Chasing Trains

Several more inches of snow greeted us today and Stan Patterson called to say the train would be headed to Harvard, so Don Somers and Barb Coyner did a bit of train chasing. First stop: the depot for some photo opps and car switching. Track maintenance specialist Scott Cahill cleared track and Jeremy Leiterman was at the throttle as cars were moved around.

Stan says the car storage at Potlatch and other sites has proven very profitable for the W&I Railway. He even suggested that we might store cars on our tracks, which would contribute $2/car/day. The W&I makes a handsome sum storing cars and that's helped create profit for the line.

Shortly after noon, the two locomotives headed to Bennett's at Princeton, then one engine continued on to Harvard for the first pickup of poles being shipped by new customer Stella-Jones Timber, which took over the Baxter Pole peeler mill at Juliaetta. The poles were 45 and 60 feet long, and bound for Canada. Stan is clearly pleased to have two strong customers on the route now and at some point, Stella-Jones plans a big shipment of perhaps 20 cars. S-J forester Colin Port anticipates sending regular loads out to reduce the backlog of poles at the millsite. That's great news for the W&I and depot backers!