Roger Hepkema has given a good overview of current POVA, KFIR, and STMA operations. Spokane has shrunk from 6 class 1s railroads in 1950 (NP, GN, UP, SI, MILW, SP&S) to 2 today (UP and BNSF)

The 1974 worlds fair and the 1970 BN merger changed much trackage in Spokane. The only line through downtown today is the former NP. UP operates over it via trackage rights from Fish Lake (between Spokane and Cheney) and Napa street (about 2 miles east of downtown) Former GN mainline north of Spokane, between Dean (Chattaroy on the highway) and Newport was removed in 1984. New bridge and about 7 miles of new mainline west of downtown was built to connect ex NP mainline with ex GN mainline west to Wenatchee. Almost all area branch lines were either abandoned or spun off to shortlines.

Seattle Lakeshore & Eastern originally built west from Spokane as far as Davenport. The line from Spokane to Eleanor was abandoned sometime in the 1890s, then partially rebuilt early 1900s as the Washington Waterpower interurban line as far as Medical Lake. This interurban was abandoned in 1923. The Davenport-Eleanor line existed as a branch off of the CW line until 1983. Parts of this right-of-way can still be found if one knows where to look.

In my opinion most of the "neat RR stuff" has disappeared:
-GN Hillyard shops - just a weedy field
-NP Parkwater shops - still used by BNSF but just a shell of what used to be there
-MILW tunnel under Trent ave. Both ends covered
-SP&S tunnel under Greenwood cemetery. both ends covered
-UP east Spokane yard - mostly abandoned. UP took over MILW yard in 1980

Remaining:
-a small snippet of the former MILW line in a trench along Trent ave just east of Division street still remains, but will probably be filled in in the next year or so.
-there is still standing a neat old steel bridge over the Spokane river, just west of Hamilton street and north of Trent ave. It was a UP industrial spur, abandoned about 15 years ago.

If you are not interested in BNSF or UP, there isn't really much to see around here. About the neatest structure close around is the large concrete MILW bridge at Rosalia, about 30 miles south on highway 195.

Bruce Butler