Showing posts with label Sieler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sieler. Show all posts
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
ICC Valuation of the Milwaukee Road Moses Lake Branch
Valuation Section Washington 7-A covers what is known as the Moses Lake Line which leaves the Warden-Marcellus branch, …at Tiflis and extends in a general northwesterly direction about 16 miles to Neppel on the eastern shore of Moses Lake. The general exploration work for this branch was done in conjunction with that work on the Warden-Marcellus Line, although a close reconnaissance outlining the adopted route was made just previous to the instrumental survey.
On June 25, 1911 a locating party started west from Tiflis and competed their work on July 31st , during which time they ran 42 miles of preliminary and 40 miles of location survey to obtain the 15 3/4 miles of adopted line, or about 2 2/3 miles each of preliminary and location for one mile of adopted survey.
Just previous to construction, which took place in 1912 the line was resurveyed and some revisions made.
Construction was carried on, under the supervision of an Assistant Engineer, who reported to the Assistant Chief Engineer in Seattle.
The Line as constructed leaves Tiflis on a slight descending gradient for about a mile thence climbs to a summit in mile 4 on a varying gradient with a maximum of 1.5% thence descends to Sieler on a maximum gradient of .9%. From Sieler the gradients are generally descending with a maximum of 1.5% to mile 15, thence level to Neppel.
In Mile 3 the line passes under the Connell Branch of the Northern Pacific Railway.
The clearing, grubbing, grading and culvert work was let by contract to H.C. Henry, who sublet to three other contractors. Equipment and supplies were unloaded at Tiflis and hauled from there by team to points of use.
A moderately heavy growth of sage brush and grease wood covered the uncultivated land which required clearing.
Grading was started in May 1912 and completed in December of the same year. The work was largely done with teams and was light, averaging about 12,000 cubic yards per mile. A small percentage of classified material was encountered.
The most difficult feature of the grading was the work in connection with the crossing under the Northern Pacific in mile 3 where is was necessary to maintain traffic while the material was being removed from under their track.
Considerable grading has been done since the original work was finished in widening and removing the tops of cuts to improve the view at road crossings as required by the Public Service Commission.
All the bridge work occurs in the first three miles west of Tiflis and was built by Railway Company Forces.
Corrugated iron pipe for the culverts was shipped by rail to Tiflis, from where it was hauled to the sites by team.
Track was laid by hand, 50# relay steel being used. Ballast was obtained from Neppel pit.
The material for right of way fence, telegraph lines, station buildings, etc., was delivered by rail after track laying had been completed and construction work was carried out the Railway Company forces. A 24 ft. by 88 ft. standard framed depot was built at Neppel. Telephones were installed in booths at blind sidings in addition to those in the depot.
The line is operated as part of the Idaho Division, the usual branch line equipment being used.
On June 25, 1911 a locating party started west from Tiflis and competed their work on July 31st , during which time they ran 42 miles of preliminary and 40 miles of location survey to obtain the 15 3/4 miles of adopted line, or about 2 2/3 miles each of preliminary and location for one mile of adopted survey.
Just previous to construction, which took place in 1912 the line was resurveyed and some revisions made.
Construction was carried on, under the supervision of an Assistant Engineer, who reported to the Assistant Chief Engineer in Seattle.
The Line as constructed leaves Tiflis on a slight descending gradient for about a mile thence climbs to a summit in mile 4 on a varying gradient with a maximum of 1.5% thence descends to Sieler on a maximum gradient of .9%. From Sieler the gradients are generally descending with a maximum of 1.5% to mile 15, thence level to Neppel.
In Mile 3 the line passes under the Connell Branch of the Northern Pacific Railway.
The clearing, grubbing, grading and culvert work was let by contract to H.C. Henry, who sublet to three other contractors. Equipment and supplies were unloaded at Tiflis and hauled from there by team to points of use.
A moderately heavy growth of sage brush and grease wood covered the uncultivated land which required clearing.
