Three birthday boys make It to the Evergreen club to celebrate the big day!

 

In December 5 of our members have a birthday and 3 of them, Jesse, Steve and Larry were so honored.''

Jack Pappas and Kent Clausen were AWOL and work had something to do with their absence.

Marvin supplies the pies that he makes every month for us members. Looks like Steve was wishing for Kabassa?

 

I think this was Larry's Santa Fe passenger train with EMD E-6 unit in the lead. Love those slant noses! Looks like the handrail needs help?

ic

 

This critter looks a lot like the Rio Grande Galloping Goose reconfigured from a Mack truck with railroad wheels.

Rod has big plans for it with a remodel. It actually works and so do the headlights.

 

Another newcomer to the club was this 4 unit Nickel Plate Alco PA set. The new members have expanded

our choices beyond NP, SP&S, BNSF and Union Pacific stuff.

 

Northern Pacific Mainstreeter visits Union Station in downtown Cobbleton on a detour from their own

tracks to accomplish this?

 

As all of you know I'm not one to toot my horn but here I am hanging out with my son-in-law Kent

Clausen who played linebacker for the Jets for 2 years and a guy called Mark Rippen, who played quarterback

for the Washington Redskins and won the Super Bowl back in the 1980s. The little guy in the middle is me!

It was a birthday party my daughter Bonnie had for her husband Kent and I was invited. Free food!

 

 

High Bridge or what's left of it.

Someone asked me a questions.... so I answered. Jerry

 

Hi Jerry,
I am interested in local history, including railway history.  I've looked around to try to find the south abutment of the High Bridge without success. 

Does it still exist?  If so, where is it, please?  If not, where was it and the railed following from it?

Many thanks,
Michael Cain

 

I am standing on the south abutment to High Bridge in this 1968 photo of the Hinkle Express that,left Spokane around 11 am every morning until Amtrak took

over passenger service and this train was no more. It was a mixed collection of a coach, a baggage car and what freight had to get to Hinkle that early afternoon.

I would guess that this fill is still there and would get you to your south abutment.

 

A quarter mile past the first photo would be where the Union Pacific crossed I-90 and you can see the

shadow of the bridge still in place just past the road bridge around 1975.

 

This is how the Union Pacific got in and out of Spokane to the south and west. The Maple Street Bridge

is still there but homes, apartments and commercial structures are there now where railroads used to be.

High Bridge is to the left and downtown is to the right.

 

Grab shot as City of Hinkle (rail yard in Oregon) heads south. The abutments can still be seen

in the river west of the Centennial trail crossing.

 

Sometimes I could plan my day to be in the area to get a shot of a UP mixed freight.

Perhaps those buildings are still there to get you a sense where those abutments are located.

Bridge no more. It came down a few years later when BNSF Latah Bridge was the UP route in and

out of Spokane and Marshall Canyon. Just past Cheney it got on its own tracks towards the Snake River

and the famous town (yard) of Hinkle where it met UP's main line to Portland, Oregon.

I have thousands of photos on Cds of many railroads in the country if you need additional info.

Thanks for asking Jerry Quinn 509-939-5845

 

 

We got a date picked out you might enjoy between the holidays

 

If you enjoy seeing these photos of the club and are in the area, why not plan

to stop by and see it in real life. We promise you will enjoy yourself or we will

double your money back. Oh wait, we don't charge for admission! dang!

 

 

 

Steve Weso put on a show with a long BN grain train making it around the port district, Old Town and

Cobbletown. Or maybe he is just showing off?

 

New member Doug had a model there on Thursday that was the replica of the John Bull. Back then they

didn't know what a steam engine was supposed to look like so this is what they came up with.

 

Janis had a long Great Northern passenger train with 5 F units in charge. The Green & orange was replaced

by the Blue and White in 1967 but I don't know why?

 

This is an odd collection of equipment with a Norfolk & Western steamer in front of a Sounder

(Portland, Ore to Vancouver, BC ) commuter train. Maybe it was on tour of the Northwest?

 

A model in the making is this GN diesel with a kit built snow plow followed by a crew caboose

for the day's effort to keep the man line open after a snowstorm.

 

 

Young members increase Evergreen membership

 

To keep the model railroading hobby alive the club and the hobby in general needs to increase our

attraction for younger members and that we did this week with the addition to the crew is Alex Carl,

a 19 year old college student that wants to learn all aspects of the hobby. Member 37 if I remember correctly.

He was rusting track 30 minutes after joining!

 

Marvin had his 4 Northern Pacific EMD and GE 6 axle power units running on the Red line and that gave me this photo op to catch it in front of the station at Bakersville.

 

Alex brough in this Civil War era 4-4-0 as one of his locos and it looked right at home at the lumber mill.

 

Rod Huffman had his work equipment making the rounds and always he adds his sense of humor to

his stuff.

 

Doug used the cartoon Pogo to model the Altoona & Fort Mudge Railroad but we learned this week that this is the passenger colors for the railroad as well.

 

My junior assistant Will Windom was inspired to cut into the hillside behind Bakersville to make the

landings for the soon to be high tension towers to power the town with the evil electricity to make

things run.  The white area is plaster cloth to start the new hillsides. Stay tuned!