Great sport was made of Tacoma’s railroad aspirations a few years ago, but now things have assumed a different aspect. This city is now not only the theoretical, but the actual, terminus of the Northern Pacific railroad. Here are located the company’s general offices, the offices of the land department, the western car shops, and all the docks and terminal facilities owned by the company on the Pacific coast. The lines of this road not only extend east to St. Paul, and thus connect with all the eastern trunk roads, but pass through the heart of the region whose products reach market through the ports of the Pacific. All of this vast interior region is now opened to Tacoma, and trade relations are rapidly being established. In addition to this, the Portland branch gives access to the rich section lying south of the city. In addition to this line the merchants of Tacoma have direct connection by steamer with the terminus of the Canadian Pacific, and thus have another through route to the east. Lines now under construction north will connect Tacoma with the Canadian Pacific by rail. The extension to a Puget sound harbor of the Southern Pacific railroad, now as far north as Portland, has been practically announced by gentlemen connected with that company, and that the Union Pacific will also seek a Puget sound terminus is quite certain. Both of these roads, and in fact, any road building north from the Columbia, west of the Cascades, will undoubtedly come to Tacoma. The Tacoma Southern is being built south from Crocker, on the Northern Pacific, into a body of timber fifteen miles distant. This is looked upon as a link in a line to the Columbia. The Tacoma, Olympia & Chehalis Valley R. R. Co. has been incorporated, to build a line from Gray’s harbor up the Chehalis valley and across the Cascade mountains to the Columbia, with a branch running north to Tacoma. This would give this city another line to the Inland Empire, as well as a line to Gray’s harbor and the fertile Chehalis valley. [Illustration: ACROSS THE SWITCHBACK FROM TACOMA.] SWITCHBACK ON THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD.