This 1949 picture shows GN Steam Locomotive, #748 resting on the mainline in Palisades on the down grade. This locomotive was a G-3 Class 4-8-0 (twelve wheeler). The locomotive is pulling two coal tenders and a mixed train. The structure in the middle of the picture is the water tower, the building on the right is one of two cold storage warehouses used to store fruit, and the track on the right is the siding. This particular locomotive was scrapped in 1953. Thanks to Bob Kelly for providing the photo.
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.