Columbia River Area

1986 abandonment track plans.

Sheet No. 1 of abandonment set.  Milepost 0 (start of line) to 3.5

Columbia River Station Sign

Columbia River Station Sign located along the Great Northern Main Line at the start of the MB Line near the mouth of Moses Coulee.  Gus Christ Photo form the 1950's.  Collection of the Wilson Creek Museum. 

Rock Island 1983

Click link below:

April 1983 photo of an Eastbound MB Line train heading across the Rock Island Bridge.

Back on Mainline

October 28, 1983 photos showing train on the mainline headed back to Wenatchee.  John P. Henderson photos.

Train back at Wenatchee Yard

Columbia River Siding

Mansfield Branch Line train passing through the Columbia River Siding on its way to Wenatchee.  This afternoon picture was taken on October 28, 1983 by John P. Henderson.

Train crossing bridge #1 on the up grade.  View from the SR 28 overpass.  June 14, 1981 photo by Tim Repp.  

Early morning Wenatchee-Mansfield turn crossing the Columbia River at Rock Island, Wa., over famous "double" bridge.  October 28, 1983 photo by John P. Henderson.  GP9 #1754 in the lead with  #1804 behind.  Information about that bridge here.  

  

Information compiled by Dan Bolyard

Postal History of Post Offices on the Mansfield Branch

This tidbit of history is interesting in that the Great Northern breathed life into many towns it touched, or enlarged those it came across. While the post office dates to not coincide with the dates the railroad built through the area, it does give you an idea of how the population ebbed and flowed over time.

Waterville

Established November 1, 1887.  Waterville had mail service from Wenatchee which was daily as early as September 14, 1894, and a Star Route from Coulee City provided additional mail daily on a circuit which made mail available to the small post offices of Baird, Spencer, and Farmer. Waterville’s own Star Route was opened in 1896 to take mail over Badger Mountain to make contact with the Great Northern at Columbia River Siding, and return the following day. This route ran until about 1915 or 1916.  From 1908 to 1911 before the Great Northern Railroad became the carrier of the mail, a steamboat service from Wenatchee dropped mail off at the foot of Corbaley Canyon near the present town of Orondo and from there it was brought by stage coaches to Waterville.  There was activity at the post office only at mail arrival time. It arrived at most any hour of the day or night.

Douglas

Established February 14, 1888.  Discontinued July 12, 1968-mail to Waterville.  The town name honors Stephen Arnold Douglas, Illinois statesman after which Douglas County was named.  The first mail service to Douglas was provided between Coulee City and Waterville. In 1911 the GN branch from Wenatchee to Mansfield provided mail service. A local dray man, performed messenger service between the depot and post office.  In 1918 the GN reduced its daily service to tri-weekly which immediately proved unpopular so it became necessary to find other means of bringing the mail to Douglas.

Mansfield

Established February 1, 1905.  Mansfield stared at a point 1 ½ miles northeast of its current location, but when the GN halted construction of its branch in 1909, the town moved literally building by building to the railroad. The right-of-way had been surveyed to go through the original town of Nelson, Leahy, and Delrio. Failure to do so spelled eventual doom to those three post offices.

Palisades

Established September 10, 1908.  Palisades post office actually started about 4 miles northeast up the coulee on what was known as the “Upper Ranch.”

Withrow

Established March 4, 1910.  Discontinued December 29, 1967-mail to Waterville.  Withrow originated with the GN.

Hopewell

Established June 27, 1910.  Discontinued March 31, 1911-mail to Palisades.  Located 6 miles north of Palisades, 15 miles southeast of Douglas.  On December 12, 1916 the office of McCue was opened at this location.

Appledale

Established January 23, 1912.  Discontinued February 28, 1927-mail to Palisades.  Located 6 1/2 miles southwest of Palisades.

Tonkey (Touhey)

Established May 21, 1912. Discontinued April 30, 1914-mail to Mansfield.  Located 5 miles southwest of Mansfield.  The railroad siding is named Touhey but when entered on the post office application it was misinterpreted. The office did not operate long enough for the error to be corrected.

Alstown

Established May 9, 1913.  Discontinued June 15, 1934-mail to Waterville.  Located 5 miles south of Douglas.  The land hereabout was owned by one Al Rogers, who also had a store and thought it could hardly be called a town at the time, it did acquire the name of Al’s Town.

McCue

Established December 12, 1916.  Discontinued June 15, 1920-mail to Palisades.  Former location of Hopewell.

Columbia River

Established December 19, 1908.  Discontinued October 30, 1926-mail to Appledale.

Early morning train headed eastbound on the mainline about 5 miles from the start of the Mansfield Branch.  Once this train hits the mouth of Moses Coulee, nothing but steep grades and sharp curves will be awaiting them.  These GP-9's will be working overtime trying to reach Mansfield in 4 hours time.  Oct. 1983 photo by John P. Henderson.  Picture of the same train later that day ready to merge back on the mainline.

