Showing posts with label WTCX. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WTCX. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Puget Sound Railway Historical Association in August 1998

Weyerhaeuser Timber Company H12-44 #1 in Snoqualmie, Washington, in August 1998

I took these pictures in August 1998, at the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association (now the Northwest Railway Museum) in Snoqualmie, Washington, where our family stopped briefly on a trip to Stevens Pass. Weyerhaeuser Timber Company #1 is a 1200-horsepower H12-44 that was built by Fairbanks-Morse of Beloit, Wisconsin, in 1951. This locomotive was originally used by Weyerhaeuser on the White River Branch, a 4-mile logging line that ran from Enumclaw to a site called Upper Mill. A few years after the locomotive was acquired, the logging line was supplanted with trucks, and the locomotive was used only to interchange freight cars with the Northern Pacific and the Milwaukee Road. This operation ceased in 1975, and the locomotive was transferred to Weyerhaeuser's operation at Vail, Washington, and was renumbered to #714. It was retired in 1977 and sold to Pacific Transportation Services of Tacoma, Washington, where it became #121. It was leased to Continental Grain in Tacoma in the 1980s before being purchased by the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association in 1987.

Alco RSD-4 #201 in Snoqualmie, Washington, in August 1998

Kennecott Copper Company #201 is an RSD-4 built by the American Locomotive Company (Alco) in 1951. A total of 36 RSD-4s were built from 1951 to 1952, compared to 204 RSD-5s built from 1952 to 1956, which were identical except for the main generator. This was the only RSD-4 purchased by Kennecott Copper and is the only remaining RSD-4 in existence. It was donated to the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association in 1983.

GE 45-Tonner #7320 in Snoqualmie, Washington, in August 1998

45-Tonner #7320 was built by General Electric in 1941. It was originally used in the construction of the Elwood Ordinance Plant in Wilmington, Illinois by contractors Sanderson & Porter. It was later transferred to the U.S. Army Transportation Corps and became #7320. It was transferred to the U.S. Navy around 1956 for use at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. After it was retired, the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association leased it from Washington State Parks in 1976.

Northern Pacific Rotary Snow Plow #10 in Snoqualmie, Washington, in August 1998

Northern Pacific Railway #10 is a steam-powered rotary snow plow that was built by the American Locomotive Company's Cooke Works in Paterson, New Jersey, in November, 1907. This rotary plow spent its career assigned to clear winter snow in Washington's Stampede Pass. It was retired in 1964 and was donated to the Puget Sound Railway Historical Association by the Northern Pacific in 1968.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Weyerhaeuser Rosters

I originally posted this information on my old website on March 26, 2009. I have since updated it.

This following link leads to a spreadsheet featuring rosters for the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company's railroads in Oregon and Washington, including the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad, the common-carrier Chehalis Western, Columbia & Cowlitz, & Oregon, California & Eastern and predecessor logging companies, with links to information and photos. Special thanks to John A. Taubeneck, who provided locomotive roster information that allows this to be a fairly complete roster.

Weyerhaeuser Rosters

Originally I had the rosters on a single webpage with links to pictures of some of the equipment. With the rosters now in spreadsheet form, I am including the links here.

Steam Locomotives

Cherry Valley Logging

Related Links:
Cherry Valley Lumber #1 - WTCX #1 from Shaylocomotives.com
Cherry Valley #2 - WTCX #2 from Shaylocomotives.com
Cherry Valley Lumber #3 - WTCX #3 from Shaylocomotives.com
Cherry Valley Lumber #2/#5 - WTCX #5 from Shaylocomotives.com

Clemons Logging

Related Links:
Clemons Logging #2 from Shaylocomotives.com
Clemons Logging Company #6 - WTCX #6/#111 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
Clemons Logging Company #7 - WTCX #7 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
Clemons Lumber Company #8 - WTCX #114 from Mallets in the Tall Timber

