U.P. only had trackage rights on NP / BN from North Portland Jct, OR., to U.P. Jct. in Tacoma, WA ( freight only ) until the early 1970's, while the U.P. Portland to Seattle Pool passenger train stayed on NP through Tacoma Union Station, then left NP at Reservation on Tacoma's East Side ( TT direction North of Tacoma Union Station). After the U.P. drawbridge across Tacoma's City Waterway ( today's Thea Foss Waterway ) was removed in the early 1970's, all U.P. freight traffic ( no more U.P. Pool passenger trains after Amtrak ) stays on BNSF through Tacoma to Reservation, where it exits onto ex - Milwaukee Road trackage North to Black River Jct.,WA. ( near Renton ). North of Black River Jct., U.P., NP, and Milwaukee Road all had separate lines North into Seattle. ( Milwaukee's route was actually trackage rights on Pacific Coast. RR.)
U.P. bought the Milwaukee Road line from Reservation to Black River Jct. from Milwaukee Road after the demise of Lines West in 1980. U.P. also finished the Fife Yard begun by Milwaukee Road in the late 1970's, as a replacement for the old U.P. Tacoma yard that was made stub - ended by the removal of the City Waterway drawbridge. This stub - ended yard still exists and is switched by a local out of Fife Yard.( Great Northern also had trackage rights on NP from Seattle to Portland, though in earlier days GN freights were routed via the original NP line through Tenino, WA. )
Milwaukee Road Lines West Electric Substations on the Coast Division were located ( East to West ) at Taunton, Beverly, Kittitas, S.Cle Elum, Hyak, Cedar Falls, Renton, and Milwaukee's Tacoma Jct, where the line to Tide Flats Yard split off from the old Tacoma Eastern line up " The Gulch " and South through Frederickson & Maytown to Chehalis, WA. The S. Cle Elum & Renton substations ( and MAYBE Taunton ??? ) still exist.