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The Ghost Yard in Montana

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Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Friday, November 11, 2011 3:40 PM

ericsp

 

 greyhounds:

 

 

 ChuckCobleigh:

 

And it looks like a WB seed train is in the G-E picture.

 

 

What's a seed train?

 

 

 

What is the G-E picture?

 

Grain.

 

Google Earth.

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Posted by ericsp on Friday, November 11, 2011 4:58 AM

greyhounds

 

 ChuckCobleigh:

 

And it looks like a WB seed train is in the G-E picture.

 

 

What's a seed train?

 

What is the G-E picture?

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Posted by greyhounds on Thursday, November 10, 2011 8:16 PM

ChuckCobleigh

And it looks like a WB seed train is in the G-E picture.

What's a seed train?

 

"By many measures, the U.S. freight rail system is the safest, most efficient and cost effective in the world." - Federal Railroad Administration, October, 2009. I'm just your average, everyday, uncivilized howling "anti-government" critic of mass government expenditures for "High Speed Rail" in the US. And I'm gosh darn proud of that.
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Posted by greyhounds on Thursday, November 10, 2011 8:15 PM

ChuckCobleigh

And it looks like a WB seed train is in the G-E picture.

What's a seed train?

 

"By many measures, the U.S. freight rail system is the safest, most efficient and cost effective in the world." - Federal Railroad Administration, October, 2009. I'm just your average, everyday, uncivilized howling "anti-government" critic of mass government expenditures for "High Speed Rail" in the US. And I'm gosh darn proud of that.
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Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Thursday, November 10, 2011 7:21 PM

And it looks like a WB seed train is in the G-E picture.

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Posted by Buxtehude on Thursday, November 10, 2011 12:51 PM

Thank you all for answering my question.  Now I know.   It sure didn't last for very long.  

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Thursday, November 10, 2011 11:59 AM

CShaveRR
  [snipped] A few weeks back, there was a thread on this Forum that was attempting to locate all of the turntable pits in the country:   cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/p/195380

If your roundhouse scar isn't on that list, we can't help you...but maybe you've just helped us!

I've taken the liberty of posting this location and thread to the above-referenced turntable thread here, which is captioned as "Roundhouses and Turntables (and transfer tables)" and is curerently at:

 http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/195380/2156254.aspx#2156254 

- Paul North. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Thursday, November 10, 2011 11:48 AM

Link to Bing Map's "Bird's-Eye View" of that location:

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=s1zdwd6104bz&lvl=17&dir=0&sty=b&where1=48.39673%2C%20-107.59821&form=LMLTCC 

Just as interesting is that there's so little information readily available on-line about it, even giving due consideration to the fact that considerably less than 'everything' is on the Internet.  I didn't bother to list all of the other Montana and GN-oriented websites I visited that didn't have anything much on it either.

- Paul North. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, November 10, 2011 10:56 AM

Interesting that so much is still visible after all these years.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Thursday, November 10, 2011 9:52 AM

Buxtehude
  [snipped] . . . From an 1893 map of the Great Northern lines, between Malta and Saco are two stations listed:  Bowdoin and Ashfield.  One of these, I would think, was the name of this yard. . . .

1893 may be too early. 

The turntable pit is at these Lat./ Long. coords. (per ACME Mapper 2.0): N 48.39673 W 107.59821

There's also traces of a wye to the southwest of the turntable area. 

This website was interesting, but not much help: http://www.railroads-of-montana.com/ 

This says the Bowdoin NWR was named after a nearby long-abandoned railroad siding town: http://www.montanabirdingtrail.org/maps/r2/t1/s2/r2t1s2.php#cultural 

Search this large (approx. 3.1 MB) PDF file for "Bowdoin": http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00329.pdf 

and you'll find several references - the first being this one:

"5126 Wolf Point and Bowdoin (MT): terminals, 1912-1917."

 

Then: "8608 Bowdoin (MT): terminals, 1917-1923."

Here are excerpts from this webpage, sorted by location for "Bowdoin" (items 7801 - 8000 of 99,492 !):

http://www.gn-npjointarchive.org/Lists/AFE_List/AllItems.aspx?Paged=TRUE&p_Location=BOW&p_AFEYear=1909&p_ID=8466&View=%7b76BBFE73%2d9A0D%2d4D88%2dBBD8%2d89015C8DECB9%7d&SortField=Location&SortDir=Asc&PageFirstRow=7801 

 

In summary, it looks like the Bowdoin Terminal was established circa 1889, but by 1912 - 1914 was being slowly dismanted:

BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN
W/ 4.5 X 15 HOUSE
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN ORGNL
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN ORGNL
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN ORGNL
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN ORGNL
(2 1/2 MILE WEST) - 2 PENS; RELOCATED TO MALTA - '89
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN ORGNL
BURNED 7/26/89
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN
W/ 7 X 320 PLATFORM
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN ORGNL
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN
W/ CINDER PLATFORM
BOWDOINMT-- BOWDOIN MT GN ORGNL
BOWDOINMT-242-W BOWDOIN MT SPM&M GM 242 W STOCKYARD FACILITIES 1889
RELOCATE FROM MALTA
BOWDOINMT-946-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 946 W PASSING TRACK 1898
EXTEND 958'
BOWDOINMT-1023-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 1023 W SECTION FACILITIES 1899
CONSTRUCT SECTION HOUSE
BOWDOINMT-1206-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 1206 W PASSING TRACK 1899
CROSSOVER - BETWEEN MAIN & PASSING TRACK
BOWDOINMT-3441-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 3441 W SIDE TRACK 1900
RELAY W/ S.H. 60# RAIL
BOWDOINMT-5588-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 5588 W SECTION FACILITIES 1902
RELOCATE TOOL HOUSE FROM EXETER
BOWDOINMT-6444-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 6444 W MAIN LINE TRACK 1902
CHANGE SPLIT SWITCH FOR STUB SWITCH IN CROSSOVER
BOWDOINMT-12307-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 12307 W SECTION FACILITIES 1906
RELOCATE SECTION HOUSE W/ JAP HOUSE, HAND CAR HOUSES, PRIVY FROM OLD BOWDOIN TO NEW LOCATION
BOWDOINMT-12307-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 12307 W PASSING TRACK 1906
CONSTRUCT 4000' TRACK, INDUSTRY TRACK 300' LONG
BOWDOINMT-12307-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 12307 W WATER FACILITIES 1906
RELOCATE WATER TANK, PUMP HOUSE FROM KISHFIELD AND SET UP AT STATION FOUR MILES EAST OF BOWDOIN
BOWDOINMT-19217-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 19217 W MAIL CRANE 1911
PLACE COLUMBIA STEEL MAIL CRANE
BOWDOINMT-20282-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 20282 W FUEL TANK 1912
REMOVE 400 gal FUEL TANK-MOVE TO CHESTER
BOWDOINMT-23967-W BOWDOIN MT GN I 23967 W MAIL CRANE 1914
MOVE MAIL CRANE FROM BOWDOIN AND INSTALLING IT AT ALOE
BOWDOINMT-15371-W BOWDOIN MT GN II 15371 W STATION FACILITIES 1920
INSTALLING ONE SEEGAR REFRIGERATOR IN LUNCHROOM AT WENATCHEE, WA, REMOVED FROM BOWDOIN, MONTANA.
BOWDOINMT-17059-E BOWDOIN MT GN II 17059 E STATION FACILITIES 1921
TRANSFERRING BEDS AND BEDDING FROM BOWDOIN HOTEL TO NEW ROCKFORD LUNCH ROOM.
BOWDOINMT-18810-E BOWDOIN MT GN II 18810 E STATION FACILITIES 1921
PLACING MATTRESSES IN LUNCH ROOM REMOVED FROM BOWDOIN HOTEL.
BOWDOINMT-16695-W BOWDOIN MT GN II 16695 W TRAIN ORDER SIGNAL 1921
EQUIP W/ OPERATING CONNECTIONS
BOWDOINMT-19487-W BOWDOIN MT GN II 19487 W SHOP& ENGINE FACILITIES 1922
RELOCATE ONE INGERSOLL RAND X2 AIR COMPRESSOR IN ROUNDHOUSE TO GRAND FORKS
BOWDOINMT-25640-W BOWDOIN MT GN II 25640 W STATION FACILITIES 1924
TRANSFER EQUIPMENT FROM BOWDOIN HOTEL TO WENATCHEE LUNCH ROOM
BOWDOINMT-25636-E BOWDOIN MT GN II 25636 E STATION FACILITIES 1924
TRANSFER EQUIP. FROM BOWDOIN HOTEL TO NEW ROCKFORD LUNCH ROOM.
BOWDOINMT-45314-W BOWDOIN MT GN II 45314 W WATER FACILITIES 1932
RELOCATE STEEL CHEMICAL BOXES FROM WATER TREATMENT PLANTS AT CHESTER AND GILDFORD TO BOWDOIN AND SAVOY
BOWDOINMT-60052-W BOWDOIN MT GN II 60052 W MAIN LINE TRACK 1940
FROM BOWDOIN TO STRATER , MT. RELAY 4.23 MILES OF TRACK WITH 112# RAIL.
BOWDOINMT-66.0955-W BOWDOIN MT GN II 66.0955 W STOCKYARD FACILITIES 1966
RETIRE & REMOVE

 - Paul North. 

"This Fascinating Railroad Business" (title of 1943 book by Robert Selph Henry of the AAR)
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Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, November 10, 2011 8:30 AM

Instead of receiving big bucks for my advice, I'll give some free advice to Big Bux:  (sorry!)

A few weeks back, there was a thread on this Forum that was attempting to locate all of the turntable pits in the country:   cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/p/195380

If your roundhouse scar isn't on that list, we can't help you...but maybe you've just helped us!

(Your first name isn't Dietrich, is it?)

Carl

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CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

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The Ghost Yard in Montana
Posted by Buxtehude on Thursday, November 10, 2011 3:08 AM

While focusing on the Empire Builder route in Montana by way of Google Maps, after moving east from Malta, MT, I then traveled into the Bowdoin Bird Sanctuary.  Just east of Lake Bowdoin I saw a ghost yard north of the tracks with a large classification yard, extent buildings, and most apparent of all, a 24-pit roundhouse scar that made whatever this was something quite major in the early years of the Manitoba, etc years of building their transcontinental railroad.  

From an 1893 map of the Great Northern lines, between Malta and Saco are two stations listed:  Bowdoin and Ashfield.  One of these, I would think, was the name of this yard.  Google has no information, nor does Wikipedia, so I am coming to you guys to see if you know anything about it.

Thanking you all in advance. 

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