Tim Repp snapped this picture from off the SR28 Overpass as the "Last Train" rolls down the rails.  The train is crossing over the last bridge (#1), and ready to merge onto the mainline located just around the bend.  This is the last picture taken of operations on this line.  March 2, 1985.

Early Morning Jaunt

June 14, 1981 photo of train on the up grade between the Columbia River and Bon Spur.  Tim Repp took this photo while standing on the SR 28 overpass looking north.

On the up grade near SR28

Two geeps pulling empties up the grade near the SR28 overpass.  These locomotives had just crossed Bridge #1 and is ready to past under the highway overpass.  Picture taken in 1983 by John P. Henderson.  This picture is taken about halfway between the Columbia River Siding and the Bon Spur Siding.

More GN AFE's

Great Northern Railway AFE’s ( Authorization For Expenditure) on the Mansfield Branch
Info compiled from Great Northern Railway Historical Society Archives


Columbia River
1946 Install steel span bridge #1

Moses Coulee
1901 Put in steel bridge and approach
1918 Install ROW fence
1920 Install ROW fence
1922 Move public crossing
1930 Culvert #1
1938 Remove passing track

Bon Spur
1952 Install Bonneville Power Spur
1957 Grading, ditching, roads and culvert work

Appledale
1947 Replace steel span bridge #2
1949 Repair flood damaged steel span bridge #2
1963 Renew bridge #2
1966 Renew stringers on bridge #2

Palisades
1911 Install 4,975’ of Right of way fence
1915 Remove mail crane
1922 Retire car body depot
1927 Retire fill in bridge #8
1932 Renew timbering on tunnel
1936 Retire Depot
1936 Stream channel and rip-rap bridge #3
1945 Renew timbers in tunnel
1947 Replace bridge #3
1952 Repair tunnel
1964 Fill in bridge #4

McCue
1918 Install mail crane from Rock Island
1928 Remove mail crane
1940 Alter bridge #11
1949 Move camp buildings to Loon Lake, WA
1962 Renew bridge #9
1963 Renew bridge #11, 14, 20, 21, 25
1964 Renew bridge #10, 14, 15, 17, 26, 30
1965 Renew bridge #15-fill 4 spans, #16-fill 1 span
1966 Renew bridge #22

Alstown
1915 Install car body depot
1916 Install portable stock chute
1928 Rip-rap from Alstown to Douglas
1936 Retire section house and bunk house
1950 Remove water tank and pump
1956 Move section buildings
1964 Renew bridge #30
1964 Fill easterly span on bridge #27
1966 Re-drive bridge #30, 31 pilings

Douglas
1912 Transfer track for Waterville Railway Co.
1917 Extend industry track
1919 Install Waterville Railway Co. Engine Wye
1937 Install automobile unloading platform
1938 Repair flood damage-grading, ditching, roads and culverts
1941 Install driveway around depot
1946 Install electrical lights in depot
1947 Install 2-wire telephone circuit-mile post 35 to 37
1949 Extend Cent Mills Spur
1956 Acquire Waterville Railway Co. tracks
1956 Move section buildings
1957 Renew bridge 39
1960 Drill well for depot and section house
1962 Purchase pick-up truck

Supplee
1921 Remove section house and privies, moved to Omak, WA
1957 Grading, ditching, roads and culvert work

Withrow
1915 Move water tank to Glasgow, MT
1916 Remove pump house
1916 Install stockyard
1918 Install section foreman’s cottage
1919 Install private spur track
1929 Section house moved from Withrow to Mohler, WA
1930 Section house moved to Brewster, WA
1928 Remove section buildings
1932 Remove Standard Oil Spur
1936 Retire Depot
1940 Grading, ditching, roads and culvert work
1944 Extend industry track
1957 Renew bridge #41

Touhey
1964 Renew bridge #42


Mansfield
1913 Install portable unloading platform
1916 Install Standard Oil Spur
1917 Install express lockers in depot
1918 Install unloading platform
1920 Lay cinder ballast-Columbia River to Mansfield
1922 Repairs to bridges
1923 Install Columbia Valley Lumber Spur
1931 Remove engine house, coaling platform and 4 tracks
1932 Move tool house from Palisades to Mansfield
1940 Remove industry track
1941 Remove tail end of wye
1942 Remove depot
1942 Remove water tank
1949 Install crossover track between main line and siding
1956 Move section buildings
1957 Retire right of way on Mansfield Branch Extension
1963 Rearrange bents on bridge #43
1964 Rearrange bents and steel span on bridge #43

1920's Time Table

The Wenatchee Daily World: 1957

1957 shot showing the MB Line running underneath the SR28 overpass. Back then I guess it was called US2.

Mainline merging

MB train merging back onto to the BN mainline at Columbia River. 1983