09-MAR-2007
PCC Railroad
I recently learned that I knew a guy who worked with someone, who knew another guy who worked for the Palouse River and Coulee City RR. I met the gentlemen last September and explained that we were practically family. Lucky for me he had a good sense of humor, and was more than happy to allow me to ride one of their trains.
This is a story of my day riding the rails in southeast Washington.
Colfax Depot
The day started in Colfax Washington where the engineer and conductor received their work orders and completed some paperwork before boarding their train.
Confirming Orders
Engineer Kyle Nelson confirms the work orders he has been given for todays train and finds an issue. A customer has more cars on the train than their siding can support, so Kyle makes several phone calls to straighten the matter out.
Our Train @ Winona
The Pleasent Valley Subdivision:
We meet our train out at Winona Washington where the engineer and conductor work quickly to get the train operational.
Todays train is 26 empty grain cars which were brought up from Hooper where the railroad has a interchange with Union Pacific. We will spend the first part of the day taking most of these empties 32 miles northeast to Hornton.
Power; GP40-2
As you can see the lead power for this train is a GP40-2. This 3000 horsepower locomotive was originally built for the CN railroad and is geared for passenger service. It does not have dynamic brakes.
A Focused Lens
This was my first all-day shoot on a locomotive, and there was a learning curve for me. There were things I knew I wouldn't be accustom to, like shooting through a dirty windshield or roaming in an area I was not familiar with. There were also things I didn't anticipate; for example, when you're chasing a train or shooting a specific location, you can always move so the sun is at your back, or wait until it is. That wasn't the case when riding in the cab.
Needless to say I spent the day with a big smile on my face appreciating how lucky I was to meet people so openhanded.
Power; GP30M
The second unit is a GP30M. Built in 1963 and formally owned by CSX, this 2000 horsepower locomotive has a traditional cab, and dynamic brakes.
The Locomotive Engineer
Today's locomotive engineer is a bright, Mountain Dew soda-holic named Kyle Nelson. Big thanks to Kyle for answering all my questions, and stopping the train a few times - where safe - so I could get pictures.
The Conductor
Today's conductor is a pretty smart guy named Tony Viviano who knows a lot about local, and railroad history. Big thanks to Tony for letting me tag along, and sharing all he knew about the area.
First Trespasser
The only trespassers on this Eastern Washington branch line was the occasional deer.
09-MAR-2007
Dropping into Juno
There were several places on the line where you would crest a hill and discover yet another Palouse vista.
Tight Curve
This was one of the tighter curves on the trip up and it was also on a steep grade which required both locomotives to run at notch 8 (full power). So we kept a close eye on our cars to watch for broken knuckles.
Steep Climb
Same location as the previous photo, but looking forward.
Top of the Pass
The cut ahead marks the top of the grade.
Muddy Cut
As you can see here there has been recent heavy rain which has washed a lot of mud onto the tracks. At this point the engineer eases off of the throttle, and starts to set the brakes up for the steep decent into the valley below.
Welcome to Thornton
We've made our way to Thornton, and the conductor has already lined the switch so we can pull the empty grain cars into the siding (left).
Switching @ Thornton
In this shot you can see that we've already pulled our cars into the siding and have run around to the back of the train. Now we must shove the cars forward until the last car is under the grain silo.
The train’s conductor is at the far end of the siding making sure nothing moves in the way. You can see the trains engineer lining the switch for the next move.
Shove @ Thornton
In this shot you can see that we are shoving our train forward. Our sight is limited so the conductor and engineer stay in constant communication as to the progress of the move.
Saint John
We move into the GP30M which is now the lead unit for the trip back, and make a light power move back to Saint John. There we pick up the first of the loaded grain cars (left of center).
Our conductor Tony is already on the scene, and has lined the switches for maximum efficiency.
Switching @ Saint John
It's a similar move with each stop; we hook up to the cars, pull them back far enough so we can run around the cars on the main, and then back down the far end of the siding. Once we've added those cars to our train, we move on to the next town.
In this shot Tony is coupling the locomotives to the cars so we can begin our pull backwards.
Swtching @ Saint John
Tony throws the switch so we can back the power down the far end of the siding, couple to the front of the train, and be on our way.
Walking the Train
While making our way down a steep grade the train looses its air which puts the train’s brakes into emergency. Honoring FRA rules, Kyle walks the train and finds a loose valve to be the culprit.
Welcome to Lancaster
Engineer Kyle Nelson throws the switch for the main line so he can position his locomotives to pick up the loaded grain cars in the distance.
Our train starts to get long and the engines pull hard to gain speed.
Palouse River Crossing
Built in 1924 by the former owner Union Pacific, this crossing is one of the more dramatic bridges on the line.
A look back at our train making sure each car crosses safely.
Eastbound along the Hooper Subdivision
We passed our starting point leaving the Pleasent Valley Subdivision and are now headed west down the Hooper Subdivision for about 25 miles to the town of Hooper.
Climb Out of the Valley
The steepest climb of the day! The engineer poured on the coals before we hit the grade, and we watched the speedometer slowly drop until we finished the climb.
Crossing Under SR 26
A point of interest to me was when the line passes under State Route 26 (Vantage to Pulman). I've passed over this bridge many times, and it reminded me that I was on a ride I often imagined.
Reverse Curves
Once again we are snaking left and right in the bottom of a canyon. We cross Willow Creek countless times on the recently improved track.
Welcome to Hooper
We make the approach to the small town of Hooper with Tony once again on scene with the switches lined. We stop just short of the crossing, and Tony cuts the power from the grain cars.
Tieing Up
We pull to the other side of the crossing and into the siding where the brakes are set, and the locomotives shut down. We were on duty for 10 hours, but I was still a little bummed my ride was over.
11-MAR-2007
Hooper - The End.
A view of Hooper and the 2 locomotives that got us there. After tieing up we catch a crew shuttle back to Colfax where some final paper work was filled out by the crew.
Big THANKS again to Kyle and Tony for showing me what it was like to work such a beautiful line!
