Great Northern Railway: Mansfield Branch (1909-1985)
Encyclopedia
The Mansfield Branch Line, located in Eastern Washington State, Douglas County, was constructed by the Great Northern Railway in 1909, and was completed in just 9 months. Starting from the Columbia River
and ending in Mansfield
, the 60.62 miles (97.6 km) of track cut through the southern portion of the Moses Coulee
, snaked up Douglas Creek and made its way across the vast wheat fields of the Waterville
Plateau. The train made scheduled stops at Palisades
, Alstown, Douglas, Supplee, Withrow
, Touhey and Mansfield
to drop off and pick up loaded 40 ft (12.2 m) boxcars of grain from The Waterville Union Grain Co. (a predecessor of the Central Washington Grain Growers, Inc. (CWGG)).
From the beginning until about the late 1940s, both freight and passenger service shared the rail, but because of declining sales the passenger train was eventually removed. The Granger unit train
still continued to play a major role, but on a lesser scale. The train went from 5 day a week service to down to 2 to 3 days a week service, and eventually to Sunday only in the 1970s and 1980s.
The branch line was rebuilt after the floods of 1938 and 1948. In 1948, the estimated cost of repairs exceeded $1,000,000.00. Several wooden bridge trestles and track had to be repaired in order to keep the train operational. Great Northern Railway’s records show that 49 wooden trestles were built along this stretch the track, the most of any branch line in the United States. Also, one wooden tunnel was constructed near the falls at Douglas Creek, and in 2000 the tunnel collapsed from years of neglect. In 2000 both ends were closed up with thousands of cubic yards of soil.
The Mansfield branch was one of the last branch lines in the country to still use boxcar
s to move wheat. This method, by the early 1980s, was considered obsolete. New covered hopper
s by this time were doing all of the grain hauling and the Mansfield Branch Line was too light to carry these cars. This was because the 68-pound-per-yard (34 kg/m) rail could not handle the larger hoppers that Burlington Northern Railroad
had in its inventory. This and the increase of truck transportation led to the demise of the line.
The Great Northern Railway built and maintained ownership of the line from 1909 until 1970, when the newly formed Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) was transferred ownership of the line during the merger forming it. On March 2, 1985, the last train made its run closing 76 years of granger railroading history in Douglas County. The last train consisted of two BN EMD GP39-2
locomotives #2730 & #2738, 40 boxcars and one caboose
.
As of 2008 the abandoned railroad right of way is a hiking trail.
McCue siding, Douglas Creek, Washington
Alstown, Washington
Supplee, Washington
Touhey, Washington
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
and ending in Mansfield
Mansfield, Washington
Mansfield is a town in Douglas County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 328 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, the 60.62 miles (97.6 km) of track cut through the southern portion of the Moses Coulee
Moses Coulee
Moses Coulee cuts into the Waterville plateau in Douglas County, Washington. It is to the west of and roughly parallel to the more famous Grand Coulee...
, snaked up Douglas Creek and made its way across the vast wheat fields of the Waterville
Waterville, Washington
Waterville is a town in and the county seat of Douglas County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,138 at the 2010 census.-History:...
Plateau. The train made scheduled stops at Palisades
Palisades, Washington
Palisades is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Washington, United States. Palisades is east of East Wenatchee. Palisades has a post office with ZIP code 98845....
, Alstown, Douglas, Supplee, Withrow
Withrow, Washington
Withrow is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Washington, United States.Named for a rancher named J.J. Withrow, Withrow lies at the base of the Withrow Moraine and Jameson Lake Drumlin Field is a National Park Service designated privately-owned National Natural Landmark located in...
, Touhey and Mansfield
Mansfield, Washington
Mansfield is a town in Douglas County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 328 at the 2000 census.-History:...
to drop off and pick up loaded 40 ft (12.2 m) boxcars of grain from The Waterville Union Grain Co. (a predecessor of the Central Washington Grain Growers, Inc. (CWGG)).
From the beginning until about the late 1940s, both freight and passenger service shared the rail, but because of declining sales the passenger train was eventually removed. The Granger unit train
Unit train
A unit train, also called a block train, is a railway train in which all the cars making it up are shipped from the same origin to the same destination, without being split up or stored en route...
still continued to play a major role, but on a lesser scale. The train went from 5 day a week service to down to 2 to 3 days a week service, and eventually to Sunday only in the 1970s and 1980s.
The branch line was rebuilt after the floods of 1938 and 1948. In 1948, the estimated cost of repairs exceeded $1,000,000.00. Several wooden bridge trestles and track had to be repaired in order to keep the train operational. Great Northern Railway’s records show that 49 wooden trestles were built along this stretch the track, the most of any branch line in the United States. Also, one wooden tunnel was constructed near the falls at Douglas Creek, and in 2000 the tunnel collapsed from years of neglect. In 2000 both ends were closed up with thousands of cubic yards of soil.
The Mansfield branch was one of the last branch lines in the country to still use boxcar
Boxcar
A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...
s to move wheat. This method, by the early 1980s, was considered obsolete. New covered hopper
Covered hopper
A Covered Hopper is a railroad freight car. They are designed for carrying dry bulk loads, varying from grain to products such as sand and clay. The cover protects the loads from the weather - dried cement would be very hard to unload if mixed with water in transit, while grain would be liable to...
s by this time were doing all of the grain hauling and the Mansfield Branch Line was too light to carry these cars. This was because the 68-pound-per-yard (34 kg/m) rail could not handle the larger hoppers that Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
had in its inventory. This and the increase of truck transportation led to the demise of the line.
The Great Northern Railway built and maintained ownership of the line from 1909 until 1970, when the newly formed Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) was transferred ownership of the line during the merger forming it. On March 2, 1985, the last train made its run closing 76 years of granger railroading history in Douglas County. The last train consisted of two BN EMD GP39-2
EMD GP39-2
An EMD GP39-2 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1974 and 1984. 239 examples of this locomotive were built for American railroads. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP39-2 was an upgraded GP39...
locomotives #2730 & #2738, 40 boxcars and one caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
.
As of 2008 the abandoned railroad right of way is a hiking trail.
Small towns and stations along the tracks
Appledale, Washington- Palisades, WashingtonPalisades, WashingtonPalisades is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Washington, United States. Palisades is east of East Wenatchee. Palisades has a post office with ZIP code 98845....
McCue siding, Douglas Creek, Washington
Alstown, Washington
- Douglas, Washington
- Waterville, WashingtonWaterville, WashingtonWaterville is a town in and the county seat of Douglas County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,138 at the 2010 census.-History:...
Supplee, Washington
- Withrow, WashingtonWithrow, WashingtonWithrow is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Washington, United States.Named for a rancher named J.J. Withrow, Withrow lies at the base of the Withrow Moraine and Jameson Lake Drumlin Field is a National Park Service designated privately-owned National Natural Landmark located in...
Touhey, Washington
- Mansfield, WashingtonMansfield, WashingtonMansfield is a town in Douglas County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 328 at the 2000 census.-History:...
See also
- Great Northern Railway (United States)
- Burlington Northern