|
This day was a rare, rare
exception. Usually, the WWV would operate six days a week with one crew on duty
either at 0800 or 0900. (Work at Walla Walla). The southbound train would leave
its Freewater cars at College Place and do the Baker-Langdon work on the
outbound trip, leaving the pulled cars on the siding at Maple Street (College Place) to pick up
on the return. The train would usually arrive at Milton-Freewater between 11:30
and 1:30pm. After spotting the industries on the “north end” of town and pulling
the UP interchange, the crew would often grab lunch before heading down Main
Street with the Rogers and Harris traffic. With luck the crew could be ready to
depart Milton-Freewater by 2pm, but most days the Valley didn’t get out of town
until 4pm, setting out the UP loads from Rogers to the interchange as their last
move before departing.
Return to Walla Walla was usually
between 3:30 and 5pm.
Operations changed little
following the Burlington Northern merger in 1970. WWV's trains were given a
five-digit identification number so the railroad's traffic computer could keep
track of the WWV's operations. The Walla Walla to Milton-Freewater train was
designated the 61810; a 1980 book of train schedules shows the WWV on duty daily
except Sundays at 08:30am.
For a fuller recollection of WWV
operations from the 1940s to the early BN era, read
General Manager Ed Schneidmiller's recollections.
Union Pacific Operations
Union
Pacific based its freight operations in the Walla Walla valley out of Walla
Walla, running a evening freight west to a connection with the Washy mainline at
Wallula six days a week. The nocturnal freight connected with daytime locals
delivering traffic off the Dayton and Pendleton branches to Walla Walla’s yard.
.
Passenger service to Walla Walla
on the UP ended on September 10, 1955, when trains 345-346 between Walla Walla
and Wallula ended. The last run consisted of GP7 128, a baggage car, coach, and
sleeper. The sleeper provided through service to Portland via good connections
with trains 18-19 (The Spokane) at Wallula and 17-18 (Portland Rose) at Hinkle.
The eastbound passenger train arrived at Walla Walla 5am, the westbound train
departing at 945pm. The Walla Walla-Wallula freight usually followed the
passenger train.
Freight traffic between Walla
Walla and Wallula had been operated an as “extra” movement since the 1950s. An
assigned crew was normally on duty at Walla Walla between 9 and 10pm, delivering
their train to Wallula, 31 miles to the west, and returning with the Walla Walla
traffic, arriving back shortly before dawn. The westbound traffic connected with
the Yakima-Hinkle freight #363, scheduled to arrive at Wallula at 4:05am in
1970. This train, heavy with perishables from the Yakima and Walla Walla
valleys, provided the bulk of the traffic for the hot “Hinkle Fruit.”
The Dayton branch was served
daily-except-Sunday trains #365-366, with a timetable departure from Walla Walla
of 8:30am. The train arrived at Dayton after 11:05am, departing as train #365
after 11:50am and scheduled to arrive in Walla Walla 2:25pm. A switcher was
stationed at Walla Walla to handle local traffic at the elevators, canneries,
frozen food warehouses and can factory, and to make up trains. Service on the
Pendleton branch south of Athena was sporadic after the late 1960s, with the
majority of the traffic from grain elevators, canneries and frozen food
producers at Milton-Freewater and Athena. This work was handled by an extra
train, usually run in the late afternoon and often using the crew and power off
the #365 Dayton turn upon their return to Walla Walla.
Once steam operations ended on
the Washy in the mid-1950s, the mechanical forces at the Walla Walla roundhouse
were largely laid off and most of the roundhouse torn down. For the next twenty
years, traffic out of Walla Walla was handled mostly by EMD GP7’s and GP9’s,
including cabless GP9B’s. EMD switchers, including the 1000-series NW2’s
and 1800-series SW9’s and SW1200’s, were used in yard an industry switching in
town. As they were bumped off mainline trains by newer power in the 1970s,
GP30s, GP30B’s, and GP20s were also seen. Since their delivery in 1974,
branchline traffic on the Washy lines had been dominated by 2000-series
GP38-2’s. Grain extras were occasionally powered by such branchline rarities as
UP’s SD24/SD24B’s, for which tonnage ratings on the Walla Walla
branchlines were published in the Oregon Division employee timetables.
UP timetables were also quite
explicit about restrictions on industrial trackage around Walla Walla. For
instance, Special Instrictions No. 18 for the Oregon Division, dated June 1,
1967, restricts locomotives on the spurs to Pacific Fruit, Walla Walla
Gardeners, Pacific Supply Co-Op, Walla Walla Cannery, Jefferson Street
Connection, Libbys, and the Mill Spur to "DE-switch locomotives. . . Alco
1280-1295; 1000 HP units Nos. 1000-1095, 1100-1198, 1200-1210,1800-1865 and
1870-1877." The timetable also listed extreme curvature of trackage of over 30
degrees on "track 58, Walla Walla Poultry Assoc.", and "tracks 66-67, Walla
Walla Canning Co."
