Big Power For Milwaukee Rail

My photo.

June 16, 2026

A short train powered by an SD9 and SD40-2 of the Columbia Basin Railway follow the west leg of the wye at Grow. The train is entering the Sugar Spur, which the Milwaukee Road built to reach to old U&I Sugar Plant at Scalley, about 5 miles north of here. 

The train has carefully tread the 85lb rail to the siding at McDonald, on the Moses Lake Branch, to pick up and drop off a handful of cars. The remainder of the branch from McDonald to Moses Lake is out of service, and someday will be replaced by new construction off the Northern Pacific spur at Wheeler, to a connection with the Air Force built spur to the old Larson Air Force Base trackage. 

Grow will not be found on any Milwaukee Road timetables, nor BN for that matter. The name was bestowed on the wye here by the Washington Central, who bought all this trackage from Milwaukee successor Burlington Northern. The WCRC had hired a number of Milwaukee men out of Othello to run it's trains in 1986, and had bestowed the Grow name to honor Chuck Grow, one of the more senior men that were left in Othello when the Milwaukee quit in 1980.

2007 CBRW Acquisition and Operation Exemption

The Last SD9?

Photos by me.

10-21-25

These are all taken on former Moses Lake branch of the Milwaukee Road. 

Crossing a canal along the sugar spur.

Crossing road N SE at Grow.

Passing the old sign of Grow. That's Seiler in the background right, with the branch to Moses Lake proper in the foreground.

Coming back from Seiler.

New Power On The Wheeler Turn

My photos.

September 30, 2025

Where NP and BN banned 6 axle power, now we see former Santa Fe SD40-2s. 

First view is along Wheeler Rd near the old Simplot plant (there's a new one now too, both in operation.)

Coming up the former Milwaukee Road sugar spur after setting out cars at Seiler. That's Interstate 90 crossing above.

Leaving The West Behind

From "CTC Board."

March 1980

1942 Coast Division Timetable

Just the pages that relate to this corner of the world.

Seiler Track Profile

 

1942 Moses Lake Branch Abandonment Study

Courtesy of Aaron Schwarz and the PNRA.

 

 

 

 

 

Moses Lake To Tiflis Track Profile

No date known.

Origin Of The Seiler Name

From the 1915 Grant County Atlas.

A question as to the origin of the Milwaukee Road siding of Seiler was brought up. It's located near the junction the Milwaukee used to get from the Moses Lake branch to the U&I Sugar plant at Scalley/Wheeler. It survives today as the end of a spur for the Columbia Basin Railway.

With the large number of Seiler owned sections shown on the map, I suspect they had bought the land from the Northern Pacific.

Seiler Aerial Photo

Guest post by William Russ.

Here’s a Lines West station with a 58 car siding and 2 (or is it 3?) other tracks with a capacity of 77 cars. All that capacity is needed to service the industry we see here plus two others west of here. I count 60 cars on train occupying the main line. I think this train has stopped here to do some work. That said, I can’t locate the power. This makes me think the crew left their train to go switch one of the other industries. One of those has a pair of spurs coming off the main about 1.5 miles to the west. The other is accessed down a long spur just 0.4 miles to the west. All of these industries are agricultural related. The aerial was taken July 29, 1966.

1975 Milwaukee "Night Letter"

Courtesy of Allen Miller.

Allen says:
"Here are some line-ups of a different kind. Kind of like a Chief Dispatcher's "Night Letter" these are instructions for calling and making up trains out of Othello by Trainmaster Gerry McCole (G.A.M.)."

"This is page 1 of 2 pages dated 8-15-1975. I haven't figured out what "RC" means. "M/U" means Make-Up or Made-Up. "OIH" means Old Ice House" referring to a track."

"Page 2 of 8-15-1975."

"Page 1 of 2 dated 8-28-1975."

"Page 2 of 8-28-1975."

"This is a one page list of things for the Mosey Local to do on a given night. "MBW" is Marve Williamson, agent at Moses Lake."

I asked Allen about the coal at Warden to be moved to Seiler:
"The coal went to the U&I Sugar Plant at Scalley. It was probably just being stored at Seiler."

BN Takes Milwaukee Tracks

From the Spokane "Chronicle."

March 21, 1980

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.