Photos:
Clemons Logging 2-Truck Climax from University of Washington Digital Collection
Clemons Logging 2-Truck Shay (2?) from University of Washington Digital Collection
Clemons Logging 3-Truck Heisler #2 from University of Washington Digital Collection
Clemons Logging 3-Truck Climax #3 from University of Washington Digital Collection
Clemons Logging 3-Truck Climax #4 from University of Washington Digital Collection
Clemons Logging 3-Truck Climax from University of Washington Digital Collection
Clemons Logging 2-6-6-2T #6 from University of Washington Digital Collection
Clemons Logging 2-6-6-2T #6 from University of Washington Digital Collection

White River Lumber

Related Links:
White River Lumber #4 - WTCX #4 from Shaylocomotives.com
White River Lumber #6 - WTCX #6 from Shaylocomotives.com

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX)

Related Links:
Chiloquin Lumber #2 - WTCX #4 from Shaylocomotives.com
Sierra Railroad 2-6-6-2 #36 (WTCX #4) from SteamLocomotive.info
WTCX #4 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX #5 from Shaylocomotives.com
WTCX #6 from Shaylocomotives.com
Mud Bay Logging Company #8 - WTCX #6 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX 2-6-6-2 #6 from SteamLocomotive.info
Saginaw Timber Company #4 - WTCX #7 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX #9 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX 2-6-2 #100 from SteamLocomotive.info
WTCX #105 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX #106 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX #107 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
Potlatch Lumber Company #24 - WTCX #108 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX 2-6-6-2T #108 from SteamLocomotive.info
WTCX #110 (1st) from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX 2-6-6-2T #110 from SteamLocomotive.info
WTCX #110 (2nd) from Mallets in the Tall Timber
California Western 2-6-6-2 #46 (2nd WTCX #110) from SteamLocomotive.info
WTCX #111 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX #112 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX #120 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX #200 from Mallets in the Tall Timber
WTCX #201 from Mallets in the Tall Timber

Photos:
WTCX Shay #3 on the Vail Line from Timber Times
WTCX Shay #3 on the Vail Line from the University of Washington Digital Collection
WTCX Baldwin 2-6-6-2T #6 c.1941 from University of Washington Digital Collection
WTCX 2-6-6-2 #6 from Washington State Steam Locomotives and Railroads
WTCX #6 from Fallen Flag Railroad Photos
WTCX #6 from rrpicturearchives.net
WTCX 2-6-2 #100 from Surviving Steam Locomotives of Oregon
WTCX 2-6-6-2T #108 from Washington State Steam Locomotives and Railroads
WTCX #108 from Fallen Flag Railroad Photos
WTCX Baldwin 2-6-6-2T #110 at Vail from University of Washington Digital Collection
WTCX Baldwin 2-6-6-2 #120 c.1938 from University of Washington Digital Collection

Diesel Locomotives

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX)

Related Links:
Brian McCamish's page about Weyerhaeuser's Springfield Divison
Weyerhaeuser Springfield Division from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
Weyerhaeuser Sutherlin Division from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
Weyerhaeuser Longview Division from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
Weyerhaeuser Timber Company gallery at Jeff Davis's site
WTCX pictures in BNSF Seattle Sub album by Matt Adams at rrpicturearchives.net
WTCX in SW Wash. 01/19/06 album by Matt Adams at rrpicturearchives.net
CLC & WTCX in SW Wash. 12/30/05 album by Matt Adams at rrpicturearchives.net
CLC & WTCX in WA/OR/ID/BC album by Paul Leach at rrpicturearchives.net

Photos:
WTCX #1 at Enumclaw, 1960, from the University of Washington Digital Collection
WTCX #1 from Fallen Flag Railroad Photos
WTCX #1 from rrpicturearchives.net
WTCX #1 from rrpicturearchives.net
WTCX Baldwins on the Klamath Falls Line from railpictures.net
WTCX #101 from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
WTCX #102 from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
WTCX #303 from Fallen Flag Railroad Photos
WTCX #304 from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
WTCX #307 from railpictures.net
WTCX #307 from railpictures.net
WTCX #309 from Fallen Flag Railroad Photos
WTCX #309 from rrpicturearchives.net
WTCX #309 from railpictures.net

