Great Northern Rwy's Mansfield Branch Line (1909-1985) and the Waterville Railway Co. (1910-1974)

Built by the Great Northern Railway in 1909, the 61 mile line branched off the mainline at the Columbia River and snaked its way up across Douglas County, WA to its terminus in Mansfield. In 1985 it was abandoned, thus closing the book on railroading on the Waterville Plateau. This blog is dedicated to preserving the history of the Mansfield Branch Line and Waterville Railway Co., as well as showcasing my scratch built HO scale models.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Withrow Depot Train Register

My brother and I went to pay Willie Nollmeyer, a Withrow native, a visit last Friday (6-22-12). The 87 year old former mayor of Withrow has had this piece hanging in his shop since the 40's or 50's he had thought. He told us his brother Walter Nollmeyer had taken this train schedule out of the Withrow Depot, probably about in the 30's, and had been using it as a heat shield under his wood stove to protect the floor from burning. The Withrow depot was retired and sold in 1936. Willie then later acquired the sign and it has been hanging in his shop for about 60 years until last Friday when he gave it to us. It's about 3' wide by about 3.5' tall, made out of heavy gauge steel and painted black with gold lettering and grid lines. Quite a piece of railroad history and railroad memorabilia. Thanks Willie!