This photo shows an engine of the Pacific Coast Railroad pulling a load of empty coal cars south to Black Diamond. The photo, looking west, was taken from the State Route 169 Bridge over the historic Northern Pacific mainline tracks near Henry’s Switch, a former connection between the two railroads. The bridge the train is on has been removed and this former railroad right-of-way is now owned by King County Parks. It is part of a planned trail running from Renton to Flaming Geyser.
The north segment of this Green to Cedar River trail is currently undergoing design work by King County Parks. The north segment will end at the Kent-Kangley Road. The south segment will continue from Four Corners all the way to Flaming Geyser State Park. When the south segment is planned, a new bridge design will safely move trail users over the active tracks below now operated by Burlington Northern-Santa Fe. The origins of the planned trail corridor date to 1882 when the Columbia & Puget Sound R.R. extended rail service to Black Diamond so recently discovered coal prospects could be moved to market. Tracks were built from Renton along the Cedar River, then passing by Lake Wilderness on their way to Black Diamond and further east to Franklin.
At later dates branch rail lines were continued to Kummer and to a station near Lake 12 named Bruce. In April 1969, one of the last coal trains to use these tracks left Palmer Coking Coal Company’s Mine #11 coal yard in Black Diamond destined for the University of Washington. Most of the tracks and ties along the line were removed in the early 1980s. This undated photo comes courtesy of David Sprau, a local railroad enthusiast.
