Flathead Tunnel

[HemiAdda2d]

When was it constructed? With as much press as the Cascade Tunnel got, Flathead nearly got forgotten, it seems. Why was it built? What line did it replace?

[Kurt Moose]

Started around 1968 and finished around 1970 when BN took over?

[HemiAdda2d]

Wow, I didn't think it was so late in GN's existence?!
Can anyone confirm this?

[Kurt Moose]

According to Annual reports from GN on Lindsay Korst's site, it was first planned in early '65, drilling started mid-'66, and finished winter of '70. :D

[HemiAdda2d]

Finished before the merger?

[Kurt Moose]

Nope. First train thru had a BN green F45 on the point thru the "first train thru" banner across the tracks. If you have access to the GN book from Pacific Fast Mail, it has several picks of the construction and that pic of the first train thru.

[HemiAdda2d]

Another book added to the 'Gotta have' list....

[SDP45]

It was built because of a dam being constructed along the river, which would flood a lot of the then current line.

[BoxcabE50]

It was built due to the Libby Dam project. Which created Lake Koocanusa. (Name is a creative combination of Kootenai River, Canada, and USA.) There was a major line relocation also involved. The old line ran north to Eureka, before turning south along the Kootenai River. The new line cut off at Stryker, and continued to near Jennings. The old main line Stryker to Eureka beacme a branch. Which is today operated by Watco as part of their oddly named Mission Mountain Railroad.

The contractor was Morrison-Knudsen. Who built the track, using their own RR engines, etc. There is even some paperwork (train orders) on this in the Stumptown Museum, Whitefish, Montana.

Sorry. It was not finished before the BN merger. If that web site says so, it's wrong.

Boxcab E50

[HemiAdda2d]

Never knew that!!
M-K built the Rio Grande's Potash branch in the 60's as well. They seem to be well equipped for such heavy construction.
Couldn't find much data on FT on the internet, so I came here! :)

[BoxcabE50]

Something else. I'd forgotten. At Stryker, with the change in alignment, there was a new depot (train order office) built. Which was quite a waste of money. As when the new line was activated, it went in as CTC. They only kept an operator on duty about a week. And that job was pulled.

I just talked to a retired GN man. And as far as he remembers, there was never a train order copied at the new office. It was just used by m-o-w people, etc.

When the CTC went in, all train order jobs between Sandpoint, and Whitefish were eliminated. Libby, Troy, Eureka, Stryker. Gone.

Boxcab E50

[twomule]

Sorry to dig up an old thread...

I grew up in Libby, born 1963. Remember this project well believe it or not. Our population almost tripled overnight, dam and railroad workers. Seems like most of my memories growing up was watching the progress of the dam, bridges and railroad realignment, it seemed odd when it was all complete, because many of my friends left town for a new project somewhere else. The railroad left the river and proceeded up the Fisher River Valley, the thru Wolf Praire, the tunnel, Eureka. I did not know this but the ORIGINAL GN alignment went close to this same location, up the Fisher River ( which part the Fisher River Road is obviously a RR grade) Not sure where it left the valley but it went thru the area called Lost Praire(I think?) around McGregor Lake, along HWY 2 into Kalispell. Does anyone know of a pictures of this orignal alignment ?

[twomule]

The old alignment going north up the river.
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=48.362964&lon=-115.320847&z=17&l=0&m=a&v=2

The old RR grade that is now the Fisher River Road. The "new BN track is east of the Fisher River.
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=48.272854&lon=-115.305204&z=16&l=0&m=a&v=2

The old GN grade east of Kalispell

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=48.196163&lon=-114.370363&z=18&l=0&m=a&v=2

Trestle remains a little east of Kalispell, across a marsh, Hwy 2 is clearly visible.

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=48.107109&lon=-114.469997&z=17&l=0&m=a&v=2

It gets hard to track after this point.

[Mr. SP]

The Flathead Tunnel is transited by Amtrak's Empire Builder. East bound you get to the tunnel around 05:30 West bound it is about 21:00 or so.
Make the trip from Seattle to Havre and back and you get the two longest tunnels in the US. Cascade and Flathead.

[BoxcabE50]

Sorry to dig up an old thread...

I grew up in Libby, born 1963. Remember this project well believe it or not. Our population almost tripled overnight, dam and railroad workers. Seems like most of my memories growing up was watching the progress of the dam, bridges and railroad realignment, it seemed odd when it was all complete, because many of my friends left town for a new project somewhere else. The railroad left the river and proceeded up the Fisher River Valley, the thru Wolf Praire, the tunnel, Eureka. I did not know this but the ORIGINAL GN alignment went close to this same location, up the Fisher River ( which part the Fisher River Road is obviously a RR grade) Not sure where it left the valley but it went thru the area called Lost Praire(I think?) around McGregor Lake, along HWY 2 into Kalispell. Does anyone know of a pictures of this orignal alignment ?

Those two grades parted at Jennings. The old was actually slightly north of the Lost Prairie area. Passing through Pleasant Valley. Somewhere out there, was a (train order) telegraph office. Which must have been a very lonely job.

