Does anyone know what this rail line is?

[User Name]

There's a rail line in Eastern Washington State that I saw while on Highway 2 towards Spokane, and was wondering if anyone had any knowledge of it. (What it is called, if it gets any train traffic. The line follows US 2 through the towns of Davenport, Creston, Almira, and Hartline, to name a few, and appears as though it comes to a dead end in Coulee City. I'm not sure where it heads if you follow it the otherway, it looks like it turns south a little while before Spokane. Anyone know what this line is and if it ever sees use?

Apologies if this is not the right place on the forum, I'm totally new here.

 

[bcp]

Old Northern Pacific line according to 1928 map. It made a big loop through central WA and rejoined the NP main line north of Pasco.





Bruce

 

[SP&SFan]

Hello new user,

It would be the Eastern Washington Gateway that runs thru Davenport, Creston, Almira, and Hartline... The western terminus of the line is Coulee City, Wash.

FYI - The line does not connect to Pasco, Wash. currently.. Do you have a full screen of the 1928 NP map??


SP&SFan

 

[bcp]

Do you have a full screen of the 1928 NP map??
SP&SFan

I have the whole WA map. but it is 19+ MB in size.

This is where it came from:
http://www.sos.wa.gov/history/maps_detail.aspx?m=21

Here is a 2007 map for comparison:
http://climatesolutions.org/nw-states/washington/wa-state-rail-map-2007

2011 map, but missing many town names:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/FDBE2AB4-E504-4AC5-9E30-6A2CC4FAAD34/0/2011Ownership.pdf

Bruce

 

[Rader Sidetrack]

The Eastern Washington Gateway is primarily a wheat hauler. There is some industrial traffic (particularly steel) on the eastern end to a branch that is called the Geiger spur. Their website: http://www.ewgrr.com/

Forum member Bruce Butler is an engineer for the EWG, and may respond if he sees this thread.

 

[KristopherL]

Well cars on the EWG

A few weeks ago we were in Eastern Washington traveling along US2. I noticed well cars parked everywhere.
I saw them at Almira, Hartline, Cement. Are the bad-orders or just a bunch of excess cars waiting for containers business to pick up?



-KristopherJ

 

[Damon Hill]

Lots of shortlines get much of their revenue from car storage. Here it looks like they store cars in the off season and might have to shuffle them around to move grain shipments. Even the Class 1's will store cars on sidings and little used branch lines, preferably away from city taxes...