Tacoma Rail started operating the Mountain Division in November 1998 to provide freight rail service along the 132 miles of track connecting Tacoma with Frederickson in South Pierce County, Morton and Chehalis. The City of Tacoma owns the line and has contracted with Tacoma Rail to operate it. The Mountain Division is separate from the Tidelands Division and has developed customized service agreements for freight customers.

It's called Mountain Division because the rail grade from Freighthouse Square up the gulch past Brown & Haley’s candy factory and south through the McKinley District is considered mountain grade. The 3.3 percent grade means the rail gains three and a third feet in altitude for every 100 feet in distance.

Current customers include Boeing, Hardie Building Products, MacMillan-Piper, Medallion Foods and Harris Rebar. The Mountain Division also provides storage services for the Union Pacific and BNSF Railroads.

The power inventory available to the Mountain Division includes two 3,000-horsepower locomotives — especially suited to the 3.3 percent grades — and nine other locomotives from 1,200 horsepower to 2,000 horsepower.

Recent rehabilitation projects include right-of-way repair and trestle replacement along Lake Kapowsin and between Mineral and Morton. The Mountain Division interconnects and interchanges with the two transcontinental railroads, the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads in Tacoma at the North end of the line and at Centralia/Chehalis in the South. The Mountain Division is also connected for interchange with the Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad that serves west to Elma, Bangor, Bremerton, Shelton, Aberdeen and Hoquiam.

Call (253) 502-8155 to learn more about the Mountain Division and how it can potentially help your business.