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2004 Inland Empire Chapter Annual Report
The year started with our annual banquet meeting. We installed the same slate of officer, approved our 2004 budget and read our annual report for 2003. Entertainment was provided by local legend Cliff Carl who played and sang many classic railroad songs. It was an excellent program.
Work at the Spokane Fairgrounds continued 3 days a week with our regulars Al Hinkel, Gene Hawk, Stan Troyer, John Simanton, Matt Wade, Jay Pospisil, Jerry Fey, Bruce Juneau and Lee Tillotson, each putting in many hours. Much of our time was spent on Café/Coach 974, an ex-Barney & Smith 1914, all steel 80-foot coach last used as an outfit car. A complete re-do of the ceiling was accomplished which including concealing the conduit and installing new wiring and ceiling light fixtures. The curved panels below the clerestory were in sad shape. After removing hundreds of stubborn screws, the panels were replaced with metal. The center ceiling panels and walls were sanded and painted an off white. The trim was painted a dark brown. The café section walls were covered in mahogany.
As weather permitted, Gene Hawk and Max Kunze took many trailer loads of materials to our soon-to-be new home, a 30.9-acre site near Reardan, 25 miles west of Spokane, WA, on Highway 2 in Lincoln County.
In March, the Grays from Reardan moved 2 loads of donated Union Pacific rail on their 53-foot semi and unloaded it with their ex-Southern Pacific boom truck, which was very welcome help.
Lee Vincent put together a large, four-panel fold out, a freestanding display for our chapter. The first panel has eighteen 8x10-color pictures of our major pieces of equipment. The second has our proposed construction phase 1 overlaying a color aerial photo of our property at Reardan. The remaining two panels show a possible phase 2 and phase 3 of construction. The display is great to take when talking to interested groups.
In June, we began moving bigger loads of ties, crossing pads, fastenings and lumber out to Reardan with our 1949 GMC 2-ton grain truck with dump bed. By years-end, 26 truckloads of material were delivered to Reardan.
In August we bought a 1955 Caterpillar D-8, bulldozer and put all 22 tons of it to work grading at our new site. The D-8 fits right in with the rest of our collection; it is actually one of our newer pieces.
September’s big event was the Spokane Interstate Fair. It is 10 twelve-hour days spent manning our display cars, depot and providing rides on our 2-foot gauge train. Many hours were put in by Cal Graedel, Tom Heckler, John Peterson, Al Hinkle, Art Cowan, Mike Denuty, Tom Stanley, Stan Troyer, Mary and Dave Snyder, Gene Hawk, Max Kunze, Bruce Juneau and Train Master Lee Tillotson. Other volunteers helped from a few hours to several days. Wet cold weather and poor fair attendance reduced our revenue but donations were good. Interest in our moving out of the fairgrounds was the favorite topic of conversation with many visitors. We signed up new members, gave away many "Sidetrack" newsletters and sold our "2005 Inland Empire Calendar". This is the 30th consecutive year a calendar has been published by the chapter. It may be a collector’s item.
The October Spokane Railroad Show was at the Community College for the 10th year. Interest, table sales and revenue were good. We sold a record 155 tables, had four train layouts on display and for the first time, had an auction dedicated to raising money for the move to Reardan. Jerry Fey, Mike McMackin, Dale Swant, Lee Vincent, Lee Tillotoson, Stan Troyer and many helpers made the show a success.
Also in October, we moved member Warren Gardner’s D-7 bulldozer to Reardan. Warren did all the earth moving at the fairgrounds in 1985 so we could build a track to connect with the Union Pacific yard. Warren has some 70 years experience logging, building roads and railroads plus operating and repairing Cats and other crawler tractors. This fall Warren built a 700 foot siding along the Palouse River and Coulee City (PCC). He also built a spur that will cross the old concrete Sunset Highway (of 1931, now a Lincoln County road) onto our property. When Warren finishes a dozer job, it looks like it was done by a motor grader. His well-earned nickname is "Smooth".
Our new Chapter President, Bill Graedel (ex Lincoln County Commissioner) got all the permits, zoning changes and environmental impact statement for our Reardan project. This is a virtual mountain of paper and without Bill’s efforts would have been almost impossible for our chapter to accomplish.
Frank Nonnemacher, a member living close to Reardan, brought his TD-9 dozer and a front loader/backhoe. Frank did brush clearing and earth moving in September to get things started on our property.
Cal Graedel and Lee Tillotson operated our D-8 in October and November with Warren Gardner making adjustments and solving problems. The 50 year old D-8 is really moving earth and rock. Our D-8 has the same 150-hp diesel engine as our 90-ton Wellman crane, built in 1956 and our 250-ton ex-NP Industrial Brownhoist Crane, built steam powered in 1943 but dieselized in 1956. The biggest problem to overcome is separating the round rocks in some areas, from basketball size to 1 ton size, from the good material. Rolling them off a fill seems to work best.
Spokane County Commissioners in November gave us a one-year extension on our lease at the Spokane Fairgrounds until December 31, 2005. They were impressed with the progress and magnitude of our commitment at Reardan.
Dale Swant, our "Sidetrack" editor has published four 8 page tabloid size issues, keeping our members and friends informed of chapter progress and railroad news. This is a huge asset for our chapter that helps us work towards a permanent regional museum in Reardan.
Our library received a $1500 grant in December that was written by Bill Riley for organizing and cataloging library materials.
Gene Hawk has built 6 portable buildings, all to Northern Pacific specification since Readan is on an ex-NP branch line. The latest and largest is a 14 x 20 ft. NP double toolhouse. All use salvaged lumber and metal roofing gathered by Gene from many sources which keeps the cost low.
Daren McMackin found a Case backhoe in 2003 that we bought. Darin is overhauling it the Chapter. We have much work for a backhoe at Reardan including moving those round rocks.
The last days of earth moving in 2004 saw Lee Tillotson working our D-8 along the western side of our property where the 2 foot gauge main line will turn east and then northeast to pass by our Depot / Museum building. The 12 to 14 foot hill has above Sprinkle Road has been replaced by a 200 foot long cut that is 6 to 8 feet lower than the road surface. Many yards of fractured lava rock from the cut form a base for the 2-foot gauge roadbed and a road into the public parking area.
In December we worked inside painting and preparing to fasten seats in GN coach #974, getting it ready for use in an excursion train on the PCC. The State of Washington purchased the PCC in 2004 for 8 million dollars. The State will rebuild the line, spending additional millions to keep many grain trucks off Washington roads.
All in all, it was a promising, fulfilling and productive 2004 for our chapter.