Life Along the Tracks: Photo & Video GalleryClick on a photograph to enlarge it. It may take a moment to download the photograph. |
||||
Eagles at the North Bend Depot, CM&PS, c. 1912 (from the collection of Maxine Meuller Dovenberg). 447KB |
The North Bend depot of the Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway was opened in 1912 for business by Mr. S. S. Morris, first Station Agent. The depot is on the left, the view is to the west. The gentleman on the far right is Richard Carl Meuller, North Bend’s shoemaker. The men are members of the Snoqualmie Valley Eagles on their way to a Seattle convention via the passenger car of the CM&PS on the right. In the distance is the Water tower that provided water for the steam engines on the Everett Branch. A sign commemorating the depot can be seen at the intersection of Ballarat and Fourth streets in North Bend. The railroad’s former right-of-way is now designated the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, a part of the King County Parks Department. | |||
| On the far right, top row, is Russell Rafanelli. Also in the top row, to the far left is his twin brother George and fourth from the right is their mother. Below her, wearing glasses, is their sister Gina. In the second row, to the far left, is Miss Vinup and to the far right is Miss Peterson, both beloved and respected teachers. In 1928 Russell’s father was killed in a work train accident on the main line. The railroad allowed the fatherless family to live in the railroad’s Cedar Falls living quarters rent free and the school board hired Mrs. Rafanelli as a janitor. |
1930 Class at Cedar Falls (from the collection of Russell Rafanelli).474KB |
|||
North Bend Depot CM&PS, Machinist’s Picnic, 29 June, 1912 (from the collection of Warren W. Wing). 518KB |
From a postcard that was sold locally, this picture was taken from the water tower that is just to the west, across Ballarat Street, at Fourth Street. The view is to the east on the Everett branch. The machinists must have had a good time, as the whole family participated - note the children and ladies. The steam railroads were labor intensive, as the quantity of picnic goers shows. The North Bend depot had a through track, a passing track, and a track called "Team Track", shown here on the left with freight cars in the distance. This track was called a "Team Track" because horse and wagon teams pulled up to the freight cars to unload freight. | |||
| Cedar Falls was a busy place. The "C5a" steam engines were in use, mostly as freight locomotives, on both the Everett Branch and main line service. American Locomotive Company built this beautiful steam engine in December 1912 and it saw service up to 1953 when it was scrapped. ( The railroad crew had #7225 polished for this photo). Mr. Cecil Geelhart, Roadmaster, and Mr. Ralph Edwards, Engineer, relate the pride the employees took in their railroad. Rattlesnake Ledge in the background with the fuel oil tower shows Cedar Falls at its steam best. This picture must have been taken after 1927. In 1927 the railroad changed names to the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific. The remains of the fuel oil tower can still be seen at Cedar Falls today. Engineer Edwards thought highly of the "C5a," claiming that he could pull anything with them. |
Cedar Falls C5a Consolidation Steam Locomotive 2-8-0, c. 1920’s (from the collection of Warren W. Wing). 426KB |
|||