Grading was started in May 1912 and completed in December of the same year. The work was largely done with teams and was light, averaging about 12,000 cubic yards per mile. A small percentage of classified material was encountered.
The most difficult feature of the grading was the work in connection with the crossing under the Northern Pacific in mile 3 where is was necessary to maintain traffic while the material was being removed from under their track.
Considerable grading has been done since the original work was finished in widening and removing the tops of cuts to improve the view at road crossings as required by the Public Service Commission.
All the bridge work occurs in the first three miles west of Tiflis and was built by Railway Company Forces.
Corrugated iron pipe for the culverts was shipped by rail to Tiflis, from where it was hauled to the sites by team.
Track was laid by hand, 50# relay steel being used. Ballast was obtained from Neppel pit.
The material for right of way fence, telegraph lines, station buildings, etc., was delivered by rail after track laying had been completed and construction work was carried out the Railway Company forces. A 24 ft. by 88 ft. standard framed depot was built at Neppel. Telephones were installed in booths at blind sidings in addition to those in the depot.
The line is operated as part of the Idaho Division, the usual branch line equipment being used.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Notes on the Milwaukee Road Moses Lake Branch
Stations on this branch were Tiflis (where it had a junction with the Marcellus branch), Jardine, Sieler, Scalley, McDonald, Goodrich, and Moses Lake.
The line generated pretty good money, $2.6 million in 1972, $3.2 million in 1973 and $2.7 million in 1974 (from total revenue traffic of $4.1 million).
The big station was not Moses Lake, but Scalley.
Moses Lake was a $339,000 station in 1972 and grew to $619,000 in 1974, but Scalley was a $1.4 million station in 1972, $1.7 million in 1973 and $1.3 million in 1974. McDonald generated between $780,000 and $1 million each year. Most of the freight off the line was $1,100/carload freight probably sugar to Minneapolis since the Milwaukee was using air-slide hopper cars. (Milwaukee's average carload revenue in 1974 was $401).
Scalley was the only community Milwaukee listed on that line as being
served by another railroad, but Milwaukee did pretty well there anyway. What is interesting is that Scalley had a lot of terminating tonnage.
Compared to 735 carloads outgoing, it had 1,482 carloads of terminating tonnage. It was only $152/carload business, however, which looks like very local traffic of some sort, but a lot of it.
The rest of the line total only had 300 carloads of terminating tonnage: feed, seed, and implements, so Scalley was atypical. Milwaukee listed no population at all for that station.
Scalley was U&I Sugar (built 1954). It was never a community, just an Northern Pacific name for the industrial area south of Wheeler. There were a few houses in the area but not a community so to speak. The Milwaukee had access to the U and I plant by a 4 1/4 mile spur which originated west of Seiler.
Milwaukee got the U&I traffic because their service was superior to Northern Pacific/Burlington Northern's. The NP/BN would trundle the U&I loads down to Connell, then they would go on down to Pasco, then be sorted, then get on a train to Minot, then be sorted again, then get on a train to Minneapolis. Very slow service.
Milwaukee's Mosey Local would take the sugar loads to Othello during the night where they would be picked up by train 264 or 2-262 the next morning and go straight to St. Paul. Very good service.
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When the Milwaukee Road was in its bankruptcy period, traffic on the Moses Lake branch was considered very lucrative and was highly considered as part of keeping the railroad afloat.
In 1979, a potato shipper operating both "Moses Lake-Othello" facilities was attempting to commit Milwaukee to shipping an additional 1,000 refrigerated
piggyback trailers long haul to Chicago and another 1,000 refrigerated trailer shipments were committed from the Pacific Northwest Shipper's Association long haul to points east from "Moses Lake -- Othello."
American Potato was identified separately as guaranteeing 232 carloads of long haul through Chicago. U&I sugar promised 426 carloads from Scalley to Minneapolis if equipment was available.
This was all long-haul and represented an additional $2 to 3 million in revenue available to the Milwaukee if it elected to upgrade its tracks and not abandon them.
