EWG Power Near Wilbur

Photo by Roger Hepkema.

Two ex-MRL SD45's run light engine out of Wilbur, WA on the EWG on a cold and icy Nov 11, 2009.

Snowy Deep Creek View

Photo by Gary Durr.

March 2017

One sunny snowy day on the Eastern Washington Gateway RR... When I was not Working....,EWG Engineer, Bruce Butler eases the second half of a loaded train through Deep creek canyon with a single Former MRL SD45 pulling loads that were left at Hite...We had to reduce tonnage as we only had two units and they had to double the hill both down and up deep creek, as there were too many loads for the two SD45's to handle up deep creek and with no working dynamic breaks at this time, and lots of Ice build up on the rails, wheels and breaks of the cars, to many to handle safely on the long down hill also.

See Double-you Saturday!!

Photo courtesy of Blair Kooistra.

Blair says:

"Burlington Northern's CW Local has minimal tonnage and no revenue in tow as it passes beneath US Highway 2 near Govan, Washington, on September 27, 1980. By the end of the day, though, a full train of boxcars and covered hoppers loaded with wheat will tax the gathered seven locomotives assigned to the train--an A-B set of F-units and five geeps.

"Amid all the former Great Northern and Northern Pacific F-units working for BN in the Pacific Northwest, the train is led improbably by a former Spokane, Portland & Seattle locomotive, 712, a late-version (November 1948) F3A built as SP&S 802.

"The 712 led a curious career following the 1970 BN merger, continuing to work passenger trains in the Pacific Northwest until Amtrak's start in 1971 as the BN 9752. In 1972, she and her five sister SP&S F-units were converted to rotary snowplow power plants and renumbered into the 97255X series, painted in mineral red. BN's motive power shortage brought on by growth of Powder River coal brought the snowplow units back to regular service in their red paint and original BN numbers in 1974; she received green paint and her final BN number, 712 around 1976, assigned to the Spokane area. It was retired about a year after this photo, and finally scrapped in Tacoma in 1982."

EWG Transformer Special

Photo by Ted Curphey.

May 2017

EWG Transformer Special starting it's assault on 1.9% Deep Creek Hill. Deep Creek is a old community, even predating Spokane by years. It was a popular watering hole on the Colville trail when in the waning days of the 49'er gold strike in California, reports of gold in the Colville Mountains brought many a hard luck 49'er north along a path between Fort Walla Walla and Colville. But the Northern Transcon would bypass Deep Creek and favor Spokane with prosperity for decades to come. Today Deep Creek is a forgotten station on the old NP Central Washington RR, now operated by the Eastern Washington Gateway RR.

Eastern Washington Gateway's Transformer Special moving through Medical Lake this afternoon with Zachary Hastings and Gary Durr in charge.

1915 NP AFE Davenport Unloading Platform

Courtesy of the NPRHA.

Introducing The 329

Photo by Bruce Butler.

September 18, 2016

Saturday the 17th was a dreary, rainy day. 329 made its first run on the EWG. Seen here pulling storage cars off of the Geiger spur so some steel can be delivered to the customers.

CBRW 1626 At Othello

Photo by Ted Curphey.

CBRW at the old MILW yard in Othello, WA. 7-6-2009.

CBRW At Frischknecht

Photo by Gary Durr.

August 29, 2016

On my Birthday trip to Central Washington, here is One more shot of the CBRW's Connell turn... This time at the old NP station of Frischnecht, passing Connell Grain Growers elevators there on their return trip to Warden...Nice to see two SD-9's together pulling freight out in the open.... A good day for sure...

BN F45s At Wenatchee

Courtesy of Brian Ambrose.

May 14, 1983

"What could be more natural for St Patrick's Day 2021 than some BN green? And how about three F45's and an SD45? Westbound train 129 leaving Wenatchee, WA 5-14-83 for Stevens Pass and on to Seattle has units 6633/6641/6644/6459 leading the way (and two manned F45's mid way back in the train)."