Next weekend *this weekend is out, for obvious reasons*, I should be able to try to shoot the other end of this area.. I hope. *fingers crossed* wefliuwfiuluui eioefowe Oh yeah, dummy, uncross them when typing!!
Ok so I got some brand spanking new pics for you taken just this last sat. It is too bad the weather was bad, as I like the sunny side of Eastern WA but nevertheless did not want to miss the opportunity. First - As promised here is a picture of the two new huge steel towers they just added on the west end of renslow. Next: I am not sure about my statement but someone (ken) correct me if I'm wrong but the Ellensburg Depot and surrounding buildings were destroyed, correct? Answer, yes and no.... Boy do I have a nice surprise for those who thought all the physical Milw contents were destroyed in Ellensburg. Here is the foundation outline of the Ellensburg Depot, camera looking west. ROW is to the right. One of the members from the heritage center (the group I am working with to create a RR exhibit for this years fair) informed me that not all the depot was destroyed. His friend took a piece of it and it is in this persons yard. Well this thread would be useless without the pics!!!!! SO ON WITH THEM!!!! * * * * * * * * Here is a screen cap of the same building standing next to the depot. It stood on the west end of the depot. The owner has added a few additions to it. Next time in June when another meeting is going to be held the board member is going to try and get a hold of his friend (he was not home this time) and see if he'll let us in to snap some pics. We'll see if there is anything he has not changed. Apparently he uses it as his art studio. If you knew about this sorry I did have anything new for you. But it sound to me like a lot of people out there thought the Milw depot was destroyed. While this was not attached it may have served as some kind of storage building or something to that extent.
There had been a rumor for years this might actually exist. Nobody had ever presented evidence! Boxcab E50
Now I can't remember if this was actually a seperate freight house, or just a baggage room. It was located just at the west end of the depot. Boxcab E50
I'll try and find out. maybe the person who has it now may know. The person who has it is the original person who took it before they torn down the depot. Actually Ed might know too. He worked there in the 50's.
Same person who moved it? That's interesting. Did they also tear down the depot? Or was it someone else? Boxcab E50
Well i mean the person who originally took it still owns it. They never moved and then a new home owner acquired it with the property. I am not sure if the owner moved it himself or had someone move it for him. I can find out though!
Windows Live Local is better than Google Earth IMHO... I don't think GE wouldhave found this, still in servicewith Central Montana RR, on the old LW, between GF and Lewistown, MT: http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=47.170227~-109.648211&style=h&lvl=16&rtp=pos.47.495643_-111.217254_5510%208th%20ave.%20s%2c%20great%20falls%2c%20MT~pos.47.167529_-109.644062_Destination Or this: http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=47.25607~-109.755231&style=h&lvl=16&rtp=pos.47.495643_-111.217254_5510%208th%20ave.%20s%2c%20great%20falls%2c%20MT~pos.47.167529_-109.644062_Destination And another: http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=47.216245~-109.701812&style=h&lvl=16&rtp=pos.47.495643_-111.217254_5510%208th%20ave.%20s%2c%20great%20falls%2c%20MT~pos.47.167529_-109.644062_Destination And a tunnel: http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=47.273741~-109.790282&style=h&lvl=16&rtp=pos.47.495643_-111.217254_5510%208th%20ave.%20s%2c%20great%20falls%2c%20MT~pos.47.167529_-109.644062_Destination And a neat loop, like Vendome or Adair: http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=47.352315~-110.198772&style=h&lvl=14&rtp=pos.47.495643_-111.217254_5510%208th%20ave.%20s%2c%20great%20fall%20s%2c%20MT~pos.47.167529_-109.644062_Destination
I plan on it. BTW, a short search on Central Montana Rail led to these neat sites: Here's a shot I found on that site: Ken Ziegenbein shot: Sage Creek Trestle: http://www.trainweather.com/may252004.html and http://www.trainweb.org/chris/rare20042.html This guy has ridden nearly 1,000,000 miles on rails.... Unreal site and pics he has. CHRIS GUENZLER photo: Those trestles actually have names, BTW! Sage Creek, Judith River, etc. The tight loop I noted above is Surprise Canyon Loop. Neat shots!
You'll find a lot of Milw places have a name associated. Probably not altogether unique to this one company. But some of the names are certainly interesting! Boxcab E50
We arrive at Boylston! Can you find the deer in this picture? They ran off from us as we rode up on Boylston. Pictures taken at the west end switch just before entering Boylston.
Looking west, where the Boylston Depot once stood. I am not sure when it was torn down. No one really seems to know...I think after 1953 but before 1970. Anyhow, the railroad would station a person here. There was a small living quarters attached to the depot. Looking west. This is what the personel stationed at the depot would have seen as he looked out his back window. Now we head towards the tunnel. Boylston had a siding and a small spur style track. You can kind of see the ROW is a little bigger here. The siding would have been to the left of the picture. Most of it is grown over with grass. Just before the tunnel it turns back into the single main.
Here it is Johnson Creek Tunnel or Tunnel 45 with yours truly standing in front of it. Inside, a few more feet in the sidewalls become bare rock and home to a bunch of pigeons. They were nesting inside the cracks of the rock. We were in complete darkness and all we heard was some ruffling and could not figure out what it was. I was not sure if some army kid was driving some hummer on the other end about to enter with us inside! Turned out to be pigeons. Interesting though: on top of hill at Boylston I found this: Looks to be abandoned a long time ago.
and a nice closing picture for this weeks essay. This was taken from the top of Boylston. Another view of just some of the many hills of the Saddles.
Would have been a quiet and lonely life style. But you wouldn't have been too isolated. When built, the line had telegraph operators every five to ten miles. (Renslow, Rye, etc.) By the time only Boylston remained, there were roads and motor vehicles. Sometimes the silence is nice. Sometimes, not. Boxcab E50
Thanks for the tour!! Sure is some lonely country. Is that the old electrified zone from Othello to the coast? Anyone know of a book detailing the MILW in Washington? I have a book for ID, and I found one today at Helena for Montana(overpriced, but I should have just bought it).
