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The Idaho Cascadian, a Rare Mileage Trip from Payette to Cascade 8/6-9/2003

Dave Arthur, an excellent Metrolink conductor, sent me an e-mail about this rare mileage trip, which was something I really wanted to do, so sent off for my ticket. Once it arrived, I contacted Alaska Airlines and redeemed some miles to get to Boise, which would necessitate going to Seattle and transferring to Horizon Air to Boise and a return to Portland, which turned out to be the same flight I took back on the Lewis & Clark Explorer trip. Mike at AAA reserved an Enterprise rental car and I set up my hotels through Best Western. The trip was completely planned by early June so I was all set to leave when that day arrived. The day before, I went online to get my boarding pass for my two flights to Boise.

Bill Compton picked me up and drove me to the Orange County Airport and within five minutes of being dropped off, I was at the gate relaxing for my 10:46 AM flight to Seattle then enjoyed hot cakes and sausage prior to boarding the 737-400 plane with me in seat 10A. We lifted off at 11:05 AM and I had an excellent view of Portola, California with the Feather River Railroad Museum's balloon track visible on our very smooth flight.

We touched down at Sea-Tac at 1:17 PM and taxied to Gate D12 where I took the rail shuttle to the North Terminal and learnt that my 3:00 PM flight to Boise was at present an hour and five minutes late. I made a pair of round trips on the shuttle on the north loop only since the connection to the south loop was closed for repairs then stopped by a newsstand for a USA Today and a new fill-in puzzle book. While I was gone, the gate was switched N8 and the flight was much later as mechanical problems caused a switch of planes on the incoming flight, so I listened to "Peter Frampton Live" while waiting.

I boarded seat 10A on the MD80 at 4:38 PM and we took off at 4:57 PM. Mount Rainier was hidden under the clouds but by the time we reached the Columbia River, it had cleared, with the routes of the Empire Builder and the former Pioneer seen.

I saw Baker, Oregon, where I would be staying tonight. The plane touched down in Boise at 6:55 PM MDT, arrived at Gate 8 at 6:59 then I walked down the stairs out into the late afternoon Idaho heat.

I received my rental car with no problems until after I made a slight driving mistake and was pulled over by the Boise Airport Police, who wrote me a ticket for one item and warned me about two, one of which being the rental car not having a current registration. I returned that car for a Mitsubishi Lancer then drove Interstate 84 into Oregon and as soon as it became dark, the trains started running. I made it to Ontario, checked on the former Amtrak station's location and stopped at Albertson's for some chicken before checking in at the Best Western Sunrise Inn for the night.

Stopping at a Texaco for snacks, I drove US 30 west out of Baker.

At North Powder, I took the road to Union and when I reached Telocaset Hill, a westbound Union Pacific stack train was proceeding west down the grade.

I made my way to La Grande, photographing an eastbound Union Pacific freight at the depot, a division point.

Over in the yard was Idaho, Pacific & Northern GP7 2094, ex. Santa Fe 2094, nee Santa Fe 2773 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1952, which was used on the Joseph Branch. Road construction cost me that stack train, or so I thought, as I had to go all the way to the east side of La Grande to get back onto Interstate 84, then drove west into the Blue Mountains and to Kamela to wait for some action.

After waiting two-and-a-half hours, I photographed the spot where I had wanted to capture a westbound freight. Sometimes in this hobby you have great luck orm in my case, no luck. I returned to La Grande and found the stack train that I had been waiting for which had sat therem, unusual for a hot train then continued back to Baker, finding an In and Out Restaurant, which was not related to the burger chain in California. I filled the car with petrol and resumed my journey east on US 30, where I found an eastbound at Quartz, which was waiting for a westbound a mile east, then drove to Pleasant Valley, catching another westbound with DPU's on the rear. Behind him was yet another westbound train. Back on Interstate 84, I found an eastbound which I drove ahead of to the Rye Valley exit to wait.

A westbound Union Pacific stack train with a former Conrail locomotive in its consist. The eastbound later went by me with a double yellow signal, so I chased him to Lime and caught him again, then had an eight-unit westbound train. Back on the Interstate, I decided to go to Weiser, Idaho taking Oregon 201 to Spur 95 across the Snake River into Idaho. On the way there, I saw two more Union Pacific trains across the Snake River, including a westbound grain train with three locomotives on the point and four more buried mid-train.

The Oregon Short Line, later Union Pacific, station at Weiser built in 1906. I drove to Payette to explore before driving south on US 95, to Fruitland where I took US 30 back into Ontario and visited Oregon Trail Hobbies and Gifts before checking in to the Best Western. A visit was then made to Walmart for some more spare camera batteries.

