Stumbled upon this yesterday. Milwaukee Road's Substation #9 at Ravenna, Montana. Since this was done, unfortunately this video might have been a reason by attracting public attention, a bunch of vandalism has been done. This building is on private property of a nearby ranch, so access is only by permission, or trespassing. [video=youtube;PFdtUNHP-ps]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFdtUNHP-ps[/video]
I just wish I could have seen it in its heyday. The only pic I have of SS#9: Near it, some rare trolley poles:
This is an old substation that I drive by every day. The old building is now a private residence. I just used the Google Earth photo as I didn't want to intrude on the residents. It is across from the Bozeman Hot Springs on US 191 at Four Corners.
This is the old Gallatin Valley Electric RY substation. The MILW bought this line as part of their gaining access to locations south of Bozeman.
Very interesting! I know almost nothing of this line. Is this near the old line to Manhattan? First glance, I knew it wasn't MILW, but I had no idea who owned it.
Yes. There also was a nice brick GV (then MILW) passenger depot in Bozeman. But it was later used as a welding shop, had some fire damage, disused, vandalized and then demolished.
The Milwaukee did own it. They bought the Gallatin Electric railway in the late teens or early 20's which owned the power station. This line ran from the Bozeman Hot Springs, about 6 miles south of Belgrade to Salesville, which is now Gallatin Gateway. When the Milwaukee Road built the Gallatin Gateway Inn, the town changed it's name.
[TABLE] [TR] [TD="width: 600, bgcolor: #b0e0e6, colspan: 3"][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="align: left"] [TABLE] [TR] [TD="colspan: 2"] [FONT=Times New Roman, Georgia, serif] The Gallatin Valley Electric Railway was Incorporated in the State of Montana on 18 March 1908. The name was changed to the Gallatin Valley Railway on 8 September 1910, and the line opened on 1 November 1910. In 1911 the entire stock of the company was purchased by the Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway, and the line was thereafter run as a branch of the Milwaukee Road. The engineer of the line was John S. McKenna of Spokane. The line extended 27 miles south from Three Forks Junction on the Milwaukee Road's main line to Bozeman Hot Springs, thence about 11 miles east to Bozeman and another 25 miles more or less due north to Menard, bringing it to a point 17 miles east and 6 miles south of the other end of the line at Three Forks. There were two branches, one 5 miles long from Belgrade Junction to Belgrade, and another which ran 15 miles south from Bozeman to Salesville, now known as Gallatin Gateway, where there was access to the Yellowstone National Park and a large railway hotel, which still exists, called the Gallatin Gateway Inn. The company also absorbed the Bozeman Street Railway company which had been built by the Gallatin Light, Power & Railway Company and opened in 1892 and operated street cars in Bozeman itself. The line from Bozeman to Gallatin Gateway was electrified until 1930, and the Bozeman Street Railway was, of course, also electric. The line between Bozeman and Three Forks and the Belgrade branch were operated using steam locomotives. [/FONT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD="align: left"] [TABLE] [TR] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][FONT="Times"][COLOR=face="Times]Main and branch line trains at Three Forks in 1917[/COLOR][/FONT][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][FONT="Times"][COLOR=face="Times]Preferred stock certificate from the Gallatin Valley Electric Railway [/COLOR][/FONT][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [/TD] [TD="align: left"] [TABLE] [TR] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][FONT="Times"][COLOR=face="Times]Map of the Gallatin Valley Railway excertped from the Milwaukee Road system map[/COLOR][/FONT][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][FONT="Times"][COLOR=face="Times]Bozeman streetcar, c. 1895[/COLOR][/FONT][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
Acquired it December 31, 1918. There is a blueprint drawing of the Bozeman depot on my web site. Look in "TOUR", the click "Models, Papers....."
There was a nice article in The Milwaukee Railroader (MRHA) a few years back, on the GVE. Written by Milt Clark, of Missoula. A back issue might still be available. Not sure of the issue number, but a search can be made of their article database on the Milwaukee Road Historical Association web site: www.mrha.com Somewhere I also have one or two GV employee timetable photocopies. Hey, Chet, I am also a stock holder! Here is mine:
It's amazing how much history on the Milwaukee Road is here. I live less than a mile from the Gallatin Gateway inn, and I can remember them still servicing the Grain elevator in Gallatin Gateway until it burned down in 1976 I believe. Here are a couple of other Google Earth pictures in Bozeman, the old Milwaukee freight depot right across the street from the NP freight depot. It's nice to see that the present owners are keeping the presence of the old railroads on their buildings. The Ale Works has an excellent selection of micro brews.
I have in the last year, searched and searched my files, (mess), for the slide I took of the MILW Bozeman Freight House thirty some years ago. I cannot find it anywhere. I found the one taken of the NP depot across the street that same day... Rats!!!!!!
Sounds like old timers disease to me. I have it too. Here's a picture of the lobby of the Gallatin Gateway Inn taken not too long before it was closed.
None. It's owned by the bank and up for sale. Back in the late 70's and early 80's, before it was restored, it was my local watering hole. Larry Hilliard who owned it at the time was a good friend. He wasted to restore it, but due to the economy at the time, he couldn't raise the funds. The only thing operating at the time was the bar. I had wandered through the entire building and there was some great old photos and artifacts all over the place. I probably could have got some from Larry, but with his thoughts of restoration, we wanted to keep as much of the old items as possible. He even talked me into refereeing ladies mud wrestling which was done in the main dining room, which was completely empty at the time. It doesn't take much to amuse us out here.
