Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad
standard gauge | |
Length | 158 miles (254 km) |
---|---|
Other | |
Website | gwrr |
The Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad (
History
The company began operations on August 30, 1997, when the line was purchased from the
The PSAP
Much of the line was originally constructed by the Puget Sound & Grays Harbor Railroad in 1890. The Northern Pacific Railway purchased this line from Summit, Washington, to Montesano shortly after the PS&GH started operations. The NP then completed a line from Centralia to Elma and from Montesano to Grays Harbor bringing rail service to Grays Harbor in 1892.
Operations
The railroad's main commodities are timber products, garbage, as well as chemicals. In 2011 The
Subdivisions
Elma Subdivision
The Elma Subdivision is the primary mainline for the Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad and is approximately 70 miles in length. The Elma Sub starts in Centralia, Washington, Milepost 5, and ends in Hoquiam, Washington, Milepost 75. This subdivision handles traffic to and from the Port of Grays Harbor including grain, autos, soda ash, soybean, garbage, manifest, and local trains.
Shelton Subdivision
The Shelton Subdivision stretches from Elma, Washington to Shelton, Washington and is approximately 26 miles in length. The primary commodities on the Shelton Sub are lumber, garbage, and propane gas cars. The loaded lumber comes from the Simpson Timber Railroad, which is part of the Simpson Investment Company empire. Garbage comes from the Kitsap County, Washington Olympic View Transfer Station in Bremerton, Washington. The garbage is loaded into container cars and is shipped via rail to Waste Management's Columbia Ridge Landfill in Arlington, Oregon. Propane is heavily used by Kitsap County, Washington residents in the fall, winter, and spring months and comes in via rail for destinations in Shelton, Washington, Belfair, Washington, and Bremerton, Washington.
Bangor & Bremerton Subdivisions
The Bangor Subdivision stretches from Shelton, Washington to Bangor Base, Washington and is approximately 48 miles in length. Primary commodities are the same as the Shelton Subdivision with the addition of military and other U.S. Government traffic from Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington and Bangor Base, Washington. At Bremerton Junction, Milepost 32.1 on the Bangor Sub, the line splits and the Bangor Subdivision continues northwest to Silverdale, Washington and Bangor while the Bremerton Subdivision continues northeast to Bremerton, Washington.
References
- ^ "RailAmerica's Empire". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing. June 2010.