1940 Medical Lake Depot

View from a Northern Pacific inspection of the property. Report is squirreled away in the Interstate Commerce Commission filed in Washington D.C.

Courtesy of Aaron Shwarz.

A note about NP depots. The second story was quarters for the agent and family, as when this branch was established, there were no places for anyone to live.

Most stations on the CW branch, such as this one, were of the same design.

Map of Proposed New Milwaukee Road Branches

White Bluffs Depot

Photographer unknown.

Hanford Branch Photo

No date.

Presumed to be in the Priest Rapids area.

Early 1960s View of Beverly

Priest Rapids Section House

October 16, 1957 view taken during the building of Priest Rapids Dam. Railroad location is on the Hanford Branch south of Beverly.

Royal City Branch Photo

1965 photo from Milwaukee Road News Bureau. Contractor's locomotive handling cars of ballast near the newly laid out Hiawatha Industrial District of the Milwaukee Road near Royal City, Wash., in the Columbia Basin.

Royal City Branch News Article

By the late Herb Jenkins.

Saturday, June 10, (1966) will be a hsitoric day in the Columbia Basin when the residents of Royal Slope will stage a big celebration to welcome the completion of the Milwaukee Road's 6 1/2 mile spur from it mainline to Royal City.

The line, the longest piece of track built by the Milwaukee in the Columbia Basin area since the mainline was completed in 1909, was constructed to serve the 90,000 irrigable acres of Royal Slope in the south part of Grant County. More than 60,000 acres on Royal Slope were harvested last year and produced 356,399 tons of crops valued at $10,913,826. More acres are being brought under cultivation each year.

Curtiss E. Crippen, president of the Milwaukee Road, and other railroad officials and local city officials of the area will arrive from Othello at Royal City on a special train at 10 o'clock. A Golden Spike ceremony will be held about 11 o'clock with Mr. Crippen, Harold T. Nelson, Regional Director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and Dale Smith, president of the Western Farmers Association, participating.

A number of federal, state and county officials have been invited to be president.

Mayor Sam Poarch of Royal City says "We hope the general public will come to Royal City and assist us in giving a 'Royal Welcome' to this new railroad. We are having a free barbecue right after the Golden Spike ceremony and there will be a dance that evening in the high school gymnasium."

Mayor Poarch went on to say the celebration would be held at the Hiawatha Industrial Park, the industrial area set aside along the railroad at Royal city. There will be plenty of parking space available. Mayor Poarch said: "This railroad means more to us than just a connection with the Milwaukee mainline. Some persons refer to it as 'The Royal Road To The Future' and others call it 'The Roal Road to Progress." But whatever name it is called, the railroad will open up a new transportation era for the Royal Slope. We want to show our gratitude by having a large crowd on hand to welcome the Milwaukee."

The spur line climbs up through Red Rock Canyon in a spectacular series of curves on a grade of 2.5%. Camera fans may get pictures of the Canyon section of the railroad by driving south from Highway 26 to Smyrna.

Wind Damage at Beverly

Trains run again after Columbia bridge pileup.

From "The Wenatchee World."

December 23, 1974

Trains were rolling over Milwaukee Road tracks again following three weekend mishaps, the largest involving 15 cars and more than $500,000 in damage.

Security guards were posted over the weekend to prevent looting after winds gusting up to 55 miles per hour through the Columbia River canyon resulted in the derailment of 15 container cars. Railroad officials said 11 of the cars plunged from a trestle about 35 feet down to the water early Saturday.

The train had been carrying imported Japanese goods such as stereos, clothing and shoes from Tacoma to Chicago.

A check of serial numbers Sunday revealed that one container had been blown off its car from a westbound train Friday night, a Milwaukee Road official said.

Soon after the tracks were reopened Sunday morning, a one-car derailment occurred a few miles west, near Ryegrass Summit. Railroad officials said the mishap resulted from a bent coupling bar and involved relatively little damage.