Olympia Washington

Centennial Station

This station poses the eternal question that bedevils rail fans and non rail fans alike: namely, when is something new, really something old? But before you get an answer, you’ve got to understand the history behind the riddle.

Olympia Washington (actually the location is east of Olympia) had a Northern Pacific Railroad train station for many years. However, in the late 1960’s, given the passenger traffic declines, and the desire of the then-failing railroads to exit the unprofitable passenger business, the station was razed after the last passenger train had departed.

Even after the arrival of Amtrak, rail passengers going through Olympia Washington found a wooden bus shelter in a remote area, with bad parking and no other connection to any form of public transportation. Finally one of the County Commissioners, George Barner, realizing that a train station is, first and foremost, a community’s way of saying “hello” to the traveling public began the process of raising the money for Olympia to build a new station.

After several years of fund-raising efforts, the community managed to gather together a combination of $100,000.00 (USD) in cash, and an estimated $300,000.00 (USD) to erect the structure. These efforts allowed the work on the new passenger station for Olympia, and the adjacent community of Lacey, to begin. The new station, dubbed “Centennial Station” was opened in 1993.

Since it was not an “Amtrak Station” it was not staffed by Amtrak. Instead a collection of volunteers has manned the station during all operating hours since the station was opened.

Now, we get to the old part. On the inside the Station is very “new.” It has several eco-friendly energy-conservation features. It also has a very modern electronic train status board so that awaiting passengers have some access to train arrival and departure information. However, for the outside the architect, Harold E. Dalke (who had donated his services), decided to keep the “look” old. He did this, in part, by incorporating into his design a collection of 150 year old corbels made of Cyprus which had been saved from houses on Cherokee Street in New Orleans LA. While the pieces, as most Victorian-type “Gingerbread,” are strictly decorative and structurally add nothing to the building, esthetically, they add a lot. They help to remind us that while this is a new building, it has a very old, traditional, function: Welcoming the weary traveler into your midst.

Today much of the thinking about building train stations/ airports/ bus terminals (or that new conglomerate the “Intermodal Center”) appears to hold that most travelers are rushing through the station on their way to their “real” destination. Thus they are looking for nothing more than entertainment, if even that, while they await their next mode of transport. However, Centennial Station reminds us that we should also take the time, as a community, to welcome the stranger within our midst.

I have visited this station on several occasions. While I found the “electronic boards” to not always be correct, at least the people inside the station were friendly, and I was made to feel welcome. That says a lot about what a train station, or any kind of mass transportation terminal, should be.

Eugene Oregon

The Oregon Electric Station

At one time the United States had two extensive passenger rail systems. The first, and most well-known, was the one operated by the freight railroads on their own tracks using the same type of motive power as their freight trains (albeit with some differences in terms of gearing and later the addition of steam generators on the diesel-electric locomotives).

The second, and mostly forgotten, was a system of Electrified Railways called, in most instances “Interurban Lines.” These lines were more directly derived from the various Electric Street Car operations that were common back then in many cities, both large and small, throughout the United Stations. The tracks for the Interurban Operations used rail that was generally not designed to allow for heavy trains. Further, their track laying “standards” (curvature, clearances etc.) were tighter and limited the size and length of much of the equipment used. Plus, in many instances, at least part of their right-of-way was located on regular city streets and not set apart from the rest of the traffic.

In the Pacific Northwest there were several lines. In Oregon the largest was the Oregon Electric Railway. The Oregon Electric was controlled by the Spokane Portland and Seattle Railroad (itself jointly owned by the Great Northern and Northern Pacific). The Oregon Electric had at least 2 lines. The one associated with this station started in Portland and ran south via Tigard, Wilsonville, Salem, Albany, and ended at this terminal in Eugene.

This station was constructed in 18 months between 1912 and 1913, though the first Oregon Electric train stopped in Eugene in October 1912. The Oregon Electric Railway was in direct competition with the Southern Pacific’s Willamette Valley Line which ran between Portland OR and (ultimately) Sacramento CA. For most of its run, including its run into Eugene, the Oregon Electric tracks were within a mile or less of the competing SP Line.

The peak passenger travel for this line was during the 1920’s. However, the economic hardship of the Depression, coupled with the rise in popularity of the Automobile, doomed the Oregon Electric (and most other Interurban Lines throughout the country). In 1933 when the Oregon Public Utilities Commission held a hearing to decide whether to allow the Oregon Electric to be disbanded, only 6 people showed up for the hearing.

Today, the station is a restaurant. A. and I ate there last summer when we were in Eugene. It is quite a nice eatery (sorry, as readers of my other blog know, I don’t take pictures of the food before I eat it, I just enjoy it). You have your choice of outside seating (weather permitting), or inside seating. The décor on the inside is quite interesting. You have a choice of the waiting area, an area designed to look like a station platform, or the inside of an actual Oregon Electric car that has been converted for restaurant use!

On the outside of the station there is a caboose, which I understand is a private residence, so if you go by there, please be respectful of private property and privacy. Please note, however, you will see it carrying the reporting marks of the Oregon Electric and Eastern. Apparently, there is some question about the authenticity of this marking as most of the folks from that area do not recall ever hearing of such a line. Not being from that area, I make no pretense of being any type of expert. If you have questions, go to the web site: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM3A9Y , and do your research from there.


Concluding modern note:

One of the “unspoken” causes of the demise of the Electric Interurban Railroads, was the improvement in the various State Road systems. Throughout the 1920’s, and especially after the coming of the Great Depression, the Governments (not only state, but also the Federal Government) provided large appropriations, out of “General Revenue Funds,” to build new roads and bridges, and pave or otherwise improve existing thoroughfares. Further, other Federal agencies unique to that time period, e.g. the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Works Progress Adminiatration, built many “attractions” reachable only by an automobile. All of these projects had a worthy goal, put people back to work and thus re-build our "economic" system. But as with many government programs there were some “unintended consequences.” Among these consequences was the demise of the Interurban System coupled with the rise in power, prestige and money of the American automobile industry, and oil industry.

Since that time, anytime politicians have talked about “economic stimulus” you can almost be sure that what they are really talking about is more road building projects, regardless of the appropriateness of them, or the long term consequences of the road projects on our nation’s energy consumption, or ecological footprint.

The current (this is being posted in January 2009) version of this saga is the economic stimulus package currently before the US Congress. The emphasis is upon “quick return projects,” “projects ready to go,” etc. What they really mean is “Bring us your road building projects for the next 5 years so we can fund them all.” Rail passenger advocates, such as the National Association for Railroad Passengers, are trying to get passenger rail, and mass transit projects a greater proportion of the funding, but from all the reports I am reading at present, they are having an uphill battle. There is some funding for these energy efficient, ecologically-friendly projects included in the present legislation, but the majority of resources appear to be oriented toward more road building. If you decry this current emphasis in our "Public Works (Infrastructure) Program, I encourage you to do what I did, let your Senators, and your Representative know of your thoughts.

As this station shows, it all happened once before, and look what has been the result-- a dependence on other, not necesarily "friendly" countries for our energy supplies, and an industry that seems incapable of responding to the changing priorities of America without large amounts of government-provided cash (this is "Private Enterprise"?).

Portland Oregon

Portland Union Station

This station opened in 1896. It was a joint project of the Union Pacific, the Northern Pacific, and the Southern Pacific railroads. All three lines used the station for the first two decades of its existence. They were finally joined, after a fight in which the WW I US Railway Administration got into the act, by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle. At the same time the US Railway Administration also allowed the Great Northern to use the station.

For most of its existence prior to 1950, the station saw in excess of 90 trains a day. While I came into this station on UP's Portland Rose from Pocatello ID (Yellowstone Park), and left on SP's Lark bound for Los Angeles (but we got off in San Francisco) when our family went west in the mid-1950's I do not remember anything about the station from that trip.

Today, it is a busy Amtrak terminal hosting 2 long distance trains, the Coast Starlight, and the Portland section of the Empire Builder, as well as 10 Cascades trains (southbound to Eugene, northbound to Seattle and Vancouver BC) a day. In addition, the bus station is just across the street and bus departures are announced in the station, particularly those which are Amtrak "Thruway" connections. In addition, the City of Portland is extending its Light Rail line so that one of its routes will call at the station.

The station, itself, is downtown near the Japanese-American Historical Plaza along the Wilamette River. It is also within walking distance of the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. This latter place makes a great place to spend a 3 to 4 hour layover!

When we were there in the summer of 2008, it was a busy station indeed. Maybe not all the time, but certainly when trains were arriving or departing.

While the interior has been "spruced up" it still reminds you of the way stations used to look, complete with wooden benches! Portland should be proud of what they have done to make the Amtrak traveler feel welcome.