Boxcab E50

[Kevin M]

Where is Peterson? Why did the GN change the alingment in the first place, I am guessing it was so they could have a river grade but was there another reason?
Kevin

[BoxcabE50]

Trestle remains a little east of Kalispell, across a marsh, Hwy 2 is clearly visible.

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=48.107109&lon=-114.469997&z=17&l=0&m=a&v=2

It gets hard to track after this point.

This is the west side of Kila. A little less than ten miles west of Kalispell. I've been across that road bridge at right a fair number of times. Between Kila and Kalispell, the old RR grade is now all a hike/bike trail.

Further west, you can see the old r-o-w, as it clings to the rock face above Highway 2. You can also still see the r-o-w in Marion. Although construction is fast obliterating that. And on north past Little Bitterroot Lake, you can see it, all the way up to where the former east portal tunnel mouth is buried. On the east side, part of the road is atop the old r-o-w, through Pleasant Valley.

Boxcab E50

[twomule]

Somewhere out there, was a (train order) telegraph office. Which must have been a very lonely job.

Boxcab E50

LOL, a very lonely job, but Paradise Valley was (and still is I'm sure) great hunting country.

Thanks for that info Boxcab, I've always traced the old ROW going home to Libby, but never have really ventured up in that area (Lost Praire and Bitteroot Lake) that I can remember anyway.

[BoxcabE50]

Actually, Lost Prairie is a ways south of where the old r-o-w was located. You need to drive north/west, and over another hill, into Pleasant Valley. The way roads exist in there, you can make a loop off Highway 2. Pleasant Valley Road starts at Hiway 2 in Marion. Follow it over Haskell Pass, and in Pleasant Valley, just west of Dahl Lake, you junction back to Lost Prairie, then over the hill and down to 2 at McGregor Lake.

BTW- Lost Prairie these days is known as a place where skydivers congregate. There's a little airfield. Last summer, sadly, there was a multi-fatality accident....

We have a friend up there. If I memory works tonight, they even attended grade school at Pleasant Valley. Might recall enough, to show us where that train order office once stood. Perhaps when the snow is gone the wife and I can go visit. Sounds like a good excuse...

Boxcab E50

[twomule]

If you go, the restaurant at McGregor Lake has great food (at least they did in 2006)
I heard about the plane crash, pretty tragic.
I plan on visiting the parents again in Polson this summer. Last year we spent most of our time in Yellowstone country, this year I would like to just hang around NW Montana, go up to Frank Lake (by Eureka) , Glacier Park, etc. I need to go to Libby for an X-ray of my lungs. I'm sure you know the story about Libby, my dad worked that mine from 68 till it was shut down.

EDIT: Found the website I have been looking for, thanks Boxcab, "Haskell Pass" was the search I needed. Pretty interesting site on the pass.

http://www.goatlick.com/chasing/haskell/may02.htm


"In the winter of 1891, Charles Haskell set out to locate a route for the Great Northern Railway between Kalispell and the Kootenai River. Ranging as far north as the Canadian Border, the Haskell Party eventually returned to Kalispell in early spring, having crossed a low notch in the Salish Mountains on the return trip. Haskell delivered his report to James Hill, and the following year, construction was begun on what was to be the first of three Great Northern lines through the Salish. Completed in 1892, the Haskell Pass line ran from Kalispell to Marion, then alongside Little Bitterroot lake, looping up on a high trestle over Herrig Creek, then through a 1425 foot long tunnel, emerging high on the mountains above Pleasant Valley. Gently descending to the valley floor, the line then turned north along Island Creek, then west down Wolf Creek, to the Fisher River, and then north to the Kootenai River Valley.

Just ten years later, however, this line was abandoned in favor of a line which bypassed Kalispell and was 20 miles longer, a decision which still invokes a high degree of controversy. Eventually, however, this line would also perish under the Libby Dam reservoir in 1970, with the third and final rerouting constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, including the 7 mile long Flathead Tunnel. Inronically, the present day route through the Salish uses the same Wolf Creek - Fisher River route as the original! In late 2001 I started a project to relocate what was left of the orignial line. Railroads which have been abandoned a century ago present a particular challenge, since records are inexact (if they exist at all) and a century of exposure to the harsh Montana weather will usually wipe out any mere creation of man. However, with a bunch of clues and a decent GPS receiver (Garmin eTrex Vista), I set out over Memorial Day 2002 to find what was left of the Haskell Pass Line."

[BoxcabE50]

Kevin-

If you ever get a chance to visit Haskell Pass, you'll quickly see why they changed that routing.

The approaches to that tunnel, either side, were a nightmare in bad weather. Snow slides, etc. Plus the east side had a lot of winding along the mountain. The new route eliminated these headaches.

Also, noting the passage twomule quotes, about controversy- Whew. I can only imagine how Kalispell might be today. Especially with the dolts in current city government. Whining, whimpering. Ugh. The RR must be glad just because of this!

Boxcab E50

[BoxcabE50]

I need to go to Libby for an X-ray of my lungs. I'm sure you know the story about Libby, my dad worked that mine from 68 till it was shut down.

