Friday, October 31, 2014

Mainline And Siding At Malaga

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.


An interesting discussion has appeared on the GNGoat list:

There have been many posts and inquires of foreign equipment on the GN. Recently there was one on SFRD reefers. While looking at some photos on the Big Bend Railroad History website, I noticed a picture of Malaga looking west that was taken by Gus Christ who was a roadmaster out of Ephrata. According to the website, the picture was taken in the 1950s, but it does not give an exact date. In the picture, that I have posted below, there are four box cars. I can see the first two box cars are CB&Q and NP. The third car from the camera is quite interesting. Although blurred when the picture is digitally enlarged, the New York, Susquehanna and Western (NYS&W) "S" logo appears on the upper right. The car also has the correct door and lines above and below the reporting marks, as well as the reporting mark location for a NYS&W PS1 box car (see the NYS&W PS1 car photo below). I have forwarded the Malaga photo to some friends in New Jersey who model NYS&W and they have confirmed my opinion that is from a group of PS-1 box cars the NYS&W bought in the early 1950s and it is painted in the as delivered paint scheme. Most of the cars were sold off by the NYS&W by the late 1950s to the Monon. I believe at the time this picture was taken the car was still owned by the NYS&W because the fourth initial for the road looks like it could be a "W" for the NYSW; whereas, the initials for the Monon was CIL.

I am not surprised to see the CB&Q and NP cars in the picture, but the NYS&W car is not expected. Although, the PS1 box car is not rare, a NYS&W painted PS1 box car is rare because there were not too many of them, and the car is clear across the country from the NYS&W. In the 1950s, the NYS&W was a fairly small railroad in New Jersey. I believe back then, it had less than 100 route miles, but it served some heavily industrial areas in eastern New Jersey. Today the NYS&W has taken over some ex-Conrail lines and has more than doubled. What is also unique about this picture is that according to my friends who model NYS&W say this is the only picture of an NYSW PS1 box car taken on a foreign road that they have seen.

The next question the picture leads to is why the NYS&W box car was so far from home? From past posts on this forum, I have seen statements that trains to the Alcoa plant at Malaga were doubled up the spur to the plant with some cars left at Malaga. I have also read that if a box car of bauxite ore (in the 1950s the ore was delivered in box cars) was delayed and did not match the ore being processed at the time, the box car was stored at Malaga. However, I wonder if the car was being used to transport equipment to the Alcoa plant or an empty waiting to be loaded to head back east. One thing that I have been told is that on the Susquehanna's Edgewater branch there was an Alcoa plant as seen in the following link Alcoa Plant Edgewater NJ The Edgewater, NJ plant looks like it was a finishing plant and not a mill that coverts ore to aluminum such as the mill at Malaga. So it could be plausible that ingots were being shipped east in the car. Or, was it just a coincidence that there is an Alcoa plant on the NYS&W and one in Malaga where a Susquehanna car was seen? We may never know. But, if you are modeling the Wenatchee area in the mid-1950s, a Susquehanna box car would not be a stretch from the prototype. Kadee has made some PS1 box cars that are spot on for the NYS&W.

- Mark XXXX


Mark,

The car is clearly marked NYS&W. Reweigh Stencil date is 10 55. As I recall cars had to be reweighted every 18-24 months. Given snow on the ground, I suspect time is winter of 1955-56 or 1956-57.

As to why it is in Malaga, I would answer that today no one knows. The car hire rules required that plain (free runner) railroad owned car was to be loaded to or toward its home road. The rules were not always strictly observed, particularly if cars were short. The question is how it came up empty on the GN in Washington State.

The photo of Edgewater Alcoa plant looks like it probably a fabrication facility. It is possible that the previous load was from Edgewater to Boeing in the Seattle area. It is also possible that some railroad, some where, furnished the car for loading to somewhere in Western Washington. If the car came up empty on the GN in Western Washington, sending it to Wenatchee made good sense because Alcoa at Malaga loaded many carloads of ingots to 'Official Territory' which was/is east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio. Yes, it could have been loaded to Edgewater, but was more likely sent somewhere else.

