MILW Ghosts of the Milwaukee--Lines West

HemiAdda2d Aug 27, 2007

  1. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Greg-

    I'd be surprised to learn that building was built by the RR. Sometimes they did buy or even lease existing structures. I have seen where they purchased houses, barns, chicken coops and even outhouses. Outside of steam days, I'm not aware of anything south of the tracks other than yard tracks owned. My information was the warehouses were owned by those shippers.

    Be sure to look closely at the AFE notes. Those will tell the real story. It could even have been built on leased out RR property, leased by a private party. But not owned or ever directly used by the RR.

    Unfortunately, I do not have an LT&S for Kittitas.

    Boxcab E50
     
  2. Greg Lussier

    Greg Lussier TrainBoard Supporter

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    Ken,

    I looked at my map and there is an AFE Number associated with a building date of 1930 for that building. It is labeled as a potato sorting shed. Almost all of the warehouses within the yard have AFE numbers corresponding to a construction date. Those that don't are labeled with the name of the owner.

    I'll see if I can dig up some more info. I was under the understanding that because those warehouses that showed a private ownership name listed on them and no AFE number were privately owned. Those that did have an AFE date and no private name on a railroad map were railroad owned, especially if a construction date was listed with the AFE number. But ill see what else I can find.

     
  3. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    If nothing else, maybe you could scan part of that drawing? Or perhaps I could get a copy from you, somehow? It seems odd to me the Milw would actually own a potato sorting shed. Certainly possible. But then you'd wonder if they owned some lineside grain elevators as well.

    I wonder of Gene Lawson would remember anything about those industries? His father having been a substation operator there...?

    By chance does that blueprint indicate the presence of a bulk oil distributor?

    Boxcab E50
     
  4. Greg Lussier

    Greg Lussier TrainBoard Supporter

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    Ken,

    I'll get you a scan.

    I've spoken to Gene about this before and he really doesn't remember who all the owners of those warehouses were. Of those he did remember were the one I mentioned had private names on my map. There are about 9 or so warehouses that were built during the 1930. Some of them were even enlarged towards the end of 1930s.

    Bulk Oil Distributor, I'm not sure what this is. Maybe you could explain to me and I'll look.
     
  5. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    The local fuel distributor. Heating oil sales, supplied the town gas stations, farms, etc.

    Boxcab E50
     
  6. Greg Lussier

    Greg Lussier TrainBoard Supporter

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    Ken,

    email sent to you.
     
  7. ak-milw

    ak-milw TrainBoard Member

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    Ken,
    I don't know about out west but here in Wisconsin the Milw. built and owned a whole lot of buildings and warehouses. The feed mill I run was built in about 1897 as a sugar beet and potatoe warehouse by Milw. They would load hopper cars from there. In about 1919 they leased the building and land to the local Framers co-op and they turned it into a feed mill. To this day the land and buildings are leased. Our fuel plant works the same way. Milw. had a few storage sheds on the land, it was leased to the co-op and they built the fuel plant. Each lease is good for 100 years, they were released in 1994.
     
  8. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Andy-

    I guess my point is that the buildings originally noted here were not directly used by the railroad. They were built for customers to lease, to attract shippers. Much like a modern industrial park, where those investors do not operate any of the companies within. They just lease out spaces.

    Boxcab E50
     
  9. Greg Lussier

    Greg Lussier TrainBoard Supporter

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    Andy,

    Sent Ken a map and some other info I have and yes it appears were coming up with the same theory. The building hemi photographed was built by the railroad and on land owned by the railroad. Whether the railroad used it directly is doubtful. Ken is probably right in the fact that the building was probably leased to a user.

    I'm going to see what I can find out about how long the Milw may have retained ownership of the building, as this is both of interest to Ken and I.

    Ken, because the Kittitas County assessor and auditors office has not completly moved into the digital world with anything older than 1985 I'm going to have to look through records in person to get an answer. I was actually hoping to get out the Eburg sometime within the next month or so. I'll try to set out a time to do this.
     
  10. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Greg-

    Of course there's no hurry. But curiosity can sure get a person going!

    Boxcab E50
     
  11. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    One thing about this building Hemi photo'd. I was just thinking of the views I caught in 2008. If this is the same building, as it should be- Only the ends of that structure were visible, as the rest was hidden behind some trees. So, this means I must stop back there again and take another picture!

