxcureicnls h,
"spud run" (o t la c r vegetables in-
the picnic grounds and dance pavihon
between Seattle and
at Renton Junction, and special troulls
eluded) operated
'Iaconara, with valley pickups, Crushed
running to the. old Tv40*.1d0ws i. CO
rOe hl'Cb1Y1 a Caul Ir-ry nCtbar Allc Mown
Track, situatod not fag" frorrl ttdr.{,1y',";
'41".as another heavy ite111 of t.ralv1pnrt,
Boeing
ru,�rl Ilan (111111'ry 11.`ahlf it fillnillar land,
lit mono wn,ys, nntloorie'"r' Of (1w
mark,
lrtt(r°url)lan taahV, arc, lik(c to lorlkin,ti
t,l 14 vortt°ca (if o,n) °itraVrnpOt Ora 1110
Mil sst. ,'011 t.hc�
C larakem an and conductor, Ili the
fore, it.
a
t ,,qat I))
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�� `� ' � . �° • .�.1.�iLti::a�."L�.'.,]JJ—_.--ram � � 2
f
I#s fia
In this chapter we reproduce in its entirety a system map of PSE---
a map which hung on the wall of TR&P`s 13th & A Street Earn in
Tacoma for mE.ny years. The old structure was torn down in 19,59
and the map was saved by Mr. Andy Hansen, who kindly loaned it
for reproduction herein.
The map has been broken into sections, making necessary a slight
amount of overlapping. Distances listed to the right of stations in-
dicate mileages from Seattle and Tacoma respectively.
Another system map showing TR&P suburban lines in addition to
PSE's system is reproduced on inside back cover.
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