Mac XXXX

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Crater To Quincy Realignment

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.

Photos of the work that reduced curvature along Babcock Ridge Lake and Crater Lake, just west of the siding switch at Quincy.

Google Maps view of the area here.







Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Switching at Douglas

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.

GN RS1 184 is seen switching cars at Douglas on a cold winter day.


Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Loading Sheep At Air Base Spur

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.

Temporary loading chute on the Air Base Spur at Ephrata.


Monday, October 27, 2014

Ephrata Operator

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.

Looks like this shot was taken at Ephrata. Back of photo is labeled "Harold Bloom."


Sunday, October 26, 2014

Switching At Mansfield

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.



Saturday, October 25, 2014

Wenatchee Hirailer

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.


This photo recently popped up. Photographer unknown.

Location up on Stevens Pass, likely near Miller River.




Friday, October 24, 2014

Passenger Trip Between Ephrata And Quincy

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.

Seems the location is somewhere between Naylor and Winchester. Check out the speedometer in the first image!



Thursday, October 23, 2014

Hooping Up Orders

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.

Unknown location.


Wednesday, October 22, 2014

GN Motorcar

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s, though this one seems to be far older than the rest.

Unknown location and people in the image.


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Boxcars On Mainline

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.






Monday, October 20, 2014

Moses Coulee Views

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.



Sunday, October 19, 2014

Flooding Along The Great Northern

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.

Not sure where these were taken, though likely along Crab Creek. A few Wilson Creek natives, concluded it was not in Wilson Creek proper. Anyone care to guess?




Saturday, October 18, 2014

Ice On The Mansfield Branch

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.

GN 184 is pulling its train near the tunnel below Alstown, south of bridge #25. Mr. Christ must have been impressed with the size of the icicles in the area to take these shots.





Friday, October 17, 2014

GN Snowplow On Mansfield Branch

Gus Christ photos. Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Gus was a Roadmaster out of Ephrata, and a few of his photos have recently turned up. Most seem to date from the 1950s.

Location is at Supplee, though the people in the photo are not known.



Thursday, October 16, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 454

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Red indicated that the station was abandoned at the time of compilation.


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 454

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Red indicated the line was abandoned at the time of the compilation.


Sunday, October 12, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 394

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Green indicated that the line was in service at the time of the compilation. Note that Mr. Eisenberg thought that the line from Othello to Royal City had been abandoned at the time this list was made.


Saturday, October 11, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 380

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Green segments were in service at the time the list was compiled.

Note that the railroad that built this section should read "Seattle, Lake Shore, & Eastern."




Friday, October 10, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 386

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Red type means the line was gone at the time of the compilation.


Thursday, October 9, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 379

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Green segments were in service at the time the list was made. "CBRR" should actually be "CBRW," the Columbia Basin Railway.



Wednesday, October 8, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 378

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Green segments were in service at the time the list was made.

Note that the segment from Almira to Coulee City was not listed with the right construction date.





Tuesday, October 7, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 394

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Green segments were in service at the time the list was made.


Monday, October 6, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 380

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Green segments were in service at the time the list was made. Red was gone or out of service.

This is the former Seattle, Lake Shore, & Eastern Railway Eastern Division. The part between Medical Lake and Spokane was used by the Washington Water Power Company for interurban service, until 1922.


Sunday, October 5, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 379

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Green segments were in service at the time the list was made. Red was out of service or gone. "CB" stands for "Columbia Basin Railway."


Saturday, October 4, 2014

BNSF Track Segment 378

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Green segments were in service at the time the list was made. Red was out of service or gone. "PCC" stands for "Palouse River & Coulee City." Same line is now owned by the State of Washington and run by the Eastern Washington Gateway.


Friday, October 3, 2014

BNSF Line Segment 395 & 456

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Green segments were in service at the time the list was made. "CB" stands for "Columbia Basin Railway."