Great Northern Station
Spokane was on the Great Northern main line between St. Paul and Minneapolis and Seattle. Fort Wright was 2 miles west of the Spokane, and was the junction with the affiliated Spokane Portland & Seattle line, used by GN trains to Portland.
Northern Pacific Station
Spokane was on the Northern Pacific main line between St. Paul and Minneapolis and Seattle. Marshall was 9 miles west of Spokane, and was the junction with NP's Lewiston Branch, extending south. And Cheney was 16 miles west of Spokane, and was the junction with NP's Washington Central Branch, extending northwest to Coulee City.
Union Station
Three railroads used Spokane Union Station. Union Pacific operated the station, which was served by the Spokane Subdivision southwest to Hinkle and Portland, along with the Wallace Branch extending east. The Milwaukee Road had trackage rights via UP to serve Spokane, for its main line from Chicago and St. Paul to Seattle and Tacoma. Union Station was also served by Spokane International with a line northeast to Eastport, SI was acquired by UP in 1958.
Significant Locations and Distances from Station
Manito (21 miles E) - junction of UP Wallace Branch, CMSP&P with trackage rights.
OR&N Jct. (1 mile E) - junction of UP Wallace Branch, SI.
Marengo (61 miles W) - junction of UP Spokane Subdivision, CMSP&P with trackage rights.
In 1970, Great Northern and Northern Pacific and other railroads were merged into Burlington Northern. And over the next few years, traffic was consolidated onto the former NP line through Spokane. The GN line and station were on Havermale Island, an area which was transformed into a park for the 1974 World's Fair, and the railroad was abandoned. The nearby Union Pacific line was also abandoned, with their trains instead using trackage rights over the former NP line. At Sandpoint ID, 65 miles east of Spokane, a connection was constructed enabling former GN trains to use the former NP line east of Spokane. A major component of the consolidation project was the Latah Creek Bridge west of Spokane. At a new location known as Sunset Jct. west of the NP station, the bridge would proceed west from the NP line. And west of Latah Creek, Latah Jct. would be where a connection diverges south to the former Spokane Portland & Seattle line. And northwest of Latah Jct. would be a new 6 mile long line, a relocation of the former GN line west of Spokane.