Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
It's CTC. Okay, here's the deal. Before the Expo '74/ post-BN merger consolidations had their way, there were three main routes west out of downtown Spokane: the GN/SP&S bridge, which had the GN and SP&S going their separate ways at the west end of the bridge; the UP/MILW bridge; and the NP doubletrack leading down through Hangman Creek valley. Today, the two older bridges are gone, replaced by a single one, Latah Creek Bridge. And the NP doubletrack, as mentioned by someone earlier, is now single track with a siding just a couple miles in length. Due to its steeper grades, the ex-NP between Spokane and Marshall, which is near Fish Lake, is normally used for eastbound BNSF traffic from Portland and Pasco, as well as UP trains coming up from Hinkle. Westbound BNSFs to Pasco/Portland, and UPs to Hinkle, normally use Latah Creek Bridge and part of the ex-SP&S to leave Spokane. When westbound traffic is light, the BNSF dispatcher has the option of running northbound/eastbound UP trains into Spokane via Latah Creek Bridge. Next, consider that all BNSF trains to/from Wenatchee or Seattle and quite a bit to/from Tacoma also use Latah Creek Bridge in both directions, and you see where having one bridge instead of two comes into play. You can widen the corridor all you want through downtown Spokane and on east to the Idaho border and beyond, but it'll just make for a bigger parking lot until the single-track choke-point of Latah Creek Bridge is somehow widened or augmented.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag