(Volume 26, No. 5)
Presidents Soapbox
Tuesday we returned from our annual visit to the Helena Railfair; it is always interesting to see the excitement of these affairs from a spectators point of view and not be concerned with the minute details and incidental problems that always pop up. Our having attended this show for all of 10 years, I was very surprised to see that there were empty vendor tables as well as some changes in vendor attendance. Pauline from Hobby Stop, who has nearly always been there was absent and a local Philatelic vendor who usually has a few tables was absent as well. There were a couple of new vendors there including Ray Tower from Boise and The Rail Philatelist from Colorado who tells me he doesn't usually do one day shows.
Local faces seen there were myself, Carl Wessell, Kurt and Larry Hibbert, and, from Pocatello, Ron Ferrel and John Walsh. I was lucky and found a used MRC 2500 throttle at an excellent price. I was looking semi seriously since Doug and I passed on a lesser throttle while at the Boise NMRA event last month. With so many modelers making the change to DCC, we should expect to see more of such items becoming available.
After the show, I went on to Northern Montana to do some research on a 17 mile shortline which was a feeder to, and later bought by, the Great Northern Railway. This line ran from Conrad, MT to Valier, MT, was built in 1909, and operated both freight and passenger service. The original track was 65 pound rail obtained from GN which also put them in debt to the GN. The primary commodity shipped was grain out and fuel and fertilizer in. With such a short haul, the GN received the largest percentage of the tariffs so that the poor MW remained just that, POOR (like the Gilmore and Pittsburg-Union Pacific relationship). When the MW attempted to take abandonment proceedings, the GN agreed to increase the MW share, but it was not enough and the Montana ICC more or less forced the GN to purchase the line after the owners realized they could never pay off the debt to GN. They used mostly second-hand power and the only revenue cars they owned was a single coach and a Gas-electric combination. That coach is now at the State of Montana Railroad exhibit in Nevada City, MT. A caboose is on private property in Havre and the Gas-electric is at the Mid-Continent Railroad Museum in Wisconsin. A Whitcomb/Baldwin diesel engine they owned ended its service on the docks in Seattle. While nosing around the property, I discovered the remains of a steam engine tender upside down in the weeds and grass. A rather unusual relic and only recognizable from my experience in the hobby. This bit of research activity further reinforces my interest in railroads and adds yet another dimension to the railroad hobby.
Progress on the new layout extension is very gratifying with the new benchwork now constructed to include section 16. This takes us to the beginning of the double deck section where we will have the Dillon-Silverbow trackage and the Victor-Yellowstone tracks on separate levels. Interest by some former members is building and I frequently get comments from people I meet who are aware of what we are doing. Additional progress is seen on the south staging section as well, Doug put together some pieces which will form both a curve along the wall and provide space for an engine facility. It is likely that the Bowser turntable which was donated to the club some years ago, and then sold, will find its way back to the club to serve on that facility. It will be needed to turn the Big Boy, which, we are pleased to report, is now back in service. We are also pleased to see that our construction crew has shown that new modules can be built without any adult supervision. Congratulations to our Student Members for their new found skills.
One the interesting aspect of the Model Railroading Hobby is that it includes many different types of skills, such as layout design, carpentry, electrical wiring, scenery design, and painting. Then go on to assembling engines and rolling stock, creating replicas of buildings from scratch, airbrush painting, and the application of decals. All of these, and many others, come together to become a very diverse hobby that has room for everyone to the extent that we individually choose to participate.
Happy Modeling.
Leo Harker
Timetable
May 2.................... Business Meeting
May 9.................... Work Night
May 16.................. Work Night
May 23.................. Work Night
May 30.................. Video Night or Work Night
June 6..................... Business Meeting
June 27 - 29........... PNR Convention, Regina
July 4...................... Settler's Fair
Because we have taken down the modular section of the layout, all meetings will be work nights until further notice.
Idaho Falls Settler's Fair
Once again we have been invited to participate in the Idaho Falls Settler's Fair on July 4 in Tautphaus Park. We have been offered the same arrangement as last year, which includes a spot in the shade in the southwest corner of the Fair, which is near to the electrical power.
Last year we took the 4 X 6 oval, the module which connects to it to form a wye, and a tail track. We also hooked up the simple throttle that allows the kids to operate the train. This was quite a hit, despite us not being able to operate more than one train due to the electrical nature of the layout.
We will discuss this offer further at the business meeting on May 2. This is a good opportunity for us to show off our trains to the public, especially with the layout under construction and the inability to run trains at the club room.
