1946 Irrigation Project Traffic Projections

Courtesy of the MHS.

February 19, 1946

Passenger Train Service Arrives

From the "Grant County Journal."

June 14, 1973

Now You See It, Now You Don't

From the "Grant County Journal."

March 1, 1973

Industrial and General Report-1912-4

Courtesy of the PNRA. Thanks to Aaron Schwarz for digging this out.

1910 Grant County Track Meet

Photographer unknown.

Date could be 1910. Going out on limb on this one.

Stay At Home Folks See Liberty Bell

From the "Grant County Journal."

July 16, 1915

Train Fire In Ephrata

From the "Grant County Journal."

November 4, 1976

Odessa Union Locations At Time Of Highline Merger

 

BN 2213 At Ephrata

Guest post by Ryan Reed.

On May 15, 1988, BN 2213 West wakes up Ephrata, Wash. with nearly quarter-century Great Northern heritage up front. The ex-GN main in eastern Washington was never on my to-do list, but a recent magazine article on the line got my buddy Carl Sonner jacked up to see it, so off we went for a two-day trip on May 14th, and 15th - to a territory off our beaten path. On this trip we photographed Trinidad Loop for the first time and was thoroughly impressed despite waiting so long for a train that Carl actually fell asleep on the hillside. We chased this train all the way across the line and with that ex-GN GP30 on the point trailed by a bunch of GP9s, we were lovin' it. It's funny, I never made big efforts to see the ex-GN, but ended up shooting all of it from Spokane to about Index on multiple two or three day trips. It just kind of happened.

1941 GN Unloading Dock In Ephrata Set Ablaze

From GCJ News.

https://www.gcj.news/in-other-news-50/

Burlington Northern Station Under Discussion In Ephrata

From the "Grant County Journal."

December 13, 1976

Mainline Derailed For Day

From the "Grant County Journal."

March 1, 1976

1988 Ephrata View

Photographer unknown.

1910s Ephrata Depot View

Young photo.

Depot looked like this up through the big remodel around 1942.

Ephrata, Port Seek State Funds For Truck Access Route Design

From "GCJ News."

March 7, 2026

EPHRATA — Ephrata city council members on Wednesday approved an application seeking state funds to design a major arterial roadway and rail overpass that would link the north end of town at Basin Street/State Route 28 to the Ephrata Port District.

City engineer Shawn O’Brien outlined provisions of the grant application — submitted in conjunction with the port district — to the Washington State Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board.

The city and port are seeking $302,750 in state monies in 2027, with each contributing $23,625 in matching funds, for a total estimated cost of $350,000. The application deadline was Friday, March 6.

If approved, the feasibility study and engineering design would enhance the possibility of receiving additional state and federal monies in the future to construct the arterial/rail crossing, which has a preliminary estimated cost of $5 million, said O’Brien.

Both the roadway and rail overpass proposals are listed in the city’s 2026-2031 Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program.

The project’s main focus is to provide direct truck access from SR 28 to the port district, its rail spur, commercial and industrial tenants, and the Ephrata Airport. Currently, that access is limited. Trucks on the highway must enter town and turn onto East Division, or approach the port from State Route 282 along Nat Washington Way or Airport Street to the south.

The proposed connector would “provide a dedicated truck route through airport and industrial zones, not winding through residential and school zone areas, as it does now along Division Street,” Dave Bren, the city’s project engineer and grant writer, stated in the funding request.

A new north-south arterial could also ease traffic congestion at existing rail crossings at Division and Nat Washington Way, particularly for school bus traffic at certain times of the day. And, said council member Valli Millard, for residents on the northeast side of town.

“It is so congested up there,” she said.

The proposal has received letters of support from the Ephrata School District, Grant Transit Authority, and state Department of Transportation. 

Councilman Mike Warren commended city staff for pursuing the project, saying it has been a long-standing need for the community, while fellow councilman Matt Moore appreciated the collaboration with port officials.

If ultimately constructed, the new arterial would connect with State Route 28 at the intersection of Road B-NW, where the state Department of Transportation is proposing to construct a roundabout in 2028.

From that intersection, the new roadway would cross the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail tracks via an overpass — a key component that makes the project “feasible,” said O’Brien — and continue south to an eastward extension of Third Avenue N.E.

There, the arterial would split: one roadway would proceed east from Third Avenue and connect to Railroad Street at the port district; the other roadway would continue south and link up to both East Division Avenue and Enterprise Street.

Right-of-way acquisition would involve one private property owner on the east side of the railroad tracks, said O’Brien.

BN Says "No" To City Speed Limits

From the "Grant County Journal."

July 15, 1996

Train Speed Limits Eyed

From the "Grant County Journal."

July 8, 1996

1957 Ephrata Trainorders

 

GN Depots Wilson Creek To Vulcan

As prepared for the 2016 GNRHS convention for me by someone else. It's mostly correct.

Great Northern Depot Locations-1