WTCX #310 from rrpicturearchives.net
WTCX #310 from Brian McCamish's website
WTCX #311 from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
WTCX SW1500s on Cowlitz River Bridge from railpictures.net
WTCX Train on the Rocky Point Trestle in Kelso, Washington from railpictures.net
WTCX Train on the Rocky Point Trestle in Kelso, Washington from railpictures.net
WTCX 70-Tonner on the Springfield Line from rrpicturearchives.net

Chehalis Western (CWWR) Chehalis

Related Links:
Chehalis Western from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
Chehalis Western gallery by PBase user clivew
Old Chehalis Western Roster from Western Shortline Rosters
New Chehalis Western Roster from Western Shortline Rosters
Curtis, Milburn & Eastern Roster from Western Shortline Rosters

Photos:
CWWR #684 from railpictures.net
CWWR #776 from Fallen Flag Railroad Photos
CWWR #810 from railpictures.net
CWWR #817 & #818 from rrpicturearchives.net

Columbia & Cowlitz (CLC) Longview

Related Links:
Columbia & Cowlitz Roster from Western Shortline Rosters
Columbia & Cowlitz gallery at Jeff Davis's site
Columbia & Cowlitz album by Robert Ulberg at rrpicturearchives.net
Columbia & Cowlitz album by Brian Miller at rrpicturearchives.net
CLC pictures in SW Wash. 01/05/06 album by Matt Adams at rrpicturearchives.net
CLC pictures in BNSF Seattle Sub album by Matt Adams at rrpicturearchives.net

Photos:
CLC #700 from rrpicturearchives.net
CLC #700 from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
CLC #701 from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
CLC #701 & 701B from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
CLC #700 & #701 from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
CLC #701 from rrpicturearchives.net
CLC #701B from northeast.railfan.net
CLC #701 from Fallen Flag Railroad Photos
CLC #700 & #701 at Rocky Point from railpictures.net
CLC #700 & #701 in Longview from railpictures.net
CLC #700 & #701 in Longview from railpictures.net
CLC #701 in the Rocky Point Yard from railpictures.net
CLC #700 & #701 in Longview from railpictures.net
CLC #700 & #701 at Rocky Point from railpictures.net
CLC #700 & #701 at Rocky Point from railpictures.net
CLC #700 & #701 on the Rocky Point Trestle from railpictures.net
CLC #700 & #701 on the Rocky Point Trestle from railpictures.net

Oregon, California & Eastern (OCE) Klamath Falls

Related Links:
OC&E Color Pictures from WX4
Oregon, California & Eastern from High Desert Rails
Oregon, California & Eastern from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
Oregon, California & Eastern Roster from Western Shortline Rosters
Oregon, California & Eastern gallery by PBase user clivew

Photos:
OC&E #7601 from railpictures.net
OC&E #7603 & #7604 from railpictures.net
OC&E #7604 from Fallen Flag Railroad Photos
OC&E #7604 & #7605 from railpictures.net
OC&E #7606 from northeast.railfan.net
OC&E #7908 from rrpicturearchives.net
OC&E #7910 from Fallen Flag Railroad Photos

Cabooses

Related Links:
Restoration Page for White River Lumber #001 by Martin Nemerever
WTCX #2 at Train Mountain Railroad Museum
CLC #5 at Train Mountain Railroad Museum
WTCX WX-082 at Train Mountain Railroad Museum
GN Cabooses in Oregon from The Great Northern Empire Then and Now
Oregon, California & Eastern Cabooses from High Desert Rails