Northern Pacific and
Burlington Northern Operations
Northern
Pacific’s operations in the Walla Walla area nearly mirrored those of rival
Union Pacific. The NP ran a nightly turn between Walla Walla and the mainline
terminal at Pasco, #1248-1249, daily except Sunday. A 1967 Northern Pacific
“train brief” lists its purpose to “perform switching between Walla Walla and
Pasco, with side trip on Pleasant View Branch as required.” Major traffic
handled included frozen foods, perishables, potatoes, grain, canned goods,
lumber, fertilizer, and sugar beets. Train #1248 was on duty at 9:00pm at
Walla Walla, returning shortly after sunup. Mechanical refrigerators were
inspected and ice cars “topped off” at Pasco before making connection with NP’s
premier eastbound train, #600, scheduled to arrive at Pasco at 8:10am and depart
45 minutes later. Out of Walla Walla, the perishables rode the head-end of the
train. Less time-sensitive traffic was humped and added to the eastbound fleet
of trains out of Pasco, including #602, 604 and 606.
The returning train, #1249,
carried the connection for #1250-1251, the Walla Walla-Dayton Turnaround Local,
on duty daily except Sunday at 7:30am. The Dayton turn had a full day’s
work ahead of it. After first breaking down the inbound Pasco train, it
performed all local switching in Walla Walla, handled the interchange with the
Walla Walla Valley and Union Pacific, THEN built its own train and departed for
Dayton, returning in the late afternoon. But the day wasn’t done yet. The crew
still had to pull the outbound interchange from the WWV and assemble that
evening’s #1248 train before calling it a night.
Like Union Pacific, NP’s local
traffic was entrusted to EMD’s GP7 and 9 road switchers, usually operating in
pairs. During peak season, an extra switcher would be bulletined at Walla
Walla to assist in serving local industries and building trains; for this
service, an SW1200 switcher would be moved from Pasco.
Burlington Northern continued
operations in a similar pattern for many years following its creation in 1970.
Daily except Saturday Portland Division local 61814 made a Walla Walla-Pasco
turn, on duty 9:00pm. The Dayton branch was served by the 61812 train, on
duty Daily except Sunday at 0800. Cost-cutting in the mid-1980s found BN
abandoning the Dayton branch, and in 1986, trackage rights were negotiated with
Union Pacific between Wallula and Walla Walla, allowing BN to abandon this
trackage as well. By November 1993, BN had given up the last of its Walla Walla
trackage to the Blue Mountain & Palouse River Railroad, a new shortline created
from unwanted remnants of UP and BN branchlines in southeastern Washington.
Back
Home
|
Railroad customers in the
Walla
Walla Valley, c. 1967-1971
WALLA
WALLA VALLEY RAILWAY
Walla Walla
Ault Irrigation Co. irrigation equipment
Birds Eye Foods frozen fruit, vegetables
Continental Can tinplate cans
Conoco Oil petroleum prod.
Consolidated Supply (T) plumbing pipe
F. L. Garrett & Sons fruit shipper
(Blalock station)
Jones-Scott Co.asphalt coal oil cement
Nebraska Bridge & Supply lumber mill
(Stateline station, abandoned 1962)
Northwestern Ice & Cold Stge Cold storage
Snyder-Crecelius Paper /wholesale paper
Stone Tractor Equipment (T) farm implements
Suburban Gas Service propane
Tomlinson’s Dairy-Mart dairy
(Stateline station)
U&I Sugar sugar beets
(Zigman station)
U&I Sugar sugar beets
(Baker-Langdon station)
Walla Walla Grain Growers grain, wheat, barley
(Baker-Langdon station)
Walla Walla Hothouse Veget. vegetables
(Mojonnier station)
Milton-Freewater
American Can Co. can storage
Blue Mtn. Prune Growers fruit, vegetables
Continental Can Co. can storage
Harris Frozen Foods frozen food warehouse
Key Equipment Co. pea cleaning machinery
Luisi Trucking Co. (T) motor freight
Milton Ice & Cold Storage cold storage, ice
Mojonnier Sons Inc. fruit, vegetables
Pendleton Grain Growers wheat, grain, barley shippers
Rogers Walla Walla Canning cannery
Stadelman Fruit Co. fruit, vegetables
Twin City Oil & Gas petroleum prod.
Umatilla Canning canned and frozen foods
Western Milling Co. flour, feed
Shell Oil Co. petroleum prod.
