Very bad news for the Northern Pacific Railway Museum and the Toppenish, Simcoe & Western Railroad. On Tuesday the Yakima County Commissioners voted to award the operating agreement on the White Swan Branch Line to the Columbia Basin Railroad. The Columbia Basin RR is owned by the Temple family that put it up for abandonment in 1992. The county engineer and the staff that are intimately aware of the
success of the TSWR recommended that the TSWR be awarded the
contract, but 2 of 3 commissioners voted to give it back to the Temple family. More details to follow when the anger has settled a little.
Doug Shearer
http://www.nprymuseum.org/TSWR.htm

This is sad --- this was one of the operations I was hoping to use as a "positive" for our potenial look at acquiring the CN/ ex-GTW Dunn Paper branch.

#sigh#

It take it that this may mean that the Northern Pacific Railway Museum will potentially have no rail outlet, and as bad if not worse, that NP #1364 may have no place to run when its restoration is completed?

TJG

My previous post may have been overstated as the vote was to enter contract negotiations with the Central Washington Railroad instead of the TSWR. The Central Washington Railroad is owned by the Temple family's Columbia Basin Railroad. It was the Temple's Washington Central RR that put it up for abandonment in the first place. The commissioners are now saying that there must be allowances for the Northern Pacific Railroad Museum to operate, but obviously this will not include the funds that otherwise would have been generated by hauling the freight. This is particularly sad after the members of the NP Railway Museum had volunteered approximately 20,000 hours over 13 years saving the line from abandonment. In addition about $100,000 of museum money has been spent over the 13 years to keep the line going. The whole story should be told as a brief or an article for RYPN, but it will take a little more time for the story to unfold (and for the bitterness to subside). The freight profits were a much anticipated boost to the restoration funds for NP 1364.

For any other groups that may think of taking on a project like this, make sure that there is provision in the contract for a long term 20 or 30 year lease predicated on the successful operation by your group. The TSWR had grown the line and rehabilitated it with no cash help from the county. The TSWR was named the "shortline of the year" for this region by the BNSF. Bigger money simply promised the county more than what the TSWR and the NPRY Museum could. This is a very sad commentary on 2 of our 3 county commissioners!!

www.nprymuseum.org