Photos:
White River Lumber #001 from Washington State Cabooses
White River Lumber #001 from Washington State Cabooses
White River Lumber #001 from rrpicturearchives.net
White River Lumber #001 from rrpicturearchives.net
WTCX #1 from Brian McCamish's website
WTCX #2 from Brian McCamish's website
WTCX #2 from Brian McCamish's website
WTCX #4 on the Cowlitz River Bridge from railpictures.net
CLC #5 from rrpicturearchives.net
WTCX Caboose #7 from Fallen Flag Railroad Photos
WTCX Caboose #8 in Bicentennial Colors from Central California Rails
WTCX #602 from Washington State Cabooses
CMER Caboose from Washington State Cabooses
CWWR Wood Caboose from CarrTracks
CWWR #599 from CarrTracks
Chehalis Western #711 from Washington State Cabooses
WTCX #715 from Rob Jacox's Western Rails
OC&E #2001 from Larry Tuttle's Caboose Page 3
OC&E #2008 from rrpicutrearchives.net

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Railroad Ties that Bind

This newspaper article by Brenda Blevins McCorkle with photos by Pam Hanson was originally published in The Daily News on May 26, 2005. I originally posted it on my website on June 1, 2005; I had very closely replicated the original layout of the article, but it didn’t translate into this new format.

THE DAILY NEWS

Thursday
May 26, 2005

AREA NEWS
Model train fanatics celebrate 20 years of making tracks – Page B3

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Cowlitz River Bridge in Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005

This view was taken by a club member from the Weyerhaeuser train during the club’s recent ride. Photos Courtesy of Pam Hanson

RAILROAD
TIES that BIND

By Brenda Blevins McCorkle
THE DAILY NEWS

Area train enthusiasts celebrate 20 years 
Members of the Longview, Kelso & Rainier Model Railroad Club in Longview, Washington on May 17, 2005

Members of the Longview Kelso and Rainier Model Railroad Club lined up recently to celebrate the group’s 20th anniversary with a ride on the Weyerhaeuser train.

A 20th Anniversary is traditionally associated with delicate china or – for the more modern – platinum.

The members of the Longview Kelso & Rainier Model Railroad Club commemorated their recent milestone with another durable substance – cold, hard steel.

The group celebrated its 20th anniversary with a train ride to the Headquarters area and back. The trip was provided compliments of Weyerhaeuser Co. The club was founded in April 1985 by James Davis, Cliff West and Donald Stanton. The eight members meet at 7 p.m. Tuesdays as Riverside Community Church (the old elementary school) in Rainier. They fix up their meeting space and work on their railroad layout, which is less than three years old. The layout is a model railroad scene, complete with switching yard and other common elements.

“We had an original layout,” says West, one of the founding members of the group. “When we would move it from place to place, it was about a four-and-a-half or five-hour job to set up and a three hour job to take down. This isn’t supposed to be work, it’s supposed to be fun.”

The group sold that layout, then went on to work on their new one.

Their meeting area is in the former band room in Rainier’s old elementary school.

“We ended up with this room that had blackberries growing in it,” West said. “The lights didn’t work, and we had to cut a second door to get the layout in here.”

The room now houses the layout at its center and has storage space at the rear for members’ gear and work supplies. The church lets the group use the room and club pays the utilities.

But it’s not all work and no play. Club members take their railroad layout to local events, such as the Stella Remnants of the Past festival, and they also have a smaller layout for short events such as school carnivals.

Part of their fun included the recent adventure on the Weyerhaeuser train.

Club member Travis Martin of Kelso said he got some great aerial photos of his house, which sits near the former wooden and now steel train trestle at Cowlitz Gardens in Kelso.

“My wife and I went up,” he said. “It was interesting.”

The trip lasted about three hours, West said, and Weyerhaeuser did it for free to help the group celebrate.

“We really want to thank them and the woods railroad,” West said.

He said the group is hoping some new blood will join.

“We’re all getting king of old now,” he said, then added, chuckling, “We need some 20-year-olds in this outfit, to do some of the lifting.”

