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

Bridge #19

June 1948 flood damage photo of bridge #19.  1949 aerial of this section of line.

3 BN geep's parked at Mansfield's grain facilities along with a string of box cars.  Date unknown.  Photo quality poor.

'Last Train' in Douglas.  March 2, 1985.  Tim Repp photo.

Close-up of boxcar in Withrow.  Photo by Blair Kooistra Aug 1, 1983

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.  

  

The Wenatchee Daily World: October 29, 1909

The Wenatchee Daily World: January 27, 1910

The Wenatchee Daily World: September 26, 1908

The Wenatchee Daily World: August 13, 1910

The Wenatchee Daily World: June 26, 1908

The Wenatchee Daily World: September 21, 1908

Black diesel smoke rolls out of the locomotives as the 'Last Train' ceremonies come to a close in Douglas.  The gentleman in the middle of the picture holding the young boy was Herbert "Herb" Witten.  He was the Waterville School's Grounds Keeper for many years. He passed away in September of 1993 at the age of 63.  Herb's uncle, Henry A. Witten, a wheat farmer, was killed in the flood of 1948 between Waterville and Douglas when he drowned attempting to cross rushing waters.  Photo by Antia Sprauer, taken on March 2, 1985. 

     

The Mansfield Branch Line

Collage I put together for the Mansfield Museum.  It will reside in their finished basement in a 24"x36" frame.  The basement of the museum will contain information and artifacts of the Mansfield Branch Line on a permanent basis.  I also donated my reconstructed rail for permanent display as well.  

GN Typical Sections Standard Plans

Great Northern Railway's Typical Sections for light traffic lines.  Approved in 1963.

GN standard plans for trestles

Standard Plans for Branch Line Trestles.  1st and 2nd Class Railroads.  Plans were approved by the engineer in 1921.

Here are some reproduction drawings done in AutoCAD

The Spokesman-Review: May 17, 1929

Albert 'Al' Rogers.  Helped start the Waterville Railway Co. and founded  Alstown.  

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.

Supplee.  August 1, 1983.  The train is on it's way to Withrow, but before it can do that the crew must clean up the station by picking up empty box cars that have run out on the main track.  These cars will be pushed on ahead to Withrow to be filled there.  Blair Kooistra photo.

Climbing out of Moses Coulee

Train pulling the grade about 1 mile north of Palisades in the early morning hours.  A cabless Massey-Harris combine rests in the foreground.  August 1, 1983 photo by Blair Kooistra.  Here is a picture of a speeder car in the same spot on the line.

Douglas Depot

Date and photographer unknown.

Supplee in 1983

Supplee.  August 1, 1983.  Blair Kooistra photo

May 2010 photo taken where the box cars are resting in the above photo.

Supplee in 1983

Supplee August 1, 1983.  Blair Kooistra photo.

This photo is taken at the same spot where the locomotives are in the above picture.  May 2010 photo.

  

Waterville Railway Co. Engine House

Former Waterville Railway Co. Engine House.  2012 pictures by Dan Bolyard.  Dan has a blog called Big Bend Railroad History.  It's a great read.

South end

South end

View of north end of building

South end view in 1942

Mansfield.  Date unknown.
Similar photo and about the same location around 1914

A lonely box car rests on the siding next to fruit storage warehouse buildings as well as a Ford Model T truck in Palisades, WA.  All that exists to today are the foundations of these buildings.  Date unknown.

   

'DOUGLAS' Depot Signs

1985 photo of south end 'Douglas' Depot sign.

2011 photo of same sign placed on top of a bank of mailboxes in Douglas.  Right across from the Douglas General Store.

The north end depot sign is in a person's shop.  I've been trying to buy it from this person for years but they won't sell it.  The north end sign was salvaged the night before the depot was burned down on December 5, 1993.  This photo dated Oct. 1983.

The Withrow Banner: June 12, 1914

This would be bridge #41

The Withrow Banner: Jan. 14, 1916

I guess no one knew how "Touhey" was supposed to be spelled back then.  I wonder what work was being done out there?

  

Repairing damage caused by a big flood in 1938.  Here in this picture, construction crews are revising the alignment of the track and moving it away from the wash-out.  Looking south.  This is at mile post 33 about half way between Alstown and Douglas next to the Daling Ranch.

A bladeless dozer hard at work with a pull-scrapper grading the new alignment.  Looking north with the Daling Ranch in the background.  Skykomish Historical Society provided photos.

Looking at the north tunnel portal entrance from the east side of the creek.  Ryan Reed photo March 8, 1986.

Train exiting tunnel on August 1, 1983.  GP9's #1743 and #1713 hold back boxcars loaded with grain on a steep section of track along the line.  This train will drop about 350' in elevation in about 3 miles down to Palisades.  One of my favorite photos taken of this line.  Blair Kooistra photo.  Here is another shot of that train just moments before.

Here is a picture taken from the locomotive's perspective some 26 years later.  September 2009 photo.

Moses Coulee in 1983

Early morning train in Moses Coulee 1.3 miles south of Palisades, Wa.  Near the middle of the train is bridge #6.  August 1, 1983 photo by Blair Kooistra.

Waterville Railway Co. Map

1950's look at Alstown.  The structure in the middle of the picture is a pump house.  In the distance just to the right of the pump house you can see the station sign.   Photo provided by Bob Kelly. 

BN crewman walks the tops of the boxcars and does one last check before the train departs out of Douglas.  "Last Train" resting just a little south of US 2.  In just a few hours time, the sights and sounds of railroad activity will just be a distant memory on the plateau.
March 2, 1985 photo by Tim Repp.

These rusty 40' boxcars getting ready to depart Douglas, WA. These are some of the last pictures showing boxcars being used to haul wheat in the entire United States.  Boxcars became out of fashion once hoppers came in to use.  "Last Train" leaving Douglas for the last time on March 2, 1985.  Tim Repp photo.

Picture taken from above the tunnel's south portal entrance.  The track alignment used to run straight through where the curved section is seen in this photo.  A short little 68' structure, bridge #8 once crossed a small gully about where the speeder is parked.  The bridge was removed during the 1920's according to GNHS archives.  March 8, 1986 photo by Ryan Reed.  1988 article about the tunnel being sealed up.

  

Bridge #15

Looking at the north end of bridge #15.  This bridge spanned 165.5' across the creek. 

  Early 1980's.