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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by MichaelSol The WI&M operated from the Milwaukee at Bovill, south to Forks, then swung west to Palouse. The "Park" line left the WI&M about half way between Bovill and Forks and headed south towards Park and had a wandering operation in the hills south of Park and Elk River. That line was built by Morrison Knudsen for Potlatch Co. in 1929. Milwaukee operated its own line from Bovill to Elk River. WI&M was owned by Potlatch until 1961, when Milwaukee Road had moved ahead of an NP/GN effort to gain control of the line, and bought it outright from Potlatch. BN bought the line from the Milwaukee March 5, 1981. It generated good traffic for Milwaukee. Bennett Lumber gave Milwaukee 75% of its 2000 mile line haul traffic. Bennett complained in 1981 that BN was offering slower service and cycle time than the Milwaukee had in 1978. Bennett owned its own cars and so that was a significant problem for Bennett. [/quote] So by your recollection Milwaukee never studied a possible extension of the Elk River Branch on down to Lewiston ID via the "Park" line? That would be suprising to me, since Potlatch was formed by all the various other logging companies in the 1920's, and a lot of intercompany product was moving between the various mills. The pulp mill in Lewiston was built in the 1940's or 1950's I believe, and since it required a lot of wood chips, I would think the rail traffic potential for chip trains between St. Maries and Lewiston was present back then. Is it possible Milwaukee handed off chip cars and other wood products cars to NP at Palouse via the WI&M, and the NP from there took them on down to Lewiston?
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