Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Burning Journal -> Engine Pit -> The "Mon-Road Railroad"...of course you never heard of it.
Post Info TOPIC: The "Mon-Road Railroad"...of course you never heard of it.
The Krink


The Forum Celestial Advisor

Status: Offline
Posts: 14188
Date:
The "Mon-Road Railroad"...of course you never heard of it.
Permalink  
 

It was the summer after Mt St Helens blew, 1981 and I went on

a magical mystery tour of eastern Washington state rail lines.

Somehow I ended up in Moses Lake Washington. Moses Lake

had a MILW branchline running north to south through town.

Anyway I found this wonderful display in the morning hours

and took some pictures. Well 30+ years later I'm trying to

post the pictures on a rrpicturearchives.net and I have to

stop because I dint know what the "reporting marks" were

for the "Mon-Road Railroad". Dont think they have any that

will stick with AAR. So posting could get complicated. But I

learned the story as how this display got here and who was

behind it. The Steam engine was Alaska RR #557 and was the

last running steam engine on the ARR. Retired in 1963. It was

sold to Michaelson Steel & Supply in Everett in 1964 and thats

where it was named "Mon-Road Railroad 557". A fellow by

the name "Monte Holm" who was in the steel and scrap business

is responsible for making this "display possible". Think the "Mon"

is short for "Monte". Not sure when this display was officially open

for business but I think it might be late 60's in Moses Lake. The

caboose is ex-GN X494 which used to operate on several GN

branchlines in eastern Washington. I'm still trying to come up

with info on the SP&S heavyweight Observation car named

"The Ruth M". Monte Holm died in 2008 and this display stayed

intact until 2010. Early 2012 the steam engine was returned to

Alaska to be re-built for tourist/excursion trains. Who would have

known all this back in 1981. By the way, all the white stuff on the

ground in the pictures is ash fall. Eastern Washington got hit

hard by the ash-fall of Mt St Helens



-- Edited by The Krink on Tuesday 31st of July 2012 02:14:50 AM

Attachments
__________________

If you are in a horror movie, you make bad decisions, its what you do.
mntman


Upgraded Condition

Status: Offline
Posts: 290
Date:
Permalink  
 

Out of curiousity Krink, any idea what the HP

rating would be on the steamer??? 



__________________

I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
The Krink


The Forum Celestial Advisor

Status: Offline
Posts: 14188
Date:
Permalink  
 

Some more shots of the ashfall aftermath in Eastern Washington
in 1981. MILW Moses Lake depot and tracks. Then some shots
from the BN Chicago-Seattle mainline at Harrington, Odessa,
and Quincy.



-- Edited by The Krink on Wednesday 1st of August 2012 12:39:24 AM

Attachments
__________________

If you are in a horror movie, you make bad decisions, its what you do.
Uke


Cured

Status: Offline
Posts: 26926
Date:
Permalink  
 

Bet ya might figure the horsepower rating for that steamer mntman... It's a very typical 2-8-0 unit, nothing exotic there. Short(er) wheelbase... Maybe do the ol' Google search. That might do the trick!

__________________

Hmm. That address doesnt look right.
It looks like the link pointing here was faulty.

Gah. Your tab just crashed.
Uke


Cured

Status: Offline
Posts: 26926
Date:
Permalink  
 

I was workin' at Hillyard Diesel (Former GN shop) on the BN when Mt. St. Helens let loose... For weeks afterward we'd hafta rescue trains stranded 'out' there between Pasco, and Spokane. Between Seattle, and Wenatchee... Engine air filters plugged with ash, and shut down for lack of same... Old Geeps especially!

We'd change carbody filters, engine air filters, compressor air filters...but we couldn't do a damn thing for the traction motors, or the generators, or the electric cabinets.

Surely more than a few engines were swapped out after that...motors, compressors, aux. gens., and more! The ash came down for several weeks after the mountain erupted! Spokane took a heavy hit, but Ellensburg, and Pasco were in the jet stream, and caught tons, and tons of that shit!

You can still find piles of ash in the medians of I-90 between Ellensburg and Ritzville... Ritzville collected quite a bit as well!

Hadda visit Ritzville during that fiasco tu... Switch engines would be sent in pairs ta drag trains ta Yardley, for reassembly...then move after the filter changes.

Lookin' back on that, I think the furthest east the ash came down was inta Eastern Montana. Trains made it ta Chicago from Spokane after all the ash...and maintenance. Fun times!


__________________

Hmm. That address doesnt look right.
It looks like the link pointing here was faulty.

Gah. Your tab just crashed.
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
 
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.
Burning Journal -> Engine Pit -> The "Mon-Road Railroad"...of course you never heard of it.
Chatbox
Please log in to join the chat!