Club member Rob Painter, who has been an avid train enthusiast since he was a kid, said the best part of the group is just getting together and talking about their hobby.

“It’s nice being part of a club,” he said. “We talk trains. It’s just fun to get together and play.”

Anyone interested in joining the Longview Kelso & Rainier Model Railroad Club is invited to attend a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Riverside Community Church in Rainier. For details, call Cliff West at (503) 556-2407 or Rob Painter at 577-8319. Dues are $5 a month.

Related Links:
Longview, Kelso & Rainier Model Railroad Club
The Daily News
Weyerhaeuser

WTCX: Other Engines at the Mill

Continued from A Friendly Wave.

Here are a few pictures of some other locomotives I spotted at the mill on the way in before the trip and on the way out afterwards. The first two aren’t very good, as they were taken from a moving car, but they are here.

Weyerhaeuser #309

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) GP7 #309 at Longview, Washington on May 17, 2005
Weyerhaeuser #309, photographed on the way in.

Weyerhaeuser #309 is a GP7 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in May 1953 as Reading Company #615. It was purchased by Weyerhaeuser in 1975. By 2001 it was reportedly for sale, but was still on the property in 2005 as shown here.

After Patriot Rail took over the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad on December 31, 2010, #309 was sold to Larry’s Truck & Electric of McDonald, Ohio in October 2011.

Columbia & Cowlitz #700, #701 & #702

Columbia & Cowlitz GP20 #701 at Longview, Washington on May 17, 2005
Columbia & Cowlitz #701, photographed on the way in.

Columbia & Cowlitz GP7u #702 at Longview, Washington on May 17, 2005
Columbia & Cowlitz #702, photographed on the way out.

Columbia & Cowlitz #700 is a GP20 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1960 as Union Pacific #701. It was renumbered to #471 in December 1962. After being retired from Union Pacific in October 1977 it was sold to Precision National Corporation and rebuilt as a GP21 with a 2000-horsepower non-turbocharged 16-645 engine in place of its original 2000-horsepower turbocharged 16-567 engine. It was sold to South East Coal Co. (SECX) in March 1979 as #2004 for dedicated unit coal train service on the Louisville & Nashville in Kentucky. After SEC’s November 1990 bankruptcy it was sold to National Railway Equipment in March 1991. It was leased to the Arizona & California (ARZC) in May 1991 as #2004, and was used in national lease service in 1997 as NREX #2004. It was sold to Columbia & Cowlitz in 1998.

Columbia & Cowlitz #701 is a GP20 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1960 as Union Pacific #727. It was renumbered to #497 in December 1962. After being retired from Union Pacific in October 1977 it was sold to Precision National Corporation and rebuilt as a GP21 with a 2000-horsepower non-turbocharged 16-645 engine in place of its original 2000-horsepower turbocharged 16-567 engine. It was sold to South East Coal Co. (SECX) in March 1979 as #2005 for dedicated unit coal train service on the Louisville & Nashville in Kentucky. After SEC’s November 1990 bankruptcy it was sold to National Railway Equipment in March 1991. It was leased to the Arizona & California (ARZC) in May 1991 as #2005, and was used in national lease service in 1997 as NREX #2005. It was sold to Columbia & Cowlitz in 1998.

Columbia & Cowlitz #702 was built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1953 as Nickel Plate Road GP7 #431. It later became Norfolk & Western #2431. It came to Weyerhaeuser in 1976 after being rebuilt as a GP7u by Morrison-Knudsen of Boise, Idaho, and was initially assigned to Vail, Washington, as #765. In 1981 it became Chehalis Western #765. It was transferred to the Columbia & Cowlitz as #701 in 1989, and was rebuilt in 1998 as #702 with a home-built low nose as shown here.

After Patriot Rail took over the Columbia & Cowlitz on December 31, 2010, all three of these locomotives were sold to Larry’s Truck & Electric of McDonald, Ohio in October 2011.

