Northwest Rails

The arrival of the railroad to the Pacific Northwest meant great changes to the region. Their routes allowed the raw materials of the Northwest, particularly wheat and timber, to be exported to a national market. The heyday of the railway era in the Northwest was from the 1870s until the late 1920s and brought industrial expansion, urban development and explosive immigration.

This collection of railroad pictures shows workers, railroad tracks, locomotives, railroad depots as well as railroad accidents. It includes the Great Northern Railway, the Northern Pacific, the Union Pacific and many other local railways. Most of the images are black and white, but it includes some sepia toned photographs and one hand-colored image.