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Puget Sound Electric Railway Photograph Collection, circa 1910-circa 1939
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Puget Sound Electric Railway Photograph Collection
- Dates
- circa 1910-circa 1939 (inclusive)19001939
- Quantity
- 276 b/w photographs, 1 postcard, 5 pieces of ephemera (1 box)
- Collection Number
- PH2005-030
- Summary
- Photographs of identified and unidentified trains that served Western Washington cities between 1910 and 1939, including Tacoma, Seattle, Bellingham, Everett, and Mt. Vernon.
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Additional Reference Guides
- Languages
- English
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
In 1901, Henry Bucey initiated construction on an interurban railway between Seattle and Tacoma. The Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power, a private utility backed by the Boston-based Stone & Webster Management Company, finished the project and on September 25, 1902 celebrated the inaugural run of the Puget Sound Electric Railway. Fred Sander started work on a northern line between Seattle and Everett in 1900. After limited progress, the project was turned over to Stone & Webster in 1908 and service was initiated on April 30, 1910. Work began that same year to create an interurban link between Mount Vernon and Bellingham. In 1912, Webster & Stone created a new subsidiary, Pacific Northwest Traction Company, and commenced construction of a line between Everett and Mount Vernon. The project was never completed.
Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power retained ownership of its interurban lines, but progress on Highway 99 and the post-war explosion of private trucks and automobiles ultimately doomed the system. December 30, 1928 marked the end of the Seattle-Tacoma interurban rail service. Anticipating Seattle's removal of local streetcar tracks, the company finally abandoned the Seattle-Everett railway on February 20, 1939. Anti-trust regulators intervened again in the late 1940s, forcing Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power to sell off its remaining interurban bus services. In 1950, Seattle voters narrowly authorized City Light to acquire the private firm's remaining assets and services within the city limits, ending nearly a half-century of political and economic competition.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Photographs of identified and unidentified trains that served Western Washington cities between 1910 and 1939, including Tacoma, Seattle, Bellingham, Everett, and Mt. Vernon.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions might exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the repository for details.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Railway Photographs - Western WashingtonReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description |
---|---|
Box | |
1 | Tacoma Trains 64 black and white prints, 1 ticket, 1 small
map
Routes 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 76, 102, 200, 250, 251, and
252.
|
1 | Seattle - Everett - Mt. Vernon - Bellingham
Trains 212 black and white prints, 1 post card, 3
newspaper clippings (reproductions)
Routes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 118, 201, 202, 203, 204, 213, 1319, 1626,
1627, and 1650.
|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Electirc railroads--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
- Electric railroads--Washington (State)--Bellingham--Photographs
- Electric railroads--Washington (State)--Everett--Photographs
- Electric railroads--Washington (State)--Mount Vernon--Photographs
- Electric railroads--Washington (State)--Tacoma--Photographs
- Street railroads--Washington (State)--Bellingham--Photographs
- Street railroads--Washington (State)--Everett--Photographs
- Street railroads--Washington (State)--Mount Vernon--Photographs
- Street railroads--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
- Street railroads--Washington (State)--Tacoma--Photographs
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
Corporate Names
- Puget Sound Electric Railway--Photographs