Turn-Key Restaurant Opportunity

Facebook is moving people to the new ‘timeline’ format, which includes a cover photo at the top. If you’ve changed your profile to this format, we thought you might like to show the world your support for Milwaukee Road history.  We’ve created a few different cover photos for you to choose from.  As we create more, we’ll update this post.

To put one of these cover photos on your Facebook page, just click on the one you want to get the full size image and then save it to your computer.  Then go into your Facebook page and move your mouse over the lower right corner of your cover photo to get the ‘change cover photo’ button to appear.  Then upload the image from your computer.   Enjoy!

 

U25B number 5057 leading a train out of Tacoma, WA in January 1980. Photo by Brian Ambrose.

 

Bipolar in the Cascades near Snoqualmie Pass (probably based on this Asahel Curtis photo)

 

SD40-2 number 25 rolling a train through South Cle Elum, WA (undated Gary Parson photo)

 

Cascade Rail Foundation is working to acquire the MILW 5057 and bring it to the South Cle Elum Rail Yard Interpretive Center in South Cle Elum, WA.  Below is the latest news on the 5057 Project. (more…)

Happy holidays everyone, and have a safe and prosperous 2012!

 

[click for a larger version]

 

We’re going for it!

 

This month the Cascade Rail Foundation Board of Directors voted to pursue the acquisition of Milwaukee Road U25B 5057 for the South Cle Elum Rail Yard Interpretive Center.

 

We will kick-off a formal fundraising campaign once we have a better idea of how much money we need to raise.  We are currently negotiating the purchase price and terms with Feather River Rail Society and waiting for a cost estimate for the transportation and cosmetic restoration of the locomotive.

 

In the meantime we are looking for photos of the 5057 (especially photos taken in Washington) we can use in the fundraising campaign.

 

We could also use the skills of a graphic designer to help with some of the campaign materials.

 

Please contact me at kruegerp@nwlink.com if you’d like to contribute to this project.

 

Cascade Rail Foundation treated twelve former Milwaukee Road employees and their guests to lunch at the depot on Saturday, October 8.

 

(more…)

 

 

The Feather River Rail Society is currently looking for a new home for Milwaukee Road #5057, a General Electric U-25B diesel locomotive.

 

We are aware that Cascade Rail Foundation and the South Cle Elum Rail Yard have been mentioned as a potential destination for the locomotive in some of the public discussions related to the 5057.

 

Over the past six years, the Cascade Rail Foundation Board of Directors has had several discussions related to acquiring this locomotive.  We recognize that the 5057 has strong ties to the State of Washington, spending many years working on Milwaukee Road lines in the state and finally being part of one of the last ‘clean-up’ trains moving equipment east before the railroad ended operations here.

 

Having a Milwaukee Road locomotive at South Cle Elum is important.  People have a special affinity for locomotives.  Having one at South Cle Elum would increase the interpretive potential of the rail yard and draw more visitors.  Currently, no Milwaukee Road locomotives are on display in Washington. (more…)

We began the meet on Saturday morning with a display of Milwaukee Road models brought by attendees. Doug Nighswonger started the presentations after lunch with a slideshow of Milwaukee Road passenger trains and passenger equipment. Jim Murrie followed with a presentation about the operations and consists of the Columbian between 1947 and 1955. Jim’s presentation included comparisons to the competition on the NP and GN, as well as tips for modeling the passenger cars in HO scale. We finished the afternoon with a show of Milwaukee Road freight car slides brought by Kyle Carlson and narrated by Mike Faletti.

 

 

Sunday started with Allen Miller giving us a visual history of Milwaukee Road depot paint schemes. Allen followed that by sharing his presentation about the ‘high line’ over Snoqualmie Pass. After lunch, Noel Holley gave us a comprehensive review of Milwaukee Road electric locomotives. Greg Lussier then shared some images and stories from the book he’s written about the line between Beverly and Kittitas. [The book is delayed because it needs to be redone in a different software program.  If his presentation is any indication, it will be worth the wait.] Allen Miller closed the meet with an informative slideshow about the Everett branch.

