Chasing the PCC-Part 4

Courtesy of L.A. Scrafford

Hite

Davenport

Mondovi

Creston

Wilbur

Govan

Almira

Hanson

Hartline

GN Soap Lake Promotional Window

Location and date unknown.

C W Conner

C.W. ‘Skip’ Conner had a seniority date with the Northern Pacific of July 25, 1937. 

He retired as the station agent for Coulee City, retired June 1, 1977, after 40 years with the railroad. 

Burlington Northern did not choose to replace him and instead the depot closed at the end of the work day.

Adrian Lots For Sale

From the "Wenatchee World."

December 24, 1909

Grant Orchards

From the "Wenatchee World."

April 11, 1910

2017 Bruce Depot And Watertank

Bruce, on the former NP Connell Northern, is bristling with business for shortline CBRW these days. There are many new buildings and grain silos out there, compared to NP days. Could I find any remaining NP era buildings? Found one, and the remnants of another.

The 1960s depot still stands, in use for storage for the local port district. The watertower, a twin to the one over in Wheeler, fell a few years ago and only the footings and concrete well shaft remain.

BNSF Boeing Special Approaching Rock Island Dam

Courtesy of James Oberg.

November 10, 1999

Chasing the PCC-Part 3

Courtesy of L.A. Scrafford.

October 3, 2005

Reardan

 Davenport

Creston

 Govan

Chasing the PCC-Part 2

Courtesy of L.A. Scrafford.

April 7, 2001

Deep Creek

Davenport

 Davenport

Early BN Train At Ephrata

Photo courtesy of James Oberg.

October 15, 1972.

"Westbound BN 6311 stopped on the main..."

2017 Quincy Depot Site, After Demoliton

Video courtesy of Gayle Sørlien.

2017 Quincy Depot, Before Demolition

Video courtesy of Gayle Sørlien.  Here is her description of the video:

"I took this video unaware it was going to be demolished in the very near future. I also wasn't aware of the number of times my finger video-bombed me. Still not knowing it was to be torn down, I kept putting off going back to re-film the station. I was waiting for a nice sunny day. On Thursday March 23 that sunny day came and when I arrived at the station, I was "shocked" find it completely gone. If I had known I would have gone on a lesser nice day. 

"My Dad started working for the Great Northern Railway in 1966, based from the Quincy station. A few years later Burlington Northern acquired GNR. He retired in 1983 at the age of 68. Up to the time Dad retired, he still pounded the spikes the old fashion way, with his powerful human strength and ability of hitting the spike on the small head with a small maul hammer head. Dad had the reputation of doing the work of two men when he drove those spikes. 

"Employees and their dependents could ride the trains free. We were also picked up and dropped off at the Quincy station even though it was not a stop for regular passengers. In the summers of 1967, 1968 and 1969, we traveled to visit our family. We waited inside the station (it was opened just for us) for the Minneapolis, Minnesota bound train at about three in the morning. The trains we rode on had passenger related cars along with freight related cars. I remember looking on curves to see how long the train was. Now days, freight cars and passenger cars are not allowed to be together. Of course we had the caboose which was done away with around 2005.

"In the summer of 1969, while riding the train (I’m sure it was on the way back to Quincy) my Dad returned to where Mother and I were sitting and was excited that Sammy Davis Jr was on the train. Of course, I had to see Sammy so Dad took me back to his car. We walked up and down the aisle without disturbing Sammy. What I saw was two big mean looking white guys sitting on both sides of a small built slouched, sleeping black man with his fedora over his face. A few years after the turn of the 21st Century, I was dinking around on the internet and found the story about Sammy and the train in summer of '69. According to the website, Sammy was married to a white woman and the white extremists were out to get him - literally. (In 1969, I remember seeing the tabloid articles with pictures and articles but I didn't realize the seriousness of it.) The internet information also stated two decoys and the real Sammy were on three different trains. Was that Sammy I saw that historical day? Maybe - maybe not. Either way I was a small grain of sand in the life of the great Sammy Davis Jr. and for the civil rights movement. 

"We also “experienced” the Spokane train station stop. While there was a time in 1969 Dad got off for some reason but that was it – we basically didn’t get off. I wish I had because it would have been fun to see the inside of the Spokane station. A few years later . the station was replaced by the remodeling for the 1974 World’s Fair. Never was the same."

Chasing the PCC-Part 1

Photos courtesy of L.A. Scrafford.

May 15, 2000

 Creston

Govan

Hite

BN F Units At Coulee City

Photo courtesy of Brian Elchlepp.

"I am continuing to dig though old slides and I am managing to find a gem or two. Here is one example from October 1980:

"Five BN F's (including 1 ex SP&S version) and a pair of Geeps have just arrived at Coulee City, WA and are backing their short train (after turning it )around one of the legs of the Wye. First order of business will be to do required switching and then the crew will grab breakfast at a local diner. The rest of the day will be taken up with the return leg to Parkwater while servicing the grain facilities along the way.

"The F's had just been knocked off of Maria Pass Helper duty and were working out of Spokane at this time, This was just about the end of the line for BN's F's in the west and the 40' box cars were close to the end as well."

The train has just backed over the Pinto Ridge Road crossing.

1914 Waterville Railroad No. 299 Snow Scene

The 299 was built for the Fairhaven and Southern as their No. 2. Became the Seattle & Montana 299 in 1898. When that road was folded into the GN in 1907, it was placed in GN class E4. The 299 was sold to the Waterville in February 1911 and scrapped in May 1934.

Photos courtesy of Harold Badten.

Waterville Train Leaving For Douglas

No date given.

Mystery Of Trinidad's Stone Igloos Solved

From the "Wenatchee World."

June 23, 1967

Early Wilson Creek View

Gonna guess about 1920.

