ashington Division jCabooses IS You Needed Job Insuran ABOVE: Viewed from across still waters of the Spokane River in downtown Spokane, Washington, the imposing Union Station is near its end. Once a terminus for Union Pacific passenger trains and a major stop for Milwaukee Road's Olympian (later Olympian Hiawatha) and Columbian, the station is living out its last days. It is March 1972 and the end is near. BELOW: Situated below ground level near Trent Street in Spokane, the "trench" was once home to Milwaukee Road's engine facility and yard. (Both: Mike Denuty) M I L W E S T DISPATCH VOLUME 19 ISSUE NO. 2 JUNE 2006 COVER: Two of Milwaukee Road's CONTENTS transcontinental flagships, trains 261 and 262 meet at Donald, Montana on June 9, Editor's Note 1974. After more than thirty years, all three SD40-2's in the photo are still in It has been a rocky start up, but the train is still on the track. daily service. Unit 21 is currently in lease service as EMD 6305. Units 3007 (137) 4 Letters and 3004 (134) operate in Mexico as FNM 13014 and 13042 respectfully. (D Members write in about the Larry Zeutschel) INSET: A block of or• Dispatch's new image. ange cabooses consisting of 992095, 992221, 992211, and 992123 wait for 5 Washington Division Cabooses their next assignments at Othello, Wash• A compilation of Milwaukee ington on March 27,1976. Notice that Road's cabooses in the Northwest. 992095 is not equipped to operate in Washington State. (Carl Sonner) 8 Flashback ABOVE: A sight to make a boghead Two different people recount proud; 4-6-4 131 waits for the highball at the same derailment in 1972. Spokane, Washington during the late 1940's. The 131, along with sister 130, 9 You needed... Job insurance! were converted to burn oil and trans• Bill Wilkerson recounts another ferred to the Idaho Division in 1944 to story from his days on the railroad. help ease a power shortage. While the engines were normally assigned to pulled 13 The Final Call passenger and troop trains across the gap, in a pinch they could be found in Lines West Lines reports the passing of eight Milwaukee Road employees fast freight service. Both engines were including Wade Stevenson. removed from service in 1952. (Ted H.) THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MILWEST MILWEST DISPATCH JUNE 2006 2 Milwest Management Milwest is a Washington State non-profit corpo• From the Editor ration founded in October 1987. It serves to preserve and promote the history of the (former) CM&PS, CM&StP, CMStP&P, Milwaukee The funny thing about traveling a strange road is; you never quite Road Lines West. know where you will end up. Recently attending Eastern Washington Annual membership is based on the calendar University as a non-traditional student has put me on such a road and I year, cost $17.00 (US), and is due no later than January 1. Please make all remittances payable to now must shift through life changes as I begin a new career. Unfortunate• "Milwest" and send to the Treasurer. Persons ly, I will no longer have the considerable time to create each Dispatch joining during the year will receive all issues ol the Dispatch for that year. Other back issues are issue and must step down as editor. I came into the Milwest fold with the available from the Managing Editor. greatest of enthusiasm, an arsenal of new ideas, and the willpower to put The Milwest Dispatch welcomes contributions of those ideas into practice. At the same time, one man cannot endeavor to non-copyrighted articles, photographs, and othei do it alone nor should he reproducible material for publication, with the understanding that no payment of any kind will be expected to. I will be made for their use. All material for publication should be sent to the Managing Editor. Please however stay on long double-space type all manuscripts, or contact enough to produce the Editor to submit on floppy disk, CD, or e-mail. September issue. If it is Copyright 2006 by Milwest. Reproduction in possible, the December whole or in part by permission only. issue as well. If you move, please notify the Secretary of your In this issue, a compi• new address promptly. lation of Washington Di• vision cabooses during WHOM DO I CONTACT? Milwaukee Road's last Matters pertaining to Milwest policy, aimual decade of western ser• meetings, etc., contact the General Manager. vice along with another New membership applications and inquiries, great story by Bill Wilk• non-receipt of the Dispatch, address changes, contact the Secretary. erson are featured. With• out the Wilkerson article, Existing member renewals ONLY! - Please send direct to the Treasurer. it would have been a hard road to completion for To purchase back issues of the Dispatch, contact the Managing