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Re: Railroads That were never Built
Author: Dave Smith
Date: 07-03-2008 - 19:02
All ghost railroads lead to Lewiston Idaho.
Okay, not all, but here are a few....
1. Northern Pacific surveyed a route from the Clark Fork west of Missoula over the Bitterroots via Hoodoo Pass into the Clearwater River drainage for it's transcon. In the end they bypassed the Bitterroots completely via Sandpoint to the north.
2. Milwaukee was rumored to have studied a route over Lolo Pass to Lewiston, but chose the more difficult St Paul Pass route. Something about not wanting to be "boxed in" along the Lochsa/Clearwater river canyon, now used by US Highway 12.
3. The Gilmore & Pittsburg (the erstwhile G&P nicknamed the "Get out & Push") was once projected to run west of Salmon Idaho via the River of No Return canyon all the way to Lewiston.
4. The Oregon Shortline (UP) ran a line into Hell's Canyon from the mainline at Huntington as far as Homestead, and they apparently had their sights set on reaching Lewiston. Too bad they gave up - UP brass would be dancing on their desktops if today's UP had a water level line to bypass the Blue Mountains!
Now, if the federal government ever got serious about expanding our nation's rail network, two of the top five new routes to consider would have to include a line from southern Idaho to Lewiston via Hell's Canyon, and a line from Missoula to Lewiston.
Okay, not all, but here are a few....
1. Northern Pacific surveyed a route from the Clark Fork west of Missoula over the Bitterroots via Hoodoo Pass into the Clearwater River drainage for it's transcon. In the end they bypassed the Bitterroots completely via Sandpoