GN Steam Locomotive #748

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.

Douglas Depot

Date unknown

Riding the old ROW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20R59Dke2Vw

The first part of this video shows me riding on the old road bed between Bridge #10 (near McCue) and #9 (near the old tunnel) on the down grade.  Make sure you set the video to HD.

Douglas in 1984

This picture taken by Alan Loebsack in the late winter/early spring of 1984.  These BN locomotives are pulling the unit grain train through the Douglas Siding and on pass the depot which was retired 9 years prior in 1975.  To the right of the train are piles of grain doors used to seal up the box cars before being filled with grain.  About one year later, the depot would host the site of the "last train" (additional photos) ceremonies on March 2, 1985.  Here is a picture of the same train crossing Highway 2 in Douglas.  Aerial photos of Douglas Siding over the years.  Here is map of where Douglas was located on the Mansfield Line.

Here are some more photos (1) (2) (3) (4)  showing BN era action in Douglas

Bridge #25 then and now

 Pictured above is bridge trestle #25 on the Mansfield Branch.  This picture was taken in the spring of '49 after the repairs to it were completed.  This bridge, along with many others, were severly damaged in the June '48 flood and was closed 9 months for repairs.  The frame bents are still resting in place today.  This bridge was orginally constructed 137.5' long and consisted of 9 trestle bents and 2 mud sills.  It was also built on a curve. .  2006 photo of bridge  1949 aerial of bridge  Photo provided by the Skykomish Historical Society.

November 2007 of the same view as above

Change of alignment

This is a small section along the MB Line that had an alignment shift. Most likely because of the major flood of '48. See the pervious post for pictures of this area.

Kelly Davis Crossing 5-27-11

Checked out the line between the Kelly Davis Crossing and Bridge #36 (this location about 1 mile south of Alstown, WA). Found and old alignment on the other side of the creek with ties still laying in place. Probably abandoned after the '48 flood, my guess. Nice and wet on the Waterville Plateau with beautiful looking wheat. Happy for the farmers!

Cut looking on the down grade just south of Bridge #35


Old tie and plate still in the ground on the old alignment (see map for location)



Old ties on the old alignment

old ties

Looking across Bridge #36 on the down grade

Rock cut at south end of bridge #36 on the down grade

Rock cut at the south end of Bridge #36 on the up grade

Kelly Davis County Road Crossing. Mansfield Branch Line Bridge #33 was just to the right of that crossing. Pilings still visible.

Grade between Bridge #36 and Bridge #35. Looking on the down grade.

Looking at where Bridge #36 use to cross the creek. Hoppers derailed here in '84

Rock cut at south end of Bridge #36. Looking on the down grade.

Bridge #17

Bridge #17 on the Mansfield Branch that was washed out in June of '48. The view of this photo is looking up stream. About a mile up stream is where Duffy Creek enters Douglas Creek. Photo provided by Skykomish Historical Society.

Fun times...

My brother (left) and I standing next to a hopper car that derailed a little south of Alstown on the MB line. This was one of 3 cars that broke loose from Douglas. On this day my dad, mom, brother and I rode snowmobiles from Alstown all the way down to the Tunnel on the tracks. I remember crossing over the bridges and riding through the tunnel. We never touched snow the whole way. Fun memories!  1985 photo.

Check out the wreck photos here

Withrow '84

The Wenatchee Daily World: May 17, 1952

Masakuni Nakashima Takeda  (1902-1952)

Accident map from the Interstate Commerce Commission

Accident location 2010 photo looking northeast

Accident location 2010 photo looking southwest

Accident occured on May 16th, 1952

Bucking the snow

Waterville Railway Co. Locomotive 4-6-0 #299 plowing its way through the heavy snow near a cattle guard crossing. The photographer was Chester Lockwood, a local man. C. 1914. Photo provided by Harold Badten.

Bon Spur/Appledale

This picture taken in 1983 by John P. Henderson. This train is between Bon Spur and Appledale headed on the up grade with about 40 empty boxcars in tow.

Boom Town

Mansfield in the early days. c. 1914

Washout at Mile Post 26.5

Below photo showing damage that took place in June of 1948. Skykomish Historical Society photo.

November 2007 photo of the same view as above.

Alstown in the early spring of '84

Alan Loebsack photos

1948 photo of Bridge #9

June 1948 photo showing flood damage and what's left of brige #9

1948 photo of bridge repaired

This trestle was located just a little bit north of the tunnel. It was orignally built with 19 trestle bents and 4 mud sills. Photo provide by the Skykomish Historical Society

Withrow Depot

This depot was retired in 1936 

The Wenatchee Daily World: August 6, 1906

This ain't good

Here is another view of the coach car that wrecked at Douglas in 1920. Photo provided to me by Harold Badten. From an older post

Wrecked locomotive

Flooding in 1923 caused the subgrade under the track to washout. This locomotive was heavily damaged when it rolled into Douglas Creek. This accident happened about 1.4 miles south of Douglas.

ROW and Track Plans

These blueprints below are from Great Northern Railway’s Engineer/Right-of-way Drawings. These were the original drawings submitted by GNRY to Douglas County and Certified by the State of Washington for start of construction. The following sample prints show all the locations of the bridge trestles within these documents. The date on these documents is 1908, but ROW acquisition began as early as 1906. These Documents have been residing in the courthouse vault for the last 100 years.

Bridge 8: 4 trestle bents and 2 mud sills

Bridge 42: 8 pile bents (1) 16’ opening for wagon road


Bridge 41: 4 pile bents, 8 trestles on piles, 3 cripple trestles and (1) 12’ opening for wagon road

Bridge 40: 10 pile bents



Bridge 39: Pile bulkheads



Bridge 38: 4 pile bents



Bridge 37: 9 pile bents



Bridge 34: 9 pile bents/ Bridge 35: 10 pile bents/ Bridge 36: 10 pile bents

Bridge 31: 8 trestle bents/ Bridge 32: 10 trestle bents/ Bridge 33: 10 trestle bents

Bridge 29: 9 trestle bents/ Bridge 30: 9 trestle bents

Bridge 28: 9 trestle bents/ Bridge 29: 9 trestle bents

Bridge 27: 9 pile bents

Bridge 25: 9 trestle bents and 2 mud sills/ Bridge 26: 17 trestle bents and 2 mud sills

Bridge 22: 10 pile bents/ Bridge 23: 9 pile bents/ Bridge 24: 10 pile bents

Bridge 18: 10 pile bents/ Bridge 19: 6 frame bents and 6 pile bents
Bridge 20: 6 trestles on piles and 6 pile bents/ Bridge 21: 9 pile bents/ Bridge 22: 10 pile bents

Bridge 14: 5 trestles on piles and 6 pile bents/ Bridge 15: 7 trestles on piles and 4 pile bents
Bridge 16: 8 pile bents/ Bridge 17: 8 pile bents

Bridge 12: 5 pile bents/ Bridge 13: 10 trestles on piles and 4 pile bents

Bridge 11: 12 pile bents (1) 16’ opening for wagon road

Bridge 10: 5 pile bents

Bridge 7: 15 pile bents

Bridge 5: 12 pile bents/ Bridge 6: 12 pile bents

Bridge 3: 12 pile bents/ Bridge 4: 6 pile bents

Bridge 2: 14 pile bents