The ''Cascade'' was a passenger train of the

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

on its route between Oakland, California, and Portland, Oregon, with a

sleeping car The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car (rail), passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the American innovator of the sleeper car. ...

to Seattle, Washington. The Southern Pacific started the train on April 17, 1927, soon after the opening of its Cascade Line between Black Butte, California, and

Springfield, Oregon Springfield is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Southern Willamette Valley, it is within the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. Separated from Eugene to the west, mainly by Interstate 5, Springfield ...

. At first the train offered first class service and a $3.00 extra fare; it became an all-Pullman train in 1937. On August 13, 1950, the ''Cascade'' became a streamlined coach/Pullman train with a triple-unit

diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

and cars painted in two shades of gray. The next 21 years saw a decline. The Seattle sleeper was discontinued in 1966, the triple-unit diner came off a year later. By 1970 the train was down to five or six cars and ran only three days per week. Amtrak would take over the ''Cascade'' on May 1, 1971, and would combine it with the San Francisco– Los Angeles '' Coast Daylight'' routing the train through Oakland and eventually renaming it the '' Coast Starlight''.Southern Pacific Timetable, June 1, 1970Southern Pacific Historical Society

History

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 Edward Henry Harriman (February 20, 1848 – September 9, 1909) was an American financier and railroad executive. Early life Harriman was born on February 20, 1848, in Hempstead, New York, the son of Orlando Harriman Sr., an Episcopal clergyma ...

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. Southern Pacific Cascade 1935

Trains began using the new

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or Cascade Line in 1926, but passenger service began several months later after the old

Weed Lumber Company A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

line south of Grass Lake was replaced. The ''Cascade'' would offer better service than the ''

Shasta Limited Shasta or Shastan may refer to: Native American * Shasta Costa, a people group native to southwestern Oregon * Shasta language, extinct language of the Shasta people * Shasta people, a people group native to northern California and southern Ore ...

'' (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. 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. For three years during World War II the ''Cascade'' was combined with the ''

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''. 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.

Southern Pacific Streamliner ''Cascade''

:Trains 11-12 :Oakland – Portland - Seattle :Service Start - August 13, 1950 :Oakland – Portland - Daily overnight All-Pullman - 713 miles - 16 hours 45 minutes :#12 Depart Oakland - 4:35PM, Arrive Portland - 8:15AM :#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 Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

and

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

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 The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...

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 Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sun ...

. 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 The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...

(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.

Inaugural Train #11

:6005 ALCO PA-1 2,000 HP Diesel Passenger Cab Unit :5911 ALCO PB-1 2,000 HP Diesel Passenger Booster Unit :6007 ALCO PA-1 2,000 HP Diesel Passenger Cab Unit :6500 Baggage Car :6600 Baggage Railway Post Office Car :9300 22-Roomette Sleeping Car :9400 12-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car :9030 10-Roomette 6-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car :10280 Articulated 21- Crew Dormitory Kitchen Car :10281 Articulated 44- Seat Dining Room Car :10282 Articulated 44- Seat Tavern Lounge Car :(CASCADE CLUB) :9118 4-Compartment 4-Double Bedroom 2-Drawing Room Sleeping Car :9031 10-Roomette 6-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car :9032 10-Roomette 6-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car :9301 22-Roomette Sleeping Car :9053 10-Roomette 6-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car (Blunt End) Sleeping cars 9118, 9031, 9032 and 9301 originated in Seattle and were carried by NP pool train from there to Portland.

Inaugural Train #12

:6006 ALCO PA-1 2,000 HP Diesel Passenger Cab Unit :5912 ALCO PB-1 2,000 HP Diesel Passenger Booster Unit :6008 ALCO PA-1 2,000 HP Diesel Passenger Cab Unit :6501 Baggage Car :6601 Baggage 30’Railway Post Office Car :9302 22-Roomette Sleeping Car :9401 12-Double Bedroom sleeping Car :9033 10-Roomette 6-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car :10283 Articulated 21- Crew Dormitory Kitchen Car :10284 Articulated 44- Seat Dining Room Car :10285 Articulated 44- Seat Tavern Lounge Car :(CASCADE CLUB) :9119 4-Compartment 4-Double Bedroom 2-Drawing Room Sleeping Car :9034 10-Roomette 6-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car :9035 10-Roomette 6-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car :9303 22-Roomette Sleeping Car :9054 10-Roomette 6-Double Bedroom Sleeping Car (Blunt End) Sleeping cars 9119, 9034, 9035 and 9303 were Oakland – Seattle cars forwarded in the UP pool train to Seattle. After arrival in Seattle at Union Station they were turned over to the NP under the 4th Ave. viaduct and went to the NP- GN coach yard for cleaning and servicing for the next mornings departure in the NP pool train from King Street Station to Portland. The streamlined ''Cascade'' was an all – Pullman train only until October 10, 1950, when coaches were added to the train sets. Coaches 2425 and 2431 operated in one consist and 2433 and 2437 operated in the other consist. No coaches were through cars to Seattle; all Coach travelers crossed the platform in Portland to the waiting UP pool train northbound to Seattle. Southbound coach passengers from Seattle arrived in Portland on the NP pool train and again crossed the platform to the waiting ''Cascade''.

The final years

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 Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spring ...

''-style aluminum mist with red letterboard. Yellow sleeping cars from the ''

City of San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

'' 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.

Amtrak takes over

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.