    Boxcab E50
     
  12. PGE-N°2

    PGE-N°2 TrainBoard Member

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    Hey! Does anyone out there have any images of the Milwaukee's Sumas branch and the limestone quarry spur that existed there?

    I`m just wondering, because it would be nice to get a good view of the limestone quarry in the hopes of basing a model scene on it.
     
  13. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have only seen one published, that I can recall.

    See page 181 of "The MIlwauee Road" by Fred Hyde.

    If you have any luck, please share sources or if you can secure permission, re-post for us here on TrainBoard?

    Boxcab E50
     
  14. PGE-N°2

    PGE-N°2 TrainBoard Member

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    Well, I had a brain flash and tried to use one of the online map services to try and locate something. This one was MSN's bing.com search service which provides bird's eye views of some locations.

    Anyway, these images are from an apparent limestone quarry that I suspect might have been at the end of the Sumas Branch... It is in relative proximity to the area of Sumas, located near a place that is still called Limestone Junction today in a small town called Peaceful Valley, and it is at the end of a road called Limestone Rd.

    These are views looking:

    East...
    [​IMG]

    South...
    [​IMG]

    West...
    [​IMG]

    And North...
    [​IMG]

    You can clearly see what still looks to be a quarry operation and loading silo, which looks very similar to the one I saw in a picture of the limestone spur posted online once.

    If it does turn out I don`t have clearance to post these directly, I will replace them with links.
     
  15. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Yes. If no permission, please do substitute links. We have had unhappy people contact us in the past...

    And yes. That is the reload site. You've found it.

    Boxcab E50
     
  16. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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  17. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Yup. Been in the works a while. But surely won't happen until the snows are gone in almost mid-2011. Yes. It's snowing in much of Montana right now.

    Boxcab E50
     
  18. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

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    That loop thru the loader is where the tracks went, so the line never ended, just like a model railroad! :teeth:
    Theres also a couple pics in different volumes of Warren Wings books as well, just can't remember which ones.
     
  19. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I hope they finished as planned. There have been light snows in foothills, and mountains have had a couple of good heavy ones already. The past 24 hours, 5-6 down on the valley floors. So this should be snowed in now. Where is the rotary? Call the Snow King!

    Boxcab E50
     
  20. montananext

    montananext TrainBoard Member

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    Hi - one of the ways to cover a couple of hundred miles of Milwaukee Road right of way and structures in a weekend is to visit Harlowton. Coming from the west, drive to Townsend (via Helena). If you have an extra half day, drive east/south of Townsend (toward Three Forks) for about twenty miles and exit at Toston. From there you can find your way Lombard (although the gravel road is a bit rough) where the Milw. crossed the Missouri River. Otherwise turn left on Townsend's main drag and travel through Deep Creek Canyon (beautiful drive). When you come out of the canyon about nine miles from White Sulphur Springs, turn right (before you get to White Sulphur) or southeast where you will find the old White Sulphur Springs Yellowstone Park and Pacific Railway on the left or north side of the highway. If you are in a hurry, turn left at the country junction to Lennep/Martinsdale just a couple of miles before you reach Ringling. As you start this route, the WSSPYP is on your left before it crosses the highway. One your right you will see the Milw. Road grade off in the distance. You will climb Loweth (or Summit) hill and come upon the Loweth substation right by the highway. You will cross the Milw. Road grade but will stay very close to it all the way to Harlowton. We recommend a stop at the Bair Family museum at Martinsdale which you will drive right by when you turn off just before Martinsdale to access Highway 12. As you travel to Harlowton the Milw. right of way is to your right. See the substation at Two Dot. Drive into Harlowton, stop at the museum on main street and the depot at the foot of main street. Both are open on the weekends and the depot has just been refurbished. The museum holds the largest collection of Milwaukee Road HO models in the United States - some 550 models. From Harlowton you can travel east for 100 miles plus along the Milw. right of way coming out at Forsyth (and connect with I-90 for the return trip home) or you can travel north to Lewistown along the Milw. right of way (on the left) then on the Great Falls and home. If you find yourself in Three Forks, spend the hight or have at least have dinner at the newly renovated (two millions dollars worth) Sacajawea Hotel. The hotel was built as the Milwaukee Road's grand entrance to Yellowstone Park in 1910 and the renovation takes it back to those days but will all modern conveniences A nice three day trip. John Shontz, Helena, Montana
     

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