WTCX Trip: A Friendly Wave

Continued from Back over the River.

56226384-14 Woman Waving to the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Longview, Washington on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

Just after crossing the Ocean Beach Highway, the railroad passes by the apartments that are home to the elderly woman who waves to every train that passes. She hadn’t been expecting the special run when it passed by on the way out of town, and didn’t make it to the window in time to wave, but when the train returned, she was ready and waiting at her third floor window.

56226384-15 Woman Waving to the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Longview, Washington on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

Continue to Other Engines at the Mill

WTCX Trip: Back over the River

Continued from Rocky Point.

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Cowlitz River Bridge at Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005

The train climbed back up the approach to the Cowlitz River bridge. Notice that some of the old wooden trestle survived the July 2, 2001 fire and is still in use.

56226384-09 Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Cowlitz River Bridge at Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

Notice the proximity of homes to the trestle. During the fire, a serious concern was preventing any homes from being destroyed as well. Many residents found themselves desperately spraying their roofs down with garden hoses as a defense against the sparks.

56226384-10 Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Cowlitz River Bridge at Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

Here is a look at the modern construction of the replacement section of the bridge.

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Cowlitz River Bridge at Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005

Now the train is on the new part of the bridge. Notice the very different construction as compared to the first picture, and the lack of vegetation below, where it was cleared to rebuild the bridge, and had yet to grow back.

56226384-11 Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Cowlitz River Bridge at Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

Here is a look at the main span as the train approaches. From this angle the natural gas line for the Weyerhaeuser mill is clearly visible.

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Cowlitz River Bridge at Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005

The train approaching the main span.

56226384-12 Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Cowlitz River Bridge at Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

As the train starts onto the main span, the date of 1926 is clearly visible on the truss.

View of the Cowlitz River from the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Cowlitz River Bridge at Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005

This view shows the Cowlitz River from the main span of the  bridge again, looking north. The town of Lexington, Washington, is in the background.

56226384-13 Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Cowlitz River Bridge at Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

This view shows the locomotives starting down the bridge on the west side of the river.

Continue to A Friendly Wave.

WTCX Trip: Rocky Point

Continued from Southbound.

Interstate 5 Bridge over the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Passing under Interstate 5.

The Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad passes under Interstate 5 near the highway's milepost 42. Just on the other side of the freeway, the railroad crosses over the BNSF and goes around Rocky Point. On the right is North Pacific Avenue, which parallels the railroad around Rocky Point and leads into Kelso.

56226384-06 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Rocky Point, Washington on May 17, 2005
Approaching Rocky Point. (That’s me in the cab.) Photo by Cliff West.

In this picture, the train is approaching the bridge over the BNSF mainline. North Pacific Avenue also crosses the BNSF on a parallel bridge.

View of the BNSF Main Line from the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Rocky Point, Washington on May 17, 2005
BNSF Main Line.

The Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad crosses over the BNSF Railway on a bridge just north of Rocky Point. The bridge is directly in front of the north portal of the BNSF’s Rocky Point Tunnel. Here is a view looking north of BNSF's main line, as we cross right over the north portal of the Rocky Point Tunnel. If you look south from this location, there is no sign of the BNSF railroad, as it is in the tunnel. An interesting location.

56226384-07 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Rocky Point, Washington on May 17, 2005
Around Rocky Point. Photo by Cliff West.

The Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad goes around Rocky Point on a narrow ledge. There is fencing on the hillside to prevent slides.

56226384-08 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Rocky Point Yard in Kelso, Washington on May 17, 2005
Passing the switch to Rocky Point Yard. Cliff West Photo.

After going around Rocky Point, the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad crosses over North Pacific Avenue, passes a switch which leads to Rocky Point Yard where the Columbia & Cowlitz interchanges with the BNSF, and then begins climbing to the bridge over the Cowlitz River.