The Oregon Short Line, later Union Pacific, station at Ontario built in 1907. Sizzler was my destination for dinner then I returned to my room to relax for the rest of the evening.

Up with the alarm at 5:45 AM and following my preparations, I enjoyed a continental breakfast before going to a Chevron Food Mart for snacks for today's trip, then drove to Payette at 1,200 feet elevation. I found the train and walked down to it, noting its consist of Idaho, Pacific & Northern GP40 4506, flat car 58390, coach 2941 "Cascade", open car 58882 and covered open car 54667. At 6:50 AM, we reversed to the loading area.

Now a little history of the line we rode today. The line from Payette was built to New Plymouth, 11.1 miles, in 1906 by the Payette Valley Railroad. In 1910, the remaining miles east to Emmett was added by the Payette Extension Railroad. The line was purchased by the Oregon Short Line Railroad on August 5, 1914 and the line north from Emmett was built by the Idaho Northern Railroad and reached Smith Falls on October 29, 1912. The line was sold to the Oregon Short Line on December 30, 1914 and the new owner built the 45.7 miles to Lakeport, now McCall. The line between Cascade and McCall was abandoned by the Union Pacific on May 14, 1980 and bought by the Idaho, Northern and Pacific on November 15, 1993.

The official trip started with our train reversing down to the junction with the Union Pacific then we proceeded east and after a few more minutes, went over US 95, passing through Eiffie on a short mile-long half a percent climb out of the Snake River Valley to enter Fruitland, in the Payette River Valley. We would be following the Payette River for almost our whole journey.

After the local industries, we turned east passing through Buckingham where there was a siding before we stopped for the first photo runby of the day. Once on the move again, we passed through Tom Thumb before turning south to reach New Plymouth, a small agricultural town. We turned east and crossed the Farmer's Co-op ditch prior to Falks before running to the site of Little Rock, now in the Emmett Valley. Agricultural interests were everywhere as this is the main business in this part of Idaho. The train crossed the Seven Mile Slough then passed through Letha prior then past a large sand plant, a major shipper on this railroad. I bought an excursion T-shirt as we continued our trek east and we continued to Emmett Junction, the junction with the former Idaho Northern Line from Nampa.

We arrived at Emmett, Milepost 20.6, elevation 2,390 feet, for a crew change and we detrained for thirty minutes.

Dave Arthur took my photograph on Idaho, Northern and Pacific caboose 049, nee Union Pacific 25064 built by International Car Company in 1967. Leaving Emmett, we turned and crossed Last Chance Canal twice before travelling through Plaza at Milepost 31.8. A grass fire was burning across the valley as we entered Black Canyon, the start of the Payette River Canyon, and went by the dam built in 1924 that created the Black Canyon Reservoir, then crossed the Gay Canal which plunges into a 486 foot tunnel built in 1923.

Upon exiting, train stopped for the second photo runby. Back underway, we followed the Black Canyon Reservoir and crossed Anderson Creek on a 180 foot steel trestle. A few minutes later, everyone had to return inside the coach as the train passed through the very unstable 129 foot tunnel three.

Once again, upon exiting, the train stopped for our third photo runby.

We reboarded and crossed Cherry Creek before reaching Montour at Milepost 41.0, where the fourth photo runby occurred. From here, we ran non-stop to Horseshoe Bend, Milepost 49.7, crossing both Church and Rock Creeks. Just outside of town, we traversed Payette River on a 215 foot through plate girder bridge. The tracks then made a ninety degree turn to the north before we arrived at station area of the Thunder Mountain Line, which is the passenger operation of the Idaho, Northern and Pacific.

Their regular excursion train was awaiting departure. I visited the gift shop for a video and T-shirt before returning to the train to eat my lunch.

The author with Idaho, Northern and Pacific GP40 4506, ex. CSXT 6808, exx. Seaboard 6808, nee Louisville and Nashville 3012 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1967. We departed Horseshoe Bend, elevation 2,614 feet, as the canyon became more rugged then crossed Hell Roaring Gulch, whose name comes from its spring thaw flow, then Porter and Calamity Creeks.

The sixth photo runby at Milepost 63.9, Banks, at an elevation of 2,809 feet. Here, the Payette River splits and our train's route will follow the North Fork of the Payette River towards Cascade. The river turned wild as the tracks ascend a 2.2 percent grade and the trees became more dense. We reached the second crossing of the North Fork of the Payette River on a 338 foot Warren truss bridge section, that combined with the girder deck section, has a total length of 448 feet, very impressive.

Our seventh photo runby.

One was able to move to a different location after the reverse move.

Following the eighth runby, I moved to the other side for this reverse move.

