Action At Naylor

Guest post by Chris Malm. Photos by him.

March 11, 1992

An eastbound intermodal train with GP50 3126 and B30AB 4019 was first up. About 45 minutes later came what looked like train 4 with some apparently hot boxcars on the point, led by EMDX SD40-2 6301 (ex-MILW 178 to 17 to SOO 6301) and two more SD40-2s. The third train was a westbound stack train, possibly 15, as it met the 6301. March 11, 1992.

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

 

Stumbled Onto Something Special

Guest post by James Belmont.

While chasing trains along the former Great Northern in Washington State, we encountered a big surprise. BN GP38-2 No. 2099 was BNSF's first repainted standard cab locomotive.
 

2099 was touring the railroad in glorious GN inspired livery, wearing Pullman Green and Omaha Orange paint. The running gear was painted silver, to match new 900 series GE C44-9W deliveries.

We caught him on train No. 639, passing through Naylor, Washington on Sept. 13, 1996.

Ephrata Trainorders

 

Jackrabbit Stops The GN At Naylor

In corresponding with the late Mike Denuty back in 2012, he had passed along this story, which I just came across again.

I ran across the following in gnry net, the GN Kalispell Division history site:

1914, 02 July:

Jack Rabbit Stops A Train

Little animal's body was hurled against the air hose, setting the brakes.

How a jackrabbit stopped the crack Great Northern express train is related by H. H. Dean of Hill yard, Washington, the engineer who stood at the throttle when the incident occurred. Here is the engineer's own version of the affair:

"We were coming through Naylor when the accident occurred," declared Mr. Dean. "We were bowling along about 50 miles an hour, pulling our full complement of coaches, when I saw a Jackrabbit coming toward us full speed in the middle of the track. The animal evidently was confused by the brilliant glare from the electric headlight and made no effort to get out of the way. Just before we struck him he stopped and crouched down, and after the engine pilot passed over him the airbrakes began to work and the train came to a sudden stop, the air register showing the brakes set on the emergency.

 "The fireman and I got out to investigate, and found that the air-hose had been uncoupled between the engine and tender. There were bloodstains and pieces of' fur on the coupling, and it was evident that the body of the rabbit had been thrown against the hose with sufficient force to break the connections."

 --- Logansport Chronicle

My dad, John Denuty, said jackrabbits were a big problem in Eastern Washington in the early years, including the Big Bend Country. They grew really BIG and were a big danger for automobiles on the highway between Reardan or Davenport and Wenatchee. Some counties paid bounties for rabbits and some had rabbit drives

In Adams County, rabbits could devastate farmers' only cash crop - wheat - so drives were conducted weekly. The carcusses were shipped by train to the Salvation Army in Spokane.

Unfortunately, at the end of one of the drives in January 1922, a Paha farmer was accidently killed by shotgun fire.

By the 1990s, with an increase in irrigation and loss of habitat, jackrabbits became rare in Eastern Washingon. 

1955 Wenatchee To Spokane Track Chart

Courtesy of the Wilson Creek Museum.

Edits by Gus Christ. 

Train Derailment Disrupts Line

From the "Spokesman Review."

February 22, 1982

Train Derailment Disrupts Line

From the "Spokesman Review."

February 22, 1982

Train Derailment Disrupts Line

From the "Spokesman Review."

February 22, 1982

BNSF Vs Center Pivot

Occurred at Naylor on April 23, 2021. 

Photographer unknown.

People familiar with this area said "this pivot will go thru the stop and head to the tracks Guess the new farmer didn’t know that."

1973 BN Consolidated Annual Station Earnings-2

Courtesy of Aaron Schwarz.

Train Dispatcher's Graph

Courtesy of Dave Sprau.

June 1987


Dave says:

"Train dispatchers "graph" of movements in CTC installed mostly on Great Northern days, between Edmonds and Harrington. Way too much to document here except to say this graph rolled along slowly, sort of like a window shade, from one roller to another, and the time of day is shown at the left. The time of day on the graph is 5.40 PM. Amtrak 1008 went by Edmonds and cleared the double track at east end at 528 pm; then Pacific Zip No 3 went thru the single track at Edmonds one minute afterward. The Kirkland Turn ran from Snohomish to Lowell 20 minutes ago and then No 600 occupied the switch at Lowell to make his pick up and is still there. Advance 12 just went by Gold Bar. 103 left Skykomish 7 minutes ago so obviously they are going to meet at Baring. The identity of trains is inked in by hand, as you see. Some identities cant be seen, because they are written on a portion of the graph not photographed here. Part of dispatchers duties when we had this old equipment was to take a pen and "connect the dots" - the "dots" being those little jogs of an automatic pen on this graph paper each time a train goes past a control point, -usually the siding switches at a station. Then when you connect all the dots you get a nice little "picture" of the operation. Technology and procedure consigned to the garbage can about 30 years ago."

Vacation Of Naylor

1985 Quincy Freight Agency Closure

Courtesy of Aaron Schwarz

Train Derailment Disrupts Line

From the "Spokesman Review."

February 22, 1982

SR 28 Crossing At Naylor

Map courtesy of the GN-NP Archives.

Note what was probably a shoo-fly, like at Soap Lake, where a temporary bridge was constructed while the permanent bridge was built.

1956 Naylor Topo Map

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!

Naylor Difference Of Decades

First photo from a February 28, 1979 derailment:

 After photo on March 6, 2013:

Other than the wreck being cleaned up, not much has changed. This is over the West Canal between Ephrata and Quincy, at the West Naylor siding switch.