Cascade (train)

The Shasta Route into Oregon was completed on December 17, 1887, connecting California points to Portland, Seattle, and the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon and California Express was the first passenger service; it later gained fame as the Shasta Limited. But the route over the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon was difficult with steep grades, sharp curves, and subject to landslides and washouts. During the reign of Edward H. Harriman Southern Pacific began building a better route via Klamath Falls. Government involvement in the affairs of Harriman and the SP would delay completion for 18 years.[1]

Postcard of the train in 1935

Trains began using the new Natron Cutoff or Cascade Line in 1926, but passenger service began several months later after the old Weed Lumber Company line south of Grass Lake was replaced. The Cascade would offer better service than the Shasta Limited (which in 1926 was scheduled 27 hours Portland to San Francisco). At first the train had a $3.00 extra fare and numbers 17 and 18.[1]

This train would survive the depression through consolidations and a change of numbers (19 and 20). The extra fare was dropped. With the better economy Southern Pacific re-equipped the Cascade and by 1937 it was an all-Pullman train with numbers 23 and 24 and a schedule under 20 hours.[1]

For three years during World War II the Cascade was combined with the Beaver. After the war the train got new equipment and a faster schedule. On June 5, 1950, the first streamlined Pullman was placed in service on the route. Southern Pacific was also experimenting with diesel power. The result would be the greatest presentation of this train; a faster, dieselized, streamlined, all-Pullman, daily overnight service second-to-none.

Trains 11-12

Oakland – Portland - Seattle

Service Start - August 13, 1950

Oakland – Portland - Daily overnight All-Pullman - 713 miles - 16 hours 45 minutes

1. 12 Depart Oakland - 4:35PM, Arrive Portland - 8:15AM
2. 11 Depart Portland - 4:45PM, Arrive Oakland - 8:20AM

Connecting service to San Francisco was provided by ferry until 1958 when switch was made to bus service over the Bay Bridge

The streamlined Cascade became the SP's overnight train between Oakland and Portland with through sleeping cars to and from Seattle. It was the second all room sleeping car train along the west coast. The new thirteen car Pullman Standard built consists were initially powered by A-B-B sets of EMD E7 diesels but were replaced in weeks by A-B-A sets of ALCO PA passenger diesels painted in daylight colors. The Cascade cars painted in the two tone Gray of the Lark and San Francisco Overland trains. The Southern Pacific streamlined Cascade began service on August 13, 1950, and was an all Pullman train for the shortest length of time, for beginning October 11, 1950, the Cascade began to carry coaches between Oakland and Portland. The through sleepers to Seattle numbered four and traveled north from Portland in the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) pool train to Seattle Union Station. Upon arrival in Seattle the four sleeping cars were switched out and transferred to the Northern Pacific Railway (NP) on the other side of Fourth Avenue viaduct at the King Street Station. The next morning these four through sleeping cars would depart Seattle in the NP pool train and transfer to the Cascade that afternoon in Portland for the trip to Oakland.

Through sleeping car service to and from Seattle ended January 9, 1966. The triple-unit diner came off a year later. Southern Pacific tried to replace it with an automat service but the Oregon Public Utility Commission balked, forcing the railroad to place a regular diner on the train. The two-tone gray colors were already gone, replaced by SP's new passenger color scheme of Sunset-style aluminum mist with red letterboard. Yellow sleeping cars from the City of San Francisco and San Francisco Overland trains were also seen in the nightly consist. By 1970, after trying for two years to discontinue the service, Southern Pacific was allowed to trim the Cascade to triweekly. By this time, the train had a later departure time allowing daylight viewing of the Willamette Valley and part of the Cascade Mountains.[5]

A quasi-government agency, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation – or Amtrak – took over the remains of America's passenger train system on May 1, 1971. The Cascade was included but was combined with the San Francisco to Los Angeles Coast Daylight. With service rerouted through Oakland, the train was rechristened as the Coast Starlight. It continued to run triweekly north of Oakland, but its popularity would lead to restoration of daily service in 1973.

• Hofsummer, Don L. (July 1986). "SP and passengers: the bittersweet love affair". Trains. Vol. 46, no. 9. pp. 46–53. ISSN 0041-0934.