The Burlington Northern saw a good deal when the Milwaukee abandoned its tracks west of Miles City, Montana in 1980. The BN purchased the Moses Lake branch, plus the Milwaukee mainline from Warden to Royal City Jct and Royal City.
BN tied in its NP branch with the Milwaukee mainline at Warden, where the NP had crossed over the Milwaukee, with a small piece of new track, getting rid of the overpass.
The section of the Moses Lake branch from Warden to Seiler was abandoned (along with all of the Marcellus branch), but the section of the NP connecting to the Milwaukee at Scalley was used to access the remaining Moses Lake branch.
The line generated pretty good money, $2.6 million in 1972, $3.2 million in 1973 and $2.7 million in 1974 (from total revenue traffic of $4.1 million).
The big station was not Moses Lake, but Scalley.
Moses Lake was a $339,000 station in 1972 and grew to $619,000 in 1974, but Scalley was a $1.4 million station in 1972, $1.7 million in 1973 and $1.3 million in 1974. McDonald generated between $780,000 and $1 million each year. Most of the freight off the line was $1,100/carload freight probably sugar to Minneapolis since the Milwaukee was using air-slide hopper cars. (Milwaukee's average carload revenue in 1974 was $401).
Scalley was the only community Milwaukee listed on that line as being
served by another railroad, but Milwaukee did pretty well there anyway. What is interesting is that Scalley had a lot of terminating tonnage.
Compared to 735 carloads outgoing, it had 1,482 carloads of terminating tonnage. It was only $152/carload business, however, which looks like very local traffic of some sort, but a lot of it.
The rest of the line total only had 300 carloads of terminating tonnage: feed, seed, and implements, so Scalley was atypical. Milwaukee listed no population at all for that station.
Scalley was U&I Sugar (built 1954). It was never a community, just an Northern Pacific name for the industrial area south of Wheeler. There were a few houses in the area but not a community so to speak. The Milwaukee had access to the U and I plant by a 4 1/4 mile spur which originated west of Seiler.
Milwaukee got the U&I traffic because their service was superior to Northern Pacific/Burlington Northern's. The NP/BN would trundle the U&I loads down to Connell, then they would go on down to Pasco, then be sorted, then get on a train to Minot, then be sorted again, then get on a train to Minneapolis. Very slow service.
Milwaukee's Mosey Local would take the sugar loads to Othello during the night where they would be picked up by train 264 or 2-262 the next morning and go straight to St. Paul. Very good service.
------------------------
When the Milwaukee Road was in its bankruptcy period, traffic on the Moses Lake branch was considered very lucrative and was highly considered as part of keeping the railroad afloat.
In 1979, a potato shipper operating both "Moses Lake-Othello" facilities was attempting to commit Milwaukee to shipping an additional 1,000 refrigerated
piggyback trailers long haul to Chicago and another 1,000 refrigerated trailer shipments were committed from the Pacific Northwest Shipper's Association long haul to points east from "Moses Lake -- Othello."
American Potato was identified separately as guaranteeing 232 carloads of long haul through Chicago. U&I sugar promised 426 carloads from Scalley to Minneapolis if equipment was available.
This was all long-haul and represented an additional $2 to 3 million in revenue available to the Milwaukee if it elected to upgrade its tracks and not abandon them.
The Burlington Northern saw a good deal when the Milwaukee abandoned its tracks west of Miles City, Montana in 1980. The BN purchased the Moses Lake branch, plus the Milwaukee mainline from Warden to Royal City Jct and Royal City.
BN tied in its NP branch with the Milwaukee mainline at Warden, where the NP had crossed over the Milwaukee, with a small piece of new track, getting rid of the overpass.
The section of the Moses Lake branch from Warden to Seiler was abandoned (along with all of the Marcellus branch), but the section of the NP connecting to the Milwaukee at Scalley was used to access the remaining Moses Lake branch.
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