 

 

We’ve received very positive feedback about the quality of the program from those who attended the meet. However, attendance was lower than we’d like it to be. We had about 20 people each day.

 

We’d like to see more people attend next year. Rather than guess what we should do differently, we’ve created a very brief (6 question) survey to collect feedback from those of you who did not attend.

Click here to take a survey if you did not attend the meet.

Please take a few moments to let us know what we can do to make this event be something you’d make time to attend next year.

 

For those of you who attended the meet but have not filled out a survey form yet, we’ve put that survey online also.

Click here to take a survey if you did attend the meet.

 

CRF gives a big thank you to all of our presenters and attendees! We hope to see you again in 2012.

 

[Note: Our photographer had technical difficulties with his camera, so we don't have photos of all the models.  If  someone else has photos we can share, we'll update this.]

 

October 8, 2011
12:00 pm	to	4:00 pm

 

 

 

Cascade Rail Foundation cordially invites those who have served the Milwaukee Road to attend a special luncheon.  Our intent is to honor former employees of the railroad, recognizing their service on the railroad. We hope to bring fellow co-workers back together and spark candid stories reminiscing the days in the past when they were employed by the railroad.

 

For those former employees who are willing to participate, there will be a camera crew set up to record their memories for future generations.

 

 

Master of Ceremonies will be Gene Lawson.

 

The luncheon will be held on October 8th, 2011 in the depot at the South Cle Elum Rail Yard.   The depot is at 801 Milwaukee Rd., South Cle Elum, WA.

 

Seating for the luncheon will be at 12:00 p.m.  Lunch will be served at 12:20 p.m. The menu includes meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables and desert.

 

Come and join us for an enjoyable lunch and time with friends. Please RSVP if you plan to attend (let us know if you have any special dietary needs).  Each former employee may bring one guest.

 

RSVP to Joe Bohannon at:  Jbohannon@atcolease.com.

 

 

September 24, 2011
9:30 am	to	5:00 pm
September 25, 2011
10:00 am	to	5:00 pm

 

 

 

 

[Updated 9/18 with more information about presentations]

The 4th annual Cascade Rail Foundation Milwaukee Road modeler/history meet will be held on September 24th & 25th at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center near North Bend, WA.  This is the former location of Cedar Falls on the Milwaukee Road.

[Models by John Mess.  Click to enlarge]

(more…)

At the annual volunteer/community picnic this month, Cascade Rail Foundation (CRF) announced that the Volunteer of the Year is Paul Krueger.  Paul has been on the CRF Board of Directors since 2004 and serves as the Secretary.

 

 

In September 2010, CRF became a member of the newly established Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive (PNRA) in Burien, WA.  Leasing space at PNRA provides CRF with an expanded capacity for storing archival collections in a facility beyond the scope of what CRF could accomplish by itself.   By joining with the other railroad history organizations at PNRA, CRF will make the history of the Milwaukee Road much more accessible to the public.

 

Paul was instrumental in CRF joining PNRA.  He now serves as the CRF representative on the PNRA Board of Directors and also coordinates the monthly CRF volunteer work parties at PNRA.   Volunteers have inventoried more than 60 boxes of records in the past year. In addition, Paul led the effort to secure an $18,500 grant for PNRA this year that will support digitizing thousands of dispatcher train sheets at PNRA, including many in the collections of CRF. With Paul’s leadership this past year, CRF has made great progress toward realizing the potential of its archival collections.

 

While Paul is the recipient of the Volunteer of the Year award this year, his accomplishments this past year did not occur in a vacuum.  They build upon the contributions of those who helped get CRF into a financial position where it could afford to support an archival collection, those who have entrusted CRF with archival material, and those who are contributing time to organize, document, and digitize the CRF collections.  CRF thanks all of its partners in preserving the history of the Milwaukee Road in Washington.  THANK YOU!

 

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