November-December, 1969 - Milwaukee Road Archive

Guests of the Milwaukee Road gathered beneath the spectators' canopy to witness the dedication ceremony.
extends north to Canada, east to Ellens'burg,
Wash., and south to the vicinity
of Chehalis, Wash.
The formal opening was less than a
year from the date on which the railroad
purchased the site and carried out
the construction. Under the terms of a
long-standing agreement with the Union
Pacific relating to joint ownership of the
line at Kent, the UP has since exercised
an option to purchase a half interest in
the improvements built into the project
and part of the land embraced by it.
Consequently, the yard is operated by
both railroads on an equal basis.
At a staff luncheon preceding the
dedication ceremonies, Mr. Crippen
noted that the creation of the complex
had involved a team effort on the part
of many employes, notably those of the
Industrial development, traffic, engineering
and operating departments. Cited as
the team leaders were E. J. Stoll, vice
president-real estate and industrial development;
B. J. Worley, vice presidentchief
engineer; J. M. Fortman, manager
of automotive and implement sales; and
1. V. Anderson, assistant vice president
and general manager; also Principal Assistant
Engineer B. E. Daniels, who supervised
the construction, and Architect
K. E. Hornung, the coordinator of phases
handled by contractors and engineering
consultants.
The railroad had set a timetable for
the project. Work was begun in mid-
November-December, 1969
April and, to accommodate the needs of
automobile and truck manufacturers, was
rushed to completion. By early August
the facility was ready to receive the new
1970 models, and by Labor Day was in
full operation.
Trackage Occupies Nine Acres
Of the 133 acres embraced by the
complex, 49 have been improved for the
present volume of business. Nine of the
improved acres are occupied by set-out,
classification and unloading tracks. The
remaining 40 are divided into two 20acre
parcels, one at the south end and
the other at the north end of the milelong
layout. These areas have been
paved and are used for unloading, park-
E. J. Stoll, vice president-real
estate and I
industrial development,
addresses officers
of the railroad
and their guests at a
luncheon preceding
the dedication of the
automobile marshaling
complex.
I
ing and reloading motor vehicles onto
highway transports.
The Convoy Company, of Portland,
Ore., operates the area at the south end,
handling all automobiles and truck models
manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation,
International Harvester Company,
Kaiser-Jeep Corporation, and the
General Motors Truck and Coach DivisIOn.
Transport Storage & Distributing
Company of Renton, Wash., operates
the area at the north end, handling the
products of all divisions of General Motors
except the Truck and Coach DivisIOn.
Together, the marshaling areas have
a storage capacity of 2,450 automobiles
(Continued on page 8)
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