1910 Great Northern Shipping Order

2008 EWG Timetable

Northern & Southern Railway

From the "Wenatchee World."

August 27, 1907

Dam Cement Scenes

Courtesy of the NP Telltale.

No date given.

2017 Telford

Located between Creston and Davenport here.

Evidence suggests the actual station site was located to the left side of the tracks in this view.

There may have been some sort of industry just beyond the pile of old railroad ties.

2017 Omans

2017 Gravelles

Rock Island AFEs

This is a summary to the "Applications For Expenditures" (AFE) files which were project files for all purchases, construction or removal of facilities or equipment from Great Northern property. These files sometimes contain correspondence, invoices, blueprints and other project information, and often contain insight into events or changes in a specific area at a point in time.

As a summary, it does give a look into the changes made over the years.

From the GN-NP Archives.

1898 Extend passing track
1900 Replace pipe line
1904 Place water tank from Spokane yards
1904 Place mail crane
1905 Install private crossing
1906 Install Wenatchee Milling track
1907 Office
1909 Move steam pump plant from Leavenworth to Rock Island
1909 Furnish and place a standard 12’ X 34’ portable depot, 4’ X 5’ water closet and 100’cinder platform
1910 Remove steam pump
1911 Replace guard rail at west end of bridge No 359
1912 Place steel in bridge No 357
1912 Construct industry spur 550 feet long—2 miles west
1917 Repair bridge over Columbia River
1917 Move crossing
1917 Remove part of industry track
1918 Construct passing track on north side of main
1919 Extend private spur
1920 Extend Wenatchee Fruit Growers spur
1921 Place Slow Boards-10 MPH bridge No 359
1923 Extend Ohio Colony spur
1924 Move bunk house from Bromley
1924 Install highway department spur
1926 Remove water tank
1926 Remove highway department spur
1926 Bank widening on account of relocation
1927 Sale of property
1928 Install drain tile
1928 Line change
1929 Install 1100’ slide fence-2 miles west
1929 Line change
1930 Install house track
1930 Record 3 private crossings
1930 Install depot from Irby
1930 Install steel pedestrian subway
1930 Install private crossing for S&W
1931 Line change at Rock Island Dam
1931 Install private crossings
1931 Adjust the accounts for the payment received from the Washington Electric Company for the right to inundate approximately 79 acres of railway’s right of way by the construction of a dam in the Columbia River at Rock Island
1931 Relay 237 feet of 80 lb and 110 lb rail with 90 lb and 110 lb rail at west switch of passing track
1931 Relocate 12’ X 20’ tool house and place for use as a garage at Wenatchee
1932 Throw and raise mainline
1932 Remove private crossings
1932 Place rip rap along river
1933 Remove furniture and equipment from depot
1933 Repair roadbed after high water
1934 Remove house track at Rock Island Dam
1939 Relay with 112 lb and 131 lb rail Columbia River to Appleyard
1941 Place rip rap at bridge No 357
1941 Extend slide fence
1942 Remove depot-build SS
1942 Install Wenatchee Alloys spurs
1942 Move depot
1943 Extend public crossing
1943 Place colored light train order signal
1944 Remove office equipment
1947 Extend industry track
1948 Install slide fences
1948 Typewriter
1949 Train order and signal equipment
1949 Install Keokuk Metals track
1949 Install 115 lb rail
1949 Install Keokuk Metals track
1951 Install additional Keokuk Metals tracks
1951 Place train indicators
1953 Install 115 lb rail
1953 Replace inner guard rail at bridge No 359
1954 Relay with 115 lb rail between Rock Island and Columbia River
1955 Install crossing signals at Keokuk crossing
1956 Extend Keokuk Metals spur
1956 New steel bridge
1957 Install 115 lb rail
1960 Acquire property
1962 Easement for fish ladder
1964 Relay MP 1662 to MP 1667.6

Edwall Cleanup Progress Photos

Back on March 15 one of the grain bins at Edwall collapsed. A visit to the site on 3-30-17 revealed progress being made in cleaning up the mess.

Chuck Grow

I recently learned of his passing, via his granddaughter, Sarah Mendoza.

I related my encounter with him a few years ago in this posting.

Here is the text of his obituary, found at the Stevens Funeral Chapel webpage.

"Charles “Chuck” Grow, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, passed away June 28th, 2015 at his home surrounded by family. Chuck was born on November 6th, 1931 in Colorado. His family moved to Othello, Wa. in 1946 where he met the love of his life, Betty Bluhm. They were married in 1949 and had five beautiful children. He had a lifelong career as an engineer with the Milwaukee Railroad, as well as in construction and farming.

"Chuck was a talented athlete, avid sports fan and made friends everywhere he went. He enjoyed coaching as well; starting with his sons and continuing on through his grandkids and great grandkids.

"He loved hunting, fishing, and camping, boating, and wood working. He enjoyed attending community events, participating in parades, fair, and he never missed an Othello PRCA rodeo.

"He is survived by his wife, Betty; children Deborah (Robert) Russell, Chuck Grow, Theresa (Wil) Pickel, Michael (Sheree) Grow, and Lori (Darwen) Wheeler, sister Kathy (Paul) Shaftic, 10 grandkids and 8 great grandkids. He is preceded in death by his parents Tom and Nora Grow, and sisters Mary, Bettie and Sybil.

"At his request there will be no funeral services. In lieu of flowers, please send donations on behalf of Chuck to the Othello Senior Center where he enjoyed coffee with buddies daily."

Ms. Mendoza passed along the following photo from her collection.

Note that the current operator of the line where Mr. Grow worked, the Columbia Basin Railway, still has Grow marked on it's system map, the former Milwaukee Road station of Seiler.