We had a very nice talk with the manager of the STMA today. (Very kind, everybody there; they even printed a photo for us, showing the last log train on the Clarkia branch.) Thank you again for your kindness, folks! As to the sad facts: The Potlatch mill in St Maries stopped taking logs by rail because of a change in delivery of needed wood. They switched to just-in-time delivery and get only those logs they need. Currently, there are UP centerbeams stored south of Clarkia, but those cars are scheduled to go back to the UP soon and after that there will be no more trains to Clarkia, which means that another piece of Milwaukee Road history will be gone soon. If someone happens to be in the vicinity, take your photos soon as long as the cleanup trains run. The last log train departed 2 weeks ago. Business to Plummer remains stable with 3 trains per week and 16 revenue cars on the average. Michael
Sad news. Did they state that rails will be removed ? Or might they remain in place for a while? Boxcab E50
Folks, he made no statements about the rails being removed, however he stated that there is very little chance that there will be any traffic in the future because there are no customers between St Maries and Clarkia. South of Clarkia one crossing got paved over, so there is no chance to reach Bovill. Well, no customers, no trains, no future... I guess it depends on the price paid for scrap rails. (This is my guess and was no statement from STMA) Sad indeed. Michael