Doug Herrmann
The Snake River National Park and Pacific Railway Company
Following the construction of the Utah & Northern Railway from Utah to Montana in 1881, the towns along the new line grew and prospered. Those towns which were not along the railroad knew they also needed a railroad to prosper, and over the years there were numerous proposals for other railroads in Idaho. In addition, those lines which were on a rail line wanted competition to reduce what they felt were unreasonable freight rates. Looking through newspapers from the turn of the century, there was also a seemingly annual threat of coal shortages in the winter months, and most residents felt the freight rates for coal were exorbitant. The only way to reduce these rates was to get competition and access to other coal fields. One of the lines which was actually incorporated to reach a coal field and provide competition for the Oregon Short Line and its predecessor lines was The Snake River National Park and Pacific Railway Company.
The articles of incorporation for The Snake River National Park and Pacific Railway Company were filed with the State of Idaho on July 28, 1891. The proposed line was to run from Idaho Falls to the coal fields in Uintah County in Wyoming, on the Gros Ventre River, about 35 miles from where the river empties into the Snake River, an area known then as the Snake River Coal Fields. There was to be a branch from Idaho Falls to the south end of Jackson's Lake, and the overall length of the line was to be approximately 160 miles. It is interesting to note that the line included the words “National Park”, due to the popularity and fame of the relatively new Yellowstone National Park, and “Pacific*, although the line was never envisioned to do more than connect Idaho Falls with the coal fields in Wyoming. There was, apparently, hope that the name would generate interest in the outside business community for additional financing.
The headquarters for the line were to be in Idaho Falls, with J. C. Anderson as president, B. McCaffery the vice president, and A. V. Scott the secretary and treasurer, all of Idaho Falls. In addition to the officers listed above, C. R. Shaw, C.H. Blickensderfer, S. F. Taylor, and Thos. C. Willson were also directors. According to the articles of incorporation, the line was authorized at $1 million, in 10,000 shares of $100 each. At the time the articles were filed, 2000 shares valued at $200,000 had been subscribed.
Despite the enthusiasm and interest in the line, no construction was performed, and the articles of incorporation were forfeited on December 1, 1912. The Oregon Short Line built a large network of branch lines throughout southern Idaho and had total control of the area. It was not possible for another rail line to compete with them, and the coal fields never materialized to any extent, another common occurrence at the time. The Snake River National Park and Pacific Railway Company was just another of many proposed rail lines in Idaho which never got beyond the talking stage.
In future issues I will cover other proposed lines in southern Idaho, since their history is an interesting part of the development and growth of the railroads in Idaho.
Thornton Waite
Super Grain Elevators
Some of you will recall a recent article in a modeling magazine detailing the modeling of a new Super grain elevator in Stirling, Alberta. I was interested because I am somewhat familiar with Stirling, AB, and in my recent two years travels around Montana, I observed two new such facilities under construction. One of these new super elevators is located between Great Falls and Conrad MT. When I went North on Sunday afternoon, I noted that there were approximately 100 cars on the circular track. On Monday, after I had visited some other locales in the area, I took time to drop in for a visit. By dropping in unannounced without an appointment, one never knows what to expect, but I was welcomed in and offered a tour of the facility. The structure is huge with ten large circular silos adjacent to a circular track about one and a half miles long, and connected to a siding along the mainline. The most modern grain handling lifts are in use there, and all of the product is cleaned to a designated trade level before it is loaded for shipping. The two silos on the right are for storage of product ready for loading. The employee giving me the tour said that operating the loading chute is like playing a video game. The controls consist of a joystick to move the spout and two switches to control the flow of grain. A 55 foot car can be completely loaded in less than five minutes. The entire 100 cars can be loaded in less than 8 hours. The servicing railroad, BNSF, delivers the cars and leaves. When they are ready to load the cars, a different set of engines is brought in and the BNSF crew leaves. The elevator then hires qualified engineers that use the BNSF engines to move the entire string under the spout on command from the control window. This was a very interesting tour and contrasts sharply with the system we showed being used in Ririe for a recent newsletter. The railroads give the lowest freight rates to 100 car loads and we can expect many more of these new high speed loaders to be replacing most of the older elevators.
Ben Ostenson reports that Idaho has a super elevator located near Mountain Home. If you are passing by Mountain Home, chance a drop in visit; I am sure you will find it rewarding.
Leo Harker
Montana super grain elevator
Control panel
Lineup of grain cars awaiting loading