Where are all the BN fans? Out celebrating? Today, March 2nd, is the 36th anniversary of "M" day!!!! Boxcab E50
What he said! I celebrated it by heading to the rr club meeting tonite, and watching a pair of BNSF H2 SD70MACs pull a long manifest...
Well, I guess so far I'm the only one in favor for the BN, most likely because I was born in 82 and their locos were the cleanest on rail at the time due to new paint. I remember being very young in Moses Lake and watching a huge green loco make its way down the small branch line along the lake. Sometimes the engineer and crew would stop their train in back of the motel my parents owned and cross our property in order to eat at the dinner along Broadway. I can remember being in rooms with my parents changing helping (like any young kid wants to do) bed sheets and just hearing the rumble of a loco standing idle while the crew left it. Below are some pictures of the former milw tracks shortly after the bn took over. My parents are building a dock for our motel guests. Soon after this picture was taken the switch was removed by bn. Notice the ash along the tracks from Mt. St. Helens. this next one shows the switch removed along with the track. the old milw depot was just down aways from this photo. but it was gone before the bn got there.
Greg, What hotel are you referring to in Moses Lake? I too have BN memories from Moses Lake, including a cab ride on the 2103 in 1986. I moved to Moses Lake in 1983. My fondest memories are from Coulee City on the end of the CW branch, watching strings of early Geeps and F units work the elevator tracks with hoppers and boxcars, all in BN paint. Also, I believe that though the merger took place on the 2nd, the first day of merged operations were on the 3rd.
Greg, That MILW depot was torn down in 1979. Same guy who has those 2 photos I emailed you about has a good shot of that depot before it was ripped out.
Dan, hey I just realized I'm talking to the smae dan...hahaha. My parents owned the Lakeside Motel. they bought it in 80 and we lived there until 86. However, my dad did not sell it untill later in the 80's. So I made 'business' trips with him out there. that's where I get my love for the renslow trestle, seeing that thing everytime we traveled east from tacoma on I-90. I too have some photos of the milw depot. I'd be interested in seeing if the same ones I have. I think I have about 4 or so. I have been looking for these kinds of photos in moses lake for my layout.
Dan- No it wasn't. I took a picture of Milw Moses Lake depot the Fall of 1981. With the ground covered by volcanic ash from Mount St.Helens..... Boxcab E50
First day of operations should have been the 2nd of March. I have employee timetables from several Divisions showing their being effective on that date. So with the issuance of those TT, accompanied by various bulletins, all previous RR operations were thereby abolished.... Boxcab E50
haha, this thread has turned into a BN/Milw forum! We'll I guess both RR used the line so it's kind of fair.