The Cascade was a passenger train of the Southern Pacific on its route between Oakland, California, and Portland, Oregon, with a sleeping car to Seattle, Washington.

The Southern Pacific started the train on April 17, 1927, soon after the opening of its Cascade Line between Black Butte, California, and Springfield, Oregon.

[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The Shasta Route into Oregon was completed on December 17, 1887, connecting California points to Portland, Seattle, and the Pacific Northwest.

But the route over the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon was difficult with steep grades, sharp curves, and subject to landslides and washouts.

The result would be the greatest presentation of this train; a faster, dieselized, streamlined, all-Pullman, daily overnight service second-to-none.

The Cascade cars painted in the two tone Gray of the Lark and San Francisco Overland trains.

Upon arrival in Seattle the four sleeping cars were switched out and transferred to the Northern Pacific Railway (NP) on the other side of Fourth Avenue viaduct at the King Street Station.

The next morning these four through sleeping cars would depart Seattle in the NP pool train and transfer to the Cascade that afternoon in Portland for the trip to Oakland.

Southbound coach passengers from Seattle arrived in Portland on the NP pool train and again crossed the platform to the waiting Cascade.

Southern Pacific tried to replace it with an automat service but the Oregon Public Utility Commission balked, forcing the railroad to place a regular diner on the train.