Although I'm not going to do so, as it isn't my very favorite railroad, this has excellent potential. It's the two end to end branches GN had in north western Montana. Columbia Falls-Kalispell, and Kalispell- Somers. I had the honor of browsing through a 1950's engine register from Kalispell this week. An old GN employee had saved it from the trash. A wealth of information! What a variety once roamed those tracks! NW2, SW7, RS1, RS2, RS3, GP7, GP9, F3A, F7A, and even FA1 units. Passenger extras, special trains hauling cherries out. Heavy local traffic six days a week. Boxcab E50 [ January 21, 2006, 11:09 PM: Message edited by: BoxcabE50 ]
My version of the perfect GN branch (GN IS my favorite) was the line to Mansfield, WA. It starts out at the Columbia River at, Columbia River Siding. Lots of traffic potential just running my on the main. The branch itself ran through an old channel of the Columbia River, called Moses Coulee. After reaching Palisades, mountain grades were encountered, with a 2.2% grade to the top of the plateau. Also had a tunnel partway up the grade. Back in the day, there was another railroad linking to the branch at Douglas, which ran the 5 miles to Waterville. It mainly had wheat as its traffic, with a little bit of passenger. It was pulled up about 1950. The main traffic was grain from the plateau and fruit from a spot or 2 in Moses Coulee. There was mixed train service to the 1950s. The track was never really upgraded to handlde heavy cars, so grain was only transported in 40 foot boxcars. In BN days, 2 GP9s were generally power for the trains, with power in GN days being similar. Units usually were dynamic brake equipped for the grades. This was not a popular run with train crews though. Men came from the Spokane/Wenatchee pool. Catching this run usually meant 3 days out of your week in the middle of no where. Lets say you caught a run to Wenatchee, which would be around 8 hours, max. You got your rest in Wenatchee, then took the Mansfield train up the branch. Track speed was slow, so you took the whole 12 hours up. Get your rest, about the same time back to Wenatchee, then your rest again. I found it a captivating branch with the scenery in places unmatched anywhere, even though motive power variety may not have been the best. Traffic had passenger runs, ice reefers, grain boxes, and I am sure a few other types in minority, so there was some variety.
BoxcabE50, Microsofts train simulator game does one from Kkalispell to Whitefish. Do this one you run a engine and four box cars during part of the trip you have drop of a box car at a lumber mill. Alan
I've heard of this. Am wondering what other features it has? The route? Main commodity on the line today probably would be grain or lumber. Back in the 1950's, grain, lumber, cherries, fuel distributors, and more. What trackage shows? Between Kalispell, and Columbia Falls, there are two major features. The siding at LaSalle. And "Soldier's Home Hill" to reach the main line at Columbia Falls. Rumor has it that Watco just blew up their SW1500, trying to make that hill with a big cut of cars. Boxcab E50
