For a long time now I have always wanted to chase the Palouse River Coulee City Railroad when it runs by my house.  I have always watched it go by but never taken the time to follow it.  So on Monday July 28, 2003, I took off work and my dad and I waited for it to come south.  I expected it to come around 10:00am or so but it wasn't until 12:20pm that I heard the whistle in the distance.   We jumped in the car and headed into Spangle, WA to see it.  For power it had PCC 792 a GP35 (ex-BLMR) and PCC 4212 a GP30M.  As we arrived they were setting out 3 hopper cars at the grain elevators in town.  As they backed back to their train we talked to one of the crew members and told him who we were and what we were doing.   He was very nice and told us about several other setouts they had to make.

    One of the interesting things about this operation is that even though they had a 3 man crew only 1 person rode in the engine.  The other two drove vehicles.  We asked him the purpose and he responded saying that they didn't know where they would tie up for the night and so the vehicles were to get all of the crew members back home.  Anyway by this time the engineer and had gotten connected to the rest of his 27 car train and was on his way.  The 2 crew members not on the train watched him go by before heading a couple of miles down the track to wait for it.  My dad and I took several shots as it exited Spangle and then headed south.  We made a quick stop at home to get some extra water (It was already close to 100 F).  It was no problem catching back up since the track speed was 25 mph and the train usually didn't run more than 15 or 20mph.

    I set up twice to wait for him between Spangle, WA and Plaza, WA.  At Plaza he stopped and got switched onto the elevator track where they set out the front 16 hopper cars.  After running through the elevator track and then back up the mainline to their train they were off again.  We drove down to where Old 195 crosses over the tracks and waited for it.  After it passed we again beat it to another photo spot before arriving at Rosalia, WA.  Rosalia is the headquarters for the PCC and so we saw PCC 799 and 2353 stopped in town.  About a mile south of town I knew that the train would have to go under an old ex-Milwaukee RR bridge so we headed there next.  After setting up we waited in the now 103 F sunlight for 15 minutes before it showed up.  The train now only had 8 cars on it so they had to have set out another 3 hoppers in Rosalia, WA.  After he had passed we quickly drove back to the bridge to photograph the old Milwaukee sign still painted unmarked on one of the bridge pillars.

    Continuing on south we waited for it twice before reaching Oaksdale, WA.  In this section we noticed several steep grades as well.   After getting several more pics in Oaksdale we followed it out of town.  All the way so far the scenery had been wheatfields and more wheatfields but several miles southeast of Oaksdale the tracks made a big sweeping curve and descended into a ravine with trees.  We took a side road and waited at the trestle over the road for the train.  As it was going over the bridge I noticed that each time the truck of a car would pass over, the entire bridge under the car would sink up to 2 or 3 inches!!! 

    From here the road didn't follow the track again until we reached Palouse City, WA.  Here we found a little bridge over a still creek which made a great reflection.  Unfortunately as the train came so did the wind and by the time the train was on the bridge the once still water was now full of ripples.  In town they set out a hopper and empty wood car before pulling up to where the elevators where.  Just then the 2 crew members from the vehicle drove up and informed us that this was as far as they were going for today.  The next day they would continue on to Pullman, WA.  We thanked them for letting us know and chatted a minute or two before heading back home.  It was a great trip and we will have to do it again sometime maybe in the winter!!  Until next time good luck!!