Continue Back over the River

WTCX Trip: Southbound

Continued from Ostrander Tunnel.

Here are a series of pictures my dad took between the tunnel and Rocky Point.

56226384-02 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

56226384-03 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Al Belanger filming back. Photo by Cliff West.

56226384-04 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

56226384-05 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

Continue to Rocky Point

WTCX Trip: Ostrander Tunnel

Continued from Headquarters.

The Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad features a tunnel. We passed through the tunnel on the way up as well, but I got pictures of it on the way back. The Ostrander Tunnel is approximately 875 feet long and is located at about milepost 9.75, approximately halfway between the Longview mill and the landfill.

Ostrander Tunnel on the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
The train entering the tunnel on the return trip.

In both directions, diesel exhaust is so thick in the tunnel that we were warned to close all the windows when the train went through the tunnel. Notice that the tunnel is straight and not particularly long; you can see clear through it. Also note that the tunnel was originally simply dug without any kind of concrete liner or portals. 

Ostrander Tunnel on the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
The train emerging from the tunnel.

The tunnel did originally have a timber liner, and some remnants are visible here.  The inside of the tunnel has caught fire more than once in the past, and today the inside of the tunnel has been sprayed with a fire proof reinforcing coating to provide a nonflammable liner.

Continue Southbound

WTCX Trip: Headquarters

Continued from Landfill.

56154116-29 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
The locomotives pulling into Headquarters. Photo by Cliff West.

Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
The view from the caboose of the engines stopped at Headquarters, on the return trip.

At Headquarters the train stopped to give us a chance to stretch our legs and change seats.

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Maintenance Equipment at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Maintenance Equipment at Headquarters. 

Headquarters is the maintenance base of operation for this part of the railroad. In the past, Headquarters was much more important than it is today, but it is still an important facility. Traces of Headquarters' former glory could be seen around in remaining concrete foundations of buildings long gone.

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Speeder #322 at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Speeder #322. Notice the chrome horns on the roof.

Speeders were used on the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad from the beginning. Some speeders were capable of speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. Speeders were essential for transporting workers into the woods before logging roads were built, as well as for getting railroad workers to places along the line to work on the track.

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Speeder #313 at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Larger Speeder #313, with more chrome horns.

Weyerhaeuser takes their speeders seriously! Large Speeder #313 even carries welding equipment. This is very large for a speeder. Speeders had all but disappeared from most railroads in favor of hi-rail trucks, but Weyerhaeuser still seemed to use them extensively.

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) SW1500 #302 at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Engine #302 at Headquarters.

Engine #302, the one I couldn't get a photo of in Longview. I was able to get a photo at Headquarters. It is another SW1500, like the others. Notice, however, that they are all a little different if you look closely.

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) Herald on SW1500 #306 at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad herald on the cab of engine #306.

Of the 6 engines on the train, only #306 had a herald like this, though speeder #313 also had one. This is a very cool herald, so cool I replicated it for use on the top of the introduction page for this trip. Note that the herald includes the words "Since 1928." The Columbia & Cowlitz was completed in 1928, so the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad built from where the Columbia & Cowlitz left off. Presumably enough railroad had been built by 1929 to support the operation of the mill.

56154116-30 Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) SW1500 #305 at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Engine #305 at Headquarters. Photo by Cliff West.

Engine #305 was the lead engine on the way up to Landfill. Now it was the trailing engine, coupled to the cabooses.

56154116-31 Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) SW1500 #302 at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Engine #302 at Headquarters. Photo by Cliff West.

56154116-32  Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) SW1500 #302 at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Engine #302 from the other side. Photo by Cliff West.

56154116-33 Al Belanger in the cab of Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) SW1500 #305 at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Al Belanger in the cab of #305. Photo by Cliff West.

In addition to the cabooses, the empty cabs of the additional locomotives were also available for seating. My dad took the above photo just before reboarding the caboose. I was sitting on the other side of this locomotive’s cab for the return trip.

Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005

View from the cab of #305 of the locomotives preparing to leave Headquarters. Note the yellow speeder in the distance on the siding.

View from the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Heading back to Longview, the impressive view from Headquarters, to the north.

View of Silver Lake from the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
A glimpse of Silver Lake in the north from Headquarters.

Continue to Ostrander Tunnel

WTCX Trip: Landfill

Continued from North to Landfill.

On the way up we passed right through Headquarters without stopping, though we were promised we would stop there before heading back down to give us a little break. The end of the line, at least for us, was the "Weyerhaeuser Regional Landfill Facility," or simply "Landfill," 17 miles from Longview.

Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at the Weyerhaeuser Regional Landfill Facility on May 17, 2005
View of Landfill from the first caboose after the locomotives cut off.

The landfill was built in 1993 and was designed to accept municipal waste, although Weyerhaeuser was only approved to dump industrial waste there. The landfill was fitted with a high-density plastic bottom liner, monitoring equipment, and a piping system to collect contaminated stormwater called leachate to prevent contamination of soil and nearby streams and lakes. When each section of the landfill is full, it is capped with soil, another plastic liner and filters.

56154116-26 Empty Cab of Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) SW1500 #305 on May 17, 2005
View of the empty cab of #305 after turning at Landfill. Photo by Cliff West.

At Landfill, the train was turned with an unusual technique. The train stopped, just before reaching the siding, the locomotives cut off and ran ahead, and the switch was thrown for the siding. I think they were hoping that the cabooses would roll on their own into the siding, and they could use the hand brakes to stop them and then couple the locomotives to the other end, but the cabooses wouldn't roll, so the locomotives came back, gave the cabooses a tug, and then uncoupled and ran ahead again. The switch was thrown and the cabooses coasted into the siding, then the locomotives ran back, backed into the siding and coupled on again for the trip down the hill.

56154116-28 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Heading back towards Headquarters. Photo by Cliff West.

On February 18, 2014, Cowlitz County commissioners approved an agreement to purchase the Weyerhaeuser landfill for $17.9 million to replace its nearly-full landfill on Tennant Way in Longview, which had received 2.5 million tons of solid waste since it opened in 1976. The deal closed on March 12, 2014, and Cowlitz County began shipping municipal waste to the landfill the next day. The 380-acre Weyerhaeuser landfill is three times the size of the Tennant Way landfill, and will be disposing of four times the amount of waste. In addition to municipal waste, the landfill will continue to accept pulp mill wastes from Weyerhaeuser, KapStone Paper & Packaging (owner of the Longview Fibre paper mill), and out-of-county industrial wastes that had been brought there for about the previous 10 years. The landfill was expected to take in about 400,000 tons of waste per year with a 100-year capacity. About 20 trucks per day were expected to arrive at the landfill: 12 with household garbage and 8 carrying pulp and industrial waste. Weyerhaeuser, which has a 30-year agreement with the county to dispose of its waste at the landfill, continues to ship its waste to the landfill by train.

Continue to Headquarters

WTCX Trip: North to Landfill

Continued from Rocky Point Tunnel.

Crossing Ostrander Creek on the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Crossing Ostrander Creek.

From Ostrander Creek on to Headquarters, the route is entirely uphill.

Horses along the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Horses along the line.

In some areas, the railroad passes right by some small farms and homes; in other areas, it seems isolated deep in the woods.

56154116-18 Ostrander Tunnel on the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Entering the tunnel. Photo by Cliff West.

There is a short tunnel on the line. I have better pictures of it from the return trip.

The following pictures were taken by my dad between the tunnel and Landfill. They speak for themselves.

56154116-19 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

56154116-20 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

56154116-21 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

56154116-22 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

56154116-27 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

56154116-23 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

56154116-24 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) at Headquarters, Washington on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

56154116-25 Riding the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (WTCX) on May 17, 2005
Photo by Cliff West.

Continue to Landfill