Fro the Shortlines group on Yahoo!, this report. Original source unknown. Owner wants to bring back historic Camas Prairie railroad line [Source unknown.] CRAIGMONT -- Continuing efforts to open the railroad from Spalding to Cottonwood were apparent Monday as work was done on the U.S. Highway 95 crossing at Craigmont. "We have been working full time for the last five months," said Stan Patterson, manager of the BG&CM Railroad. The work Monday was to smooth the rail crossing for highway vehicles. Patterson says a pep talk from the line's owner, Mike Williams, left him believing there is no other intent than to reintroduce locomotives to the line, which hasn't seen traffic in four years. "(Williams) said the price of steel could double and we wouldn't tear it up," Patterson said. Williams, a Missouri-based railroad salvager, bought the line in 2002 with the intent of opening it to freight and eventually tourist traffic. Williams has maintained that, although his main business is salvaging, he has no intention of ripping up the historic Camas Prairie line. Patterson said Williams has hired a track maintenance employee, Frank Thomas, who used to work on the Camas Prairie Railroad. He and Patterson have been clearing track and fixing bridges. "We had more bridge work than we thought," Patterson said. Rocks also hadn't been cleared from the rail bed since 1992. Clearing rocks isn't as easy as tossing them over the edge, Patterson said, because through the Lapwai Canyon, the track switches back, and rocks rolled over the edge would land on the rail below. Hunters are also an issue when it comes to rolling rocks. "You never know who is below you," Patterson said. All the loose rocks had to be hauled out and dumped elsewhere. Patterson's former business partner, Cody Dodson, quit. "We weren't close to running a train, so I didn't have to keep an engineer on the payroll," Patterson said. When they are ready, they will find another engineer, he said. "They aren't that hard to come by." Because the BG&CM Railroad is a contract company, all the shipping is scheduled ahead of time, and business can operate Monday to Friday during regular business hours. This is appealing to engineers coming from larger railroads where they work nights and weekends, Patterson said. Patterson said he is optimistically looking at the spring for the first train to run, but it could be summer. "We missed harvest (this year), so there is no real hurry now," Patterson said. "But I am really looking forward to running a train up there. It will be nice to have a positive impact on a community and on railroading." Ties that bind Camas Prairie RailNet abandoned the Camas Prairie line from Spalding to Grangeville in September 2000. Much effort was put into finding a buyer and reopening the line. A salvage company purchased the line and began tearing out rail from Grangeville to Cottonwood in December 2002. Almost immediately, Mike Williams, a Missouri-based railroad salvager, bought the line and began work toward restoring service to Cottonwood. Two years later the line has not yet seen a train, but manager Stan Patterson says trains should be running by next summer.
Meanwhile, "Great Northwest Railroad, Inc.," current owner, (WATCO), of the remaining old CSP, recently received the OK to remove the Orofino to Jaype Line. So, while some may be brought back to life, another portion is soon to be gone. Bummer. Boxcab E50