Yes. We have certainly heard plenty about this. :tb-sad:

Boxcab E50

[Kurt Moose]

Hey, thanks to "twomule" for that site! I thought I had seen every GN related sight out there!

[Rosemary]

Hi, I found this board because I was doing some research on the RR near Lost Prairie/Pleasant Valley. My husband and I are going exploring this spring, and we are going to try to find some of the old line. The reason that I am posting is because I saw that you were discussing Lost Prairie. I'm not very old, (33) but I was born and raised in Lost Prairie. I went to Pleasant Valley School until the ninth grade. It was a one room schoolhouse. :) The skydiving airport is right next door to me. I remember that terrible accident last summer. It was just awful.

I just wanted to say hi, and thank you for all of the links. That really helps me! I think my husband and I might hang around for awhile and learn some things.

~Rosemary & Paul

[BoxcabE50]

Rosemary-

Welcome to TrainBoard!

A good portion of the old grade is still there. Although it's slowly being wiped out. Look at all the houses being built in Marion, and up toward the Lake.

I have not been up to the former (Haskell Pass) tunnel in a few years. But am told the access at it's east end isn't as in the past. Those old support tumbers inside were always fascinating for me.

Boxcab E50

[HemiAdda2d]

Welcome aboard, Rosemary!
I gotta get up there someday. So much history!

[ladybngnfan]

It was built due to the Libby Dam project. Which created Lake Koocanusa. (Name is a creative combination of Kootenai River, Canada, and USA.) There was a major line relocation also involved. The old line ran north to Eureka, before turning south along the Kootenai River. The new line cut off at Stryker, and continued to near Jennings. The old main line Stryker to Eureka beacme a branch. Which is today operated by Watco as part of their oddly named Mission Mountain Railroad.

The contractor was Morrison-Knudsen. Who built the track, using their own RR engines, etc. There is even some paperwork (train orders) on this in the Stumptown Museum, Whitefish, Montana.

Sorry. It was not finished before the BN merger. If that web site says so, it's wrong.

Boxcab E50

FYI: Anybody wanting to know more about the dam itself, and the circumstances surrounding its construction, there is an old book that I have read several times over the years. It's called "Taming the Columbia River" by Sabra Holbrook, copyrighted 1968. The book is written for young people, but it tells the story quite nicely from the perspective of the various groups of people involved in the project and about the challenges they faced. Libby Dam is one of four dams that were part of a treaty between the US and Canada to build dams on the Columbia River in Canada. The Columbia begins at Columbia Lake near the BC/Alberta border, next to Banff and Jasper National Parks. At one time, the Columbia was prone to flooding, so the US and Canada got together, and after some work between the two governments, the two nations put together a treaty to build and operate the dams. As I said before, there are four dams that are part of the treaty: Libby, which is the only dam of the four in the US and the only one that is not directly on the Columbia, instead on the Kootenai, a tributary of the Columbia, Hugh Keenlyside (formerly known as Arrow, but now named for one of the elected officials who helped to bring the treaty into existence), Duncan, and Mica Creek. Anyone wanting to know more about Libby Dam and the other dams that are part of the treaty, should read this book. It's quite fascinating. It does not have much to say about the railroad and how it was affected by the dam, though.

[Kurt Moose]

Hi Rosemary!! Great to see another "Goat" follower on here!!:teeth: Welcome!!

[twomule]

Hello Rosemary, welcome to the "board".
Remember, if you go exploring, take many pics and post them here! :tb-rolleyes:

[twomule]

Great Northern station Libby Montana 1948

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa28/twomule/Libby%20Montana%20Logging/GNLibbyMTJune261948.jpg

[HemiAdda2d]

Sweet! Very nice shot of GN F's in action!

[twomule]

This is the west side of Kila. A little less than ten miles west of Kalispell. I've been across that road bridge at right a fair number of times. Between Kila and Kalispell, the old RR grade is now all a hike/bike trail.

Further west, you can see the old r-o-w, as it clings to the rock face above Highway 2. You can also still see the r-o-w in Marion. Although construction is fast obliterating that. And on north past Little Bitterroot Lake, you can see it, all the way up to where the former east portal tunnel mouth is buried. On the east side, part of the road is atop the old r-o-w, through Pleasant Valley.

Boxcab E50

Ken, while I was in the area, I dropped by Stumptown Museum, they had a nice map of the old Haskell Pass Grade. Thanks for the mention of the museum on another thread. The had some great pics, but they are copyrighted so I will not post them here. For those interested in the old route..

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa28/twomule/PICT3214.jpg

Area 20-14 and 25 is the location of Haskell Pass and the tunnel.
Area 6 is Marion MT where the ROW leaves Hwy 2
Area 7 along the East shore of Little Bitteroot Lake.
Area 26 is Pleasant Valley
West of Area 29 is where it joined the Wolf Praire/Fisher River region.



http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa28/twomule/PICT3218.jpg

[BoxcabE50]

One thing I do not like- That black wrought iron fence! It makes valuable photos of the Bruck, and Rocky, impossible.

We have a friend who attended school at Pleasant Valley. Still lives out there part time.

Boxcab E50