NORTHERN PACIFIC
Walla Walla
Amery Sons wholesale hardware
Archer Daniels Midland grain broker
Aylward Sheet Metal (T) roofing material
B. Baer Sons (T) scrap metal
Blue Mountain reload pulpwood shippers
Bob Taylor Distributing beer distributor
Brotherton Auto (T) Chrysler autos
Bryants Marina (T) boats
Cal Chem Ortho Div. fertilizers
California Spray chemicals insectisides
Carroll Adams Tractor (T) farm implements
J. I. Case Co. (T) farm implements
Consolidated Supply Co. (T) plumbing pipe
Craik Lumber stud lumber mill
Dean’s Transfer Storage carload distribution
Drumheller Co. (T) steel hardware
Electric Supply Fixture (T) electrical supplies
Ferris Implement Co. (T) farm implements
Frontier Machinery Co. farm implements
Coyle Garland Auto (T) Oldsmobiles
Georgia Paicifc lumber mill
Gradwhol Furniture (T) furniture, carpets
Graves Anderson (T) Pontiac
Hill-Mundel (T) beer distributor
Huntington-Cummings Co. fertilizer distributor
Inland Distributing Co. (T) beer distributor
International Harvester Co. (T) farm implements
Jackson Lowman Motors Lincoln/Merc/Nash
Johnson Auto Glass (T) auto glass
Johnson Motors (T) Edsels
Libby McNeill Libby cannery, froz. foods
Logan Chevrolet (T) GM autos
McLoughlin Auto (T) Studebaker
Maskelyne Transfer Storage carload distribution
Ray Melcher Machinery(T) farm implements
Midland Drilling (T) drilling machy.
Mojonnier Sons Inc. onion, potato shipper
Montana Flour Mills feed mill
Moore Buick Co. (T) Buick autos
Morrison Supply Co. wholesale hardware
Northern Harris Co. (T) farm implements
Pacific Power & Light electrical supplies
Pete’s Marina (T) boats
Phillips Petroleum petroleum prod.
Shell Oil Co. petroleum prod.
Standard Oil Co. petroleum prod.
Sherman Starr Fuel coal, oil
Teague Motor Co. (T) Ford autos
Texas Co. (Texaco) petroleum prod.
Tompkins & Nibbler pea cleaning plant
Union Oil co. petroleum prod.
Van Petten Lumber co. (T) lumber
Walla Walla Grain Growers grain, wheat, barley
City of Walla Walla water pipe chlorine
Walla Walla Produce onions
Washington State Penitentiary COAL
Zellerbach Paper Co. paper products
UNION PACIFIC
Walla Walla
Carroll Adams Tractor farm implements
Associated Grocers groceries
B. Baer & Sons scrap
Bon Marche (T) merchadise
Bur Bee Candy candy mfg.
Christensent Lumber Co. lumber
Coca Cola Bottling co. beverages
Columbia Valley Hardware building mtls.
Consolidated Electrical Distr. Electrical supplies
Consolidated Supply (T) pipe & plumbing
Consolidated Can tinplate can
Birds Eye/General Foods frozen foods
Glafke Distributing Co. beer distributor
Inland Machine Works machine shop
Jones-Scott Co. fuel, ready-mix
W. D. Krapfel feed
Libby, McNeill, Libby cannery
Mahan Fuel Co. fuel
Martin Roofing (T) roofing supplies
Melcher-Ray Machinery farm implements
Miller Supply co. plumbing supply
Northwest Ice & Cold Stg. Cold storage
Pacific Fruit & Produce produce
Pacific Telephone & Tele. (T) utility supplies
Pepsi Cola Bottling (T) beverages
Phillips Petroleum (T) petroleum prod.
Poultry Shipping & Feed feed, poultry
Ready Mix Sand & Gravel building blocks, sand
Richfield Oil corp petroleum products
J. S. Robison Elevator grain
Rogers Walla Walla cannery
Sears, Roebuck & co. Appliances, mdse.
Shell Oil. Petroleum distr.
Singer Irrigation Co. irrigation equipment
Standard Oil petroleum distr.
Emory Stubblefield (T) scrap
Suburban Gas propane
Tausick & Kauffamn fuel
Terminal Ice & Cold Storage cold storage
Tomlinson’s Dari-Marts (T) Dairy
Tidewater Assoc. Oil Co. petroleum prod.
Tum-A-Lum Lumber building materials
Union Oil Co. petroleum prod.
US Veteran’s Hospital fuel oil, coal
Van Petten Lumber building materials
Walla Walla County storage yards
Walla Walla Farmers Co-Op farm supply
Walla Walla Gardeners Assn. Produce
Walla Walla Grain Growers grain
Walla Walla Grande Supply (T) merchandise
Washington Mchy & Supply (T) machinery parts
Westerm Farmers Assn. Feed
Western Propane propane gas
Whitehouse-Crawford (T) furniture mfg.
Wylie Monuments (T) monuments
Zellerbach Paper Co. paper products
Milton-Freewater
Blue Mtn. Prune Growers fruit and cold stge.
Brinker Bros. Lumber (T) building materials
Harris Milling & Feed feed mill
Key Equipment machinery
Lynden Umatilla Foods frozen foods
Milton Elevator No. 2 grain
Milton Ice & Cold Storage cold storage
Milton Nursery Co. nursery
Mojonnier & Sons fruit
NOTE: (T) denotes team track
source: Northern Pacific 1967 industries list,
Union Pacific industries list, undated (post 1970) |