I then relocated down by the water's edge for the ninth runby. As we made our way north, the scenery reminded me and others of the Feather River Canyon in Northern California. We crossed Highway 55, the main Boise-to-Cascade road, crossed Howell Creek before passing through Farrell, which has one of the wildest stretches of white water around.

Just before Big Eddy at Milepost 75.2, we stopped for the tenth photo runby. The more adventurous of our group, including me, crossed the river on a railroad access suspension bridge which was one of the most incredible things I had done.

The now-usual reverse move before I relocated.

Continuing our climb up the grade on this very hot August day, our train had to deal with a pair of sun kinks in the rail, the first time I had seen one. We proceeded through tunnel four, a 221 foot affair, prior to crossing Beaver Creek and then the canyon opened up as we arrived at Smiths Ferry, Milepost 92.7 at an elevation of 4,538 feet, where there is a 1,430 foot siding and a wye. Here we stopped for a static photo shot of the train, section house or both. Once back on board, free drinks, both alcoholic (beer) or soft drinks, were given to any passenger who wanted them.

We proceeded to the 37 foot tunnel five, the shortest solid rock tunnel in North America.

Here we staged photographs, as well as our eleventh photo runby and this time, I included some of the photographers.

The train proceeded only a mile-and-a-half to the Highway 55 "Rainbow Bridge". This 410 foot highway bridge is Idaho's longest single-span concrete arch bridge built in 1933 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Here the highway leaves the Payette River and we had another standing photo.

The ever-happy Katie, a member of the excellent onboard staff, relaxing while some of the passengers photographed the train and bridge. We made our way north, crossing Round Valley Creek, then passed through the former station site of Hawthorn then through four more miles of absolutely beautiful canyon to the 200 foot truss bridge over the North Fork of the Payette River for our twelfth photo runby, a double.

I climbed the hill for the reverse move but relocated before the runby.

That was all before I used my mountain goat skills to gain higher elevation for the final runby. We travelled a few more miles and left the Payette River to gain access to Long Valley, with the beautiful vistas of the North Fork Range, the Salmon River Mountains to the east and the West Mountains in the west. We passed the former station at Cabarton, Milepost 92.7 and elevation 4,654 feet, before reacheing Belvidere, whose station was seen hidden in the trees then went by the Cascade Airport before passing the former Boise Cascade plant site prior to our arrival at Cascade at Milepost 92.1, elevation 4,746 feet. It had been planned to go to the end of the track, but the rail conditions only allowed us to go a few city blocks further.

The train reversed to the unloading area, ending our rare mileage trip. A special thanks to Bart Jennings and his wife Sarah, the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum and the Idaho, Northern and Pacific for an excellent excursion and a lifetime memory.

Idaho, Northern and Pacific GP40 4506 as it was being wyed.

The buses arrived at 5:50 PM and once it was decided which way they would return, we drove north on Idaho Highway 55 to McCall with its beautiful lake, then over the ridge to Meadows and New Meadows, whose Union Pacific station was under restoration. Here the bus turned south onto US 95 for the journey back to Payette and at times, we followed the former grade of Union Pacific's New Meadows Branch. We arrived at Payette at 8:42 PM, then I was off in the rental car to return to Ontario. I stopped at Arby's for some dinner before returning to my room and watched "Three's Company", ending my day of that once-in-a-lifetime, outstanding and unique trip on the Idaho, Northern and Pacific from Payette to Cascade, Idaho.

Sleeping in late and following a continental breakfast, I drove to Nampa for its Union Pacific station built in 1902.

It was then east to Boise for its 1925 Union Pacific station and petrol, before I returned the rental car and used an Alaska Airlines ticketing machine to get my boarding pass. I visited the gift shop for some Idaho postcards, breezed through security and later called Let's Talk Trains before boarding my flight to Portland.

I boarded a CRJ700 and had seat 10A. We took off at 12:53 MDT and following a very cloudy Mount Hood, we landed at Portland at 12:43 PDT then after deplaning, I went on the moving walkways to Cool Happenings for a chocolate mint ice cream prior to going to Gate C1.

After the gate crew tried to solve everyone's seating problems, I boarded the 737-400 and had seat 19A. We took off at 2:50 PM and I saw Lake Shasta from the air then we touched down in Oakland at 4:20 PM and I read a People magazine that had been left onboard, then we took off at 5:12 PM and touched down at Orange County at 6:21 PM. I deplaned and as Cliff Prather was nowhere to be found, I had to have him paged, but he did not respond. I called him and found him at home, since he thought I was returning on Sunday, not Saturday. About eighteen minutes later, he arrived and drove me home, ending another exciting rail adventure.

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