The story starts in 1909 with the completion of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad's ‘Pacific Coast Extension’, a line built to compete with the “Hill Lines” and open a western gateway for the Milwaukee Railroad. It was engineered and built to the most modern standards of the time and built at easier grades than that of the Northern Pacific and Great Northern transcontinental lines. Unfortunately, the financial burden of the “Extension” and its subsequent electrification forced the CM&StP into bankruptcy in 1925 and it was reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific in 1928. Financial difficulties would follow the Milwaukee Road for the rest of its existence.

The story turned into a nightmare in the 1970’s and the Milwaukee Road started to make decisions affecting “Lines West”. Management seemed to want to be less of a railroad and more of a real estate firm. As consideration for the Milwaukee Road during the Burlington Northern merger, the Interstate Commerce Committee opened up through trackage right agreements and several interchanges which

increased business. However, management had determined that the extension was milking the rest of the company and making the company less desirable in a merger. In 1980 the company approached the ICC for abandonment of 1,100 miles of track.

Shortly before the ICC made their ruling on the abandonment, several employees of the Milwaukee Road, with shipper and banker backing created a group called Save Our Railroad Employment (SORE) which offered to purchase 3,550 miles of trackage. The ICC did not believe that the estimated returns on the investments would satisfy the banks and granted the abandonment anyways. The ICC handed the job of liquidation over to the local states.

Washington state, not exactly sure what to do with its newly acquired railroad, sought suggestions and received renewed interest in saving the railroad. The state, realizing the blow to the economy from the loss of a competitive transportation link and concerns over the large displacement of employees of the Milwaukee Road, entertained offers for outside sources to operate the railroad that was formerly the ‘Coastal Division’.

The same group called SORE, now former employees of the Milwaukee Road and along with committed investment of local banks, was successful in the bid for the railroad. The railroad was now a leaner regional railroad operating from the banks of the Puget Sound to Spokane, WA and Portland, OR. Trackage rights established during the merger that created BN remained intact and proved invaluable in the new operation’s vie for business and ability to thwart the estrangement of the road’s larger neighbor, BN.

The group’s first executive decision was what to name the railroad. Several ideas came about, including Milwest, but a unanimous agreement came in the concept of a name honoring the state of Washington and its rich, unique history. Strong consideration was given for a name that would lay tribute to the native people of the region as well as be a symbol of the strength and tenacity of wildlife of the northwest. The Chinook Lines was born.

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/517011158314309