1940 NP Inspection Trip Grand Coulee Dam

Courtesy Aaron Schwarz

Saturday--April 27, 1940

Our party, with the exception of Mr. Neish, and accompanied by Mr. L.J. Gallagher and Mr. J.A. Clark, drove in Mr. Clark's car from Spokane, Wash. to Pasco, Wash., by way of Coulee Dam, leaving Spokane at 7:30 A.M., arriving at Pasco at 9:00 P.M.

The Northern Pacific Railway Company handles considerable traffic for the Coulee Dam project, which consists principally at this time of cement in bulk loaded in box cars. This operation is carried on from Coulee City to Mason City (Coulee Dam site), by the contractor over approximately 30 miles of railroad constructed by the United States Government from Odair to Damsite. Many units of freight train cars loaded with cement were inspected.

An item of particular interest was noted at the unloading platform at the Damsite, wherein a remote control electrically driven pneumatic cement unloading device is used, which works directly into the box car and picks up the cement by a screw conveyor and raises it to the air chamber and then into the near-by silos through an 8-inch rubber conduit. The device is, in fact, a robot, which moves either forward, backward, or to the right or left, as desired by the operator who remains on the platform. It is presumed that this device was especially devised for this job, as box cars only are available, and has been greatly improved since it was first used.

1940 NP Inspection Trip of Washington Central Branch

Courtesy of Aaron Schwarz

Washington Central, Branch Out of Cheney,
Valuation Section 12-Washington

Inspected from Cheney to Medical Lake. This is a rather unimportant branch, except for the temporary importance given to it by the construction of Grand Coulee Dam. It may also profit permanently if the irrigation project in connection with the dam is carried out.

Present traffic consists of gas-electric passenger train each way daily, and one freight train one way daily, sometimes each way daily. The line serves some good grain country.

Passing track at Four Lakes is disconnected at one end.

1910 Coulee City Map-Full Version

Courtesy Aaron Schwarz

1910 Coulee City Map

Courtesy Aaron Schwarz

NP Schedule of Property in Coulee City

From a Northern Pacific map from 1910.

Courtesy of Aaron Schwarz.

Warden Depot Moves

From the "Columbia Basin Herald," Moses Lake, WA.

Date unknown

The Warden Historical Society has its first home. Friday, crews moved the town's old Milwaukee Railroad station to a new site between Oak and Walnut on Second. Built in 1910, the station will be renovated to its original appearance and stocked with articles from Warden's past, said Mrs. Fritz Kliphardt, a member of the historical society. She said the society was formed this year, and has been contacting people for museum articles.

Difference of a Century Wilson Creek

First shot taken around 1910.

Second shot taken March 6, 2010

Remains of the roundhouse can be seen today, though the heavy brush makes it difficult. There is still a small depression of the turntable pit.

Bigger changes, of course, are in the size of the town, smaller now, and the size of the grain elevators, bigger now.

Grand Coulee Dam Tourist Train

Date unknown.

Photo courtesy of Mike Miller.

Joint Proposal of the NP and GN to the Dam

February, 20, 1934

Proposed rail route to Grand Coulee. - Route of the proposed Northern Pacific rail extension to the Grand Coulee dam site is shown by the broken line in this drawing. The interstate commerce commission granted authority to the railway Monday to build the line from Odair, northeast up the Grand Coulee to the dam site. The Great Northern and Northern Pacific have proposed to build the line jointly. The Great Northern would tap the extension from Adrian, as shown on the drawing.