Editor. this issue. Once again, I implore Milwest members to contribute to the Dispatch. Articles, photo• BOARD OF DIRECTORS graphs, company correspondence such as train sheets, orders, etc, will be (REVISED FOR 2006) considered for publication. Without future contributions, the Dispatch General Manager - Darrell Hirte. P. O. Box will not survive in its current state no matter who is editing it. 164, Wheeler OR 97147 djhirtefgipocketmail.com Of special note, the Milwest website has been updated with a news section. Up to date information and photographs illustrating the Lake Assistant General Manager - Stephen Loop. Benewah trestle collapse can be seen there. The website address is 9637 Kampton Dr., Boise ID 83704-4128 www.milwest. org. Secretary - Dale Miller. 14559 N.W. Dawn- wood Dr., Portland OR 97229-1562 dmillere70(a),comcast.net Treasurer - Mike Faletti. 91808 N. Harrington Road, West Richland WA 99353 mfalettKSiowt.com Staff Assistant - Larry Zeutschel. P. O. Box 206, East Helena MT 59635 Staff Assistant - Rocky Gibbs. 444 W. 15* Ave., Spokane WA 99203-2110 rockygjaiasisna.com Managing Editor - Ryan Reed. P. O. Box 814, Snoqualmie WA 98065-0814 IwogrevhoundsfS.hotmail.com 3 MILWEST DISPATCH JUNE 2006 April 2006 Many members wrote and called about the new image layout for the Dispatch. Future improve• ments such as more color pages, etc. has been dis• cussed by board members. Voice your opinion at: [email protected] LETTERS Great job on the April 2006 Milwest Dispatch. The stories about your interests and hobby are interesting. This is just a quick note from a Milwest member to Keep up the good work and thanks for your interest in congratulate you on your first Dispatch issue as editor. managing the Dispatch. 1 just got mine in the mail and it looks good; 1 like the new format and 1 look forward to more. You have Bob and Carol Foley taken on a lot of hard work with the Managing Editor Napa, California position and 1 am sure it seems like a thankless job at times but please know it is appreciated. 1 thought you might be interested to know that Doug Bruss still Editor's note: After the drawn out fiasco with the April works for BNSF in Pasco. I've never met him but 1 2006 issue, your words of encouragement are appreci• recognized his name when 1 read it in your 199 article. ated! With such a dramatic change from the December (Milwest Dispatch April 2006, page 9 - Ed.) Thanks 2005 issue, I wondered how Milwest members would again! take to the new image for the Dispatch. In actuality, many long months worth of hard work went into the John Blau on-going development. As can be seen with the current Vancouver, Washington issue, layout is and will continually be improved upon. Engine 250 or 251 pulls a fourteen-car Olympian over PeeDee Viaduct sometime in the mid to late 1940s. Barely visible on the left side of the photograph, the train is cutting through a pair of upper-quadrant semaphores located at the east switch of PeeDee siding. (Mike Denuty) MILWEST DISPATCH JUNE 2006 4 WASHINGTON DIVISION CABOOSES RYAN H. REED TOP: A regular visitor to the Washington Division, caboose 991611 brings up the rear markers of a work train at St. Maries, Idaho on October 17,1975. BELOW: With much of its paint succumbing to break-through rust, caboose 992032 sits at St. Maries on June 25,1976. (Both: Carl Sonner) 5 MILWEST DISPATCH JUNE 2006 Local Cabooses Mainline Cabooses Caboose Series 991600-991615 Bit. 1929 Caboose Series 992015-992064 Bit. 1949 991603 Assigned to the Wl&M Railway 992056 Assigned to transcontinental service until late 1976 992063 " " 991604 Assigned to Port Angeles 991608 Assigned to Seattle Caboose Series 992065-992114 Bit. 1951 991611 Assigned to MofW 992079 992081 Caboose Series 991800-991874 Bit. 1939 992085 991832 Assigned to Bellingham rock train service 992094 992096 Caboose Series 991875-991988 Bit. 1940 992101 991877 Assigned to the Wl&M Railway 992106 992109 Caboose Series 991900-991924 Bit. 1941 991904 Assigned to Spokane Caboose Series 992115-992214 Bit. 1956 991905 Assigned to Tacoma- Black River-Renton 992117 992145 Caboose Series 991925-991949 Bit. 1944 992155 991931 Assigned to Tacoma 992158 991935 Assigned to Tacoma 992161 991942 Assigned to Spokane-Coeur D'Alene 992168 991944 Assigned to Seattle 992174 991948 Assigned to Othello 992204 992211 Caboose Series 991950-992014 Bit. 1946 991953 Assigned to Longview-Vancouver-Rocky Caboose Series 992215-992229 Bit. 1973 Point 992215 991971 Assigned to Wl&M Railway 992216 992017 Assigned to Everett 992217 992218 Caboose Series 992015-992064 Bit. 1949 992219 992052 Assigned to Spokane-Metaline Falls 992220 992059 Assigned to Tacoma-Snoqualmie Falls- 992221 Everett 992222 992223 Caboose Series 992065-992114 Bit.