Saturday, August 31, 2013

BN Train Near Withrow

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

August 1, 1983

Blair says: "The wheat' s been harvested and stubble lines the fields of rural Douglas County as an as-needed local from Wenatchee, bound for nearby Withrow, arrives at the elevator station of Supplee. Those Great Northern boxcars are fouling the main track, however, necessitating a bit of switching until the train can continue on to Withrow. This line was abandoned--along with the use of 40 foot boxcars for grain haulage--in 1985."


Friday, August 30, 2013

BN Train Near Withrow

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

August 1, 1983

Blair says: "Eastbound Withrow turn's two GP9s switch grain boxes fouling the main track at the elevator of Supplee, a lonely spot in Douglas county wheat country. The crew will move the loads around and shortly shove the offending cars the remaining couple miles to the elevator at Withrow (silos visible in the distance) to build the returning train to Wenatchee."


Thursday, August 29, 2013

BN Train Near Supplee

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

August 1, 1983

Blair says: "The eastbound Withrow turn departs Supplee, Washington, with the brakeman "riding the point" the final few miles to the elevator at Withrow. The train arrived at Supplee to find loaded grain boxes shoved out to foul the main track; a pull and a cut and nose onto the loads, and they're off at 10mph to the next stop with the loads being shoved ahead of the two GP9's. Pure branchline railroading!"


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

BN Train At Harrington

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

September 16, 1981

Blair says: "Westbound train #79 climbs through Harrington, Washington, behind a new SD40-2 and two SD45s on the former Great Northern mainline across eastern Washington. Approximately 25 miles of railroad from Bluestem to Lamona were doubletracked in the steam era to ease operating bottlenecks on the .8% ruling westbound grade. The railroad was operated under "current of traffic" rules, running right-handed. Train #79 was a priority manifest train that handled a big cut of piggyback traffic, back in the days before dedicated intermodal trains were coming."


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

BN Train Near Palisades

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

August 1, 1983

Blair says: "Sunlight hasn't yet reached the depths of Palisades Coulee and the former Great Northern branchline climbing from the Columbia River mainline connection to the wheatfields of Douglas County en route to Mansfield. Two former Northern Pacific GP9's have in tow a healthy string of empty 40' boxcars, bound for wheat loading on the branch, which only saw seasonal use. A couple miles ahead, the geeps will buckle down for a climb up the 2.2% grade in a narrow canyon to Douglas. This line only has a few years of intermittent service left before abandonment."


Monday, August 26, 2013

BN Train Near McCue

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

August 1, 1983


Blair says: "A Wenatchee-Withrow turn, called extra to pull loads of boxcar grain off the Mansfield Branch, descends the 2.2% grades of Moses Coulee south of Douglas, Washington. Full dynamic braking and a big reduction on the air is required to keep the 45 car train under control behind two former Northern Pacific GP9s."


Sunday, August 25, 2013

BN Train At Douglas

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

August 1, 1983

Blair says: "Sunday-only train to snatch up loaded boxcars of grain, this day a Wenatchee-Withrow turn, passes the ex-GN frame depot at Douglas, WA."


Saturday, August 24, 2013

BN Trains At Quincy

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

September 3, 1980

Blair says: "Word is that demolition of BN's late-50s GN depot at Quincy, Washington, is imminent. Here's a view from September 3, 1980 of an eastbound drag roaring by behind an SD40-2/SDP45 duo; the Spud Local's ex-GN "cab behind" GP9's wait on a yard track."


Friday, August 23, 2013

BN F Units At Mondovi

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

1981

Blair says: "One of my very favorite photographs of BN F-units, or Eastern Washington railroading--eastbound CW Local at Mondovi Elevator, 1981. Just love the lighting, the mood, the exhaust, the elevator track, the depth, the texture in this. . ."


Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Friday, August 16, 2013

Thursday, August 15, 2013

BN Geeps Near Mondovi

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

September 21, 1991

Blair says: "Eastbound CW local with nice mix of power at Mondovi, WA"


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

BN F Units Near Creston

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

October 10, 1980

Blair says: "Eastbound CW local departs from Creston, Washington, in the twilight of F-unit operations in the Pacific Northwest. Three F9A's, an ex-SP&S F3A, a single F9B and two geeps make up the first-generation extravaganza on this train, returning from an overnight trip to Coulee City from Spokane. While largely a railroad dedicated to hauling wheat, a cut of woodchip cars had just been picked up in Creston."


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

BN F Units Near Reardan

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

September 27, 1980

Blair says: "CW local departs Reardan, Washington, bound for Cheney with a train of wheat."


Monday, August 12, 2013

Boxcars Near Creston

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

October 11, 1980

Blair says: "Old forty-foot Northern Pacific boxcars loaded to their 50 ton capacity with wheat clomp across a rural grade crossing near Creston, Washington, bound east on the CW local returning to the mainline at Cheney. High-capacity hopper cars have just about done in the movement of wheat in boxcars in the west; in a few years, such scenes will cease to exist."




Sunday, August 11, 2013

BN F Units Near Hartline

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

October 11, 1980.

Blair says: "Westbound CW local makes a spirited, smoky, and noisy departure from little Hartline, Washington, just after dawn on a chilly fall morning in 1980. The mix of seven F-units and GP's needed little effort to get up to track speed with a bit more than a dozen empty 40-foot boxcars bound for loading at Coulee City."


Saturday, August 10, 2013

BN F Units At Coulee City

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

Ocotober 11, 1981

Blair says: "The view's a bit hindered by bug stains and oil drops, but here's the nose-to-nose view from one F9A to another as the CW Local switches at Coulee City, Washington."





Friday, August 9, 2013

BN F Units Near Almira

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

August 15, 1981

Blair says: "Moments after sunrise, and with a new crew on board the CW Local makes a departure from Almira, bound towards Coulee City behind a trio of F9's and a GP7. Nothing else is moving yet in this small farming community, but BN is hard at it. And, yes, the sound was FANTASTIC."


Thursday, August 8, 2013

BN F Units Near Creston

Photo courtesy Blair Kooistra.

August 15, 1981.

Blair says: "The late-summer harvest is on! And BN's CW Local is grinding it out with a nice train of wheat near Creston, Washington, with four former Northern Pacific F9's and GP7 leading the way on the former NP branchline from Cheney to Coulee City. "



Wednesday, August 7, 2013

BN F Units Near Almira

Photo courtesy of Blair Kooistra.

October 10, 1980

Blair says: "Pure 1950's railroading rolls east on the CW Branch near Almira, Washington-- 40-foot boxcars of wheat behind five F-units and a pair of Geeps. This was the final home for these BN F's assigned to Parkwater (Spokane); displaced earlier that year off their Marias Pass helper assignments by F45's, the F's migrated to the CW and Kettle Falls branchlines. It was a short but sweet resurrection on branchline railroads."


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

BN F Units Between Cement And Hartline

Photo courtesy of Blair Kooistra.

August 15, 1981.

Blair says: "It's always more fun to chase a train when the train crew is into it as well--and here's engineer Jerry Kohliber leaning out the cab of ex-Northern Pacific F9A 808 as he opens wide on the throttle, clearing the crossing with US Highway 2 in a cloud of EMD-exhaust and kicked up volcanic ash from the previous year's big Mt. Saint Helens eruption. Great days to be a young foamite!"