Chasing the CW in 1980

Guest post by Brian Elchlepp. 

BN 808 leads an eastbound freight on the Coulee City Branch in October of 1980. 

At this time this F-9 and several others had been recently bumped from Marias Pass helper service and were working out of Parkwater for a short time before being retired.  Myself and a couple of others from the west side of the mountains made the early morning trek to the Eastern Washington branch to catch the action. 

Starting near the west end of the line and working it's way back east, this crew and train spent the day picking up loaded 40 foot boxcars full of grain with the train growing in size as it went. 

This one was good chase, as I recall. 

I believe that we were just west of Davenport where the line closely parallels highway 2 when I grabbed this pacing short from Blair Kooistra's car.  

This was originally a color slide, but the original has faded over time, so I've converted the image to B&W. I have included both for comparison. This is from old Non-Kodak slide film that is fading fast. 

45 years - Man where does the time go?

Coach Fares CW Branch Spokane To Coulee City

 

MRL 8924 On The CW

Guest post by John Howell. 

It’s December 2, 2007, and not-yet-relettered NIWX SD45 8924 and leased MRL SD40-2 260 head west with empty grain cars near MP54 on the “CW Sub,” formerly operated by Eastern Washington Gateway RR, between Rocklyn and Creston, WA.

Grand Coulee Dam-Ten Good NP Trips

1960 Telford Removal

 

Removal Of Telford

 

1950 Telford Area View

Courtesy of the NPRHA.

Image is incorrectly labeled as Wilbur. Actual location is a rural spot between Creston and Telford, along a now abandoned section of old US 2. 

Approximate location of the picture can be seen here.

Galloping Goose

From the "Spokesman Review."

February 26, 1950

1916 NP AFE Carr Spur Extension

Courtesy of the NPRHA.

EWG Telford View

Photo by Rodney Aho.

June 2017

The Eastern Washington Gateway Railroad traverses a marvelously diverse landscape on its 108-mile trek between Coulee City and Cheney—pine forests, swampy lowlands, wheat and chickpea fields, grassy pastures; and shown here, a tract of sagebrush-laden channeled scabland near Telford, WA. When catching this shot of a special train pulling baretables (well cars) earlier this spring, I was admonished to watch for rattlesnakes and ticks, especially prevalent this year.

Work Train On The EWG

Photo by Gary Durr.

October 2017

Not everything is sunshine and wheat fields on the EWG... It takes a lot of hard work to keep trains running and freight moving... here we see 9129 spreading ballast along the EWG right of way in between Scoot trains this past spring... Near MP 54.

"Star Crossing At Telford Road

Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon.

  

"I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." ~ Vincent van Gogh

Infinity

Guest post by Frederick Manfred Simon.

February 26, 2017

In toe-and-mind-numbing temps a loaded eastbound Eastern Washington Gateway “Scoot Train” scoots past Telford Road into icy thin air as it seemingly slips through a stargate from one frozen, alien world into another. Surreal as it may seem, EWG is, in essence, the non plus ultra-railroad that reaches into the heart of Central Washington’s vast Big Bend wheat growing communities, efficiently and safely transporting its bounty of grain as infinite as the night’s stars to what are “worlds” away. 

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.

1920 Northern Pacific Idaho Division Timetable Excerpts

BNSF Track Segment 378

Compiled by the late Alan Eisenberg.

Green segments were in service at the time the list was made. Red was out of service or gone. "PCC" stands for "Palouse River & Coulee City." Same line is now owned by the State of Washington and run by the Eastern Washington Gateway.