The Bellingham Herald from Bellingham, Washington • 19

to Train whistles still blow in Whatcom County I 4 Amtrak has disappeared but freight keeps moving By BILL DANIEL Herald Business Editor Locomotive whistles still echo through Whatcom South Fork Valley as they have for 90 years Today it is the piercing whine of diesel engines rather than the shrill cry of the steam whistles of yesteryear as Burlington Northern freight trains rumble along the tracks that generally parallel Highway 9 from Wickersham to Sumas Railroads still move a substantial amount of goods in out and through the county While the last passenger service in the area ended with the death of Pacific International Oct 1 freight trains still roll along the two main routes Many names were associated with the early day of railroading in the county But when it came down to actual operation two names were foremost: Northern Pacific and Great Northern With the merger of those lines and others in the 1960s to form Burlington Northern and the abandonment of county trackage by the Milwaukee Road late last year BN is the only name in railroads in Whatcom County today Ken Royal BN trainmaster in Whatcom County said that while is somewhat in these slow economic times the railroad still hauls a major load of freight in this area On the coastal line connecting Seattle with Vancouver BC via Bellingham Femdale and Blaine the BN presently has a freight train moving each way seven days a week Royal said Another train runs between Seattle and Ferndale six days a week longer pass through Bellingham's waterfront area but freight (Herald photo by Don Anderson) activity continues at a Passenger trains no brisk pace On the valley route a train runs between Sumas and Seattle seven days a week Royal said Then there are the locals BN trains connect Lynden Everson and Deming with Sumas five days a week Royal said 70 to 80 cars are sent out at Bellingham daily is a big Royal said ship about 30 cars a This is in addition to tank cars wood-chip cars and others coming in to supply the Bellingham with the BN coastal line near Custer This line hauls products to and from the Mobil Cal Gas Atlantic Richfield and Intalco Aluminum plants Whatcom first locomotives arrived in New Whatcom by ship in 1888 They were dubbed the and the But they had no place to go PB Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad get away from Bellingham Bay at the time By March 1 1891 23 miles of chine cards appears to depend to a great extent on how much the individual bank or institution promotes the use and upon how many banch offices are located in the community But one thing all local bankers agree on the use of bank cards and machines is being accepted more and more by the public for a variety of rea- track from Bellingham to Sumas had been laid The Canadian Pacific reached Sumas a few weeks later The first CP train arrived in New Whatcom on June 22 1891 Bellingham Bay now had an overland connection to the East Coast via Canadian trans-continental line Later the same year the line up South Fork Valley was completed by Northern Pacific connecting (Continued on Page 5D) Use of the bank card allows a holder to get cash make deposits and work a variety of other transactions all across the state wherever the particular bank has a branch or the Exchange baa a participating institution The card machines also extend some banking services to 24- Continued on Page 12D) pulp paper and chemical mill he said Royal said most of the freight moving in and out of Bellingham is generated by industries such as G-P or Mount Baker Plywood while most of the freight on the valley line is related to agriculture BN hauls dry milk from Lynden fertilizer to Western Farmers at Lawrence seed to Everson The newest rail line in the county is a spur connecting the Cherry Point industrial area institutions such as Rainier National Bank were close behind with systems of their own Organization of the Exchange Cooperative also brought statewide cash machines within the realm of smaller and medium size commercial banks savings and loan associations mutual savings banks and credit unions Use of individual cash ma Bankers find cash machines are well-accepted By BILL DANIEL Herald Business Editor When Dexter bank put in the first cash machines a few years ago a whole new world of banking was bom Seattle-First National Bank was the first with cash machines in the state and among the first in the nation but other statewide.