My adopted railroad

When I moved to Spokane from New Jersey in 1967 I didn't know anything about the Spokane International railroad. Now its my all time favorite. It's a little railroad

as things go from Spokane to the Canadian border in North Idaho where it connects with the Canadian Pacific and that is the secret to its success. Union Pacific

merged ( consumed it ) in 1959 but the little spunky railroad still lives on in many people's hearts. Larry Shauver started it all when he said they don't like the SI.

 

I told Larry that it's not that they don't like it but they don't know about it. That started me making the

decals for the box car....and then all the rest of their equipment including the SI RS-1 locos you see here.

 

The Northern Pacific may be my number two favorite RR and I just made up these coal cars and added the

coal loads. All my open cars get a load of something. I don't like them not earning their living.

 

Our Green Branch at the club is the line on top of the hills. It has narrow curves and requires small

equipment. I got these cars at swap meets and then I paint them and turn them into SP&S or other

local roads to haul behind my NP 4-4-0 steam engine.

 

Another photo from the Grand Hotel from 2 weeks ago, this time

with the water fountain in the foreground. This seems like a good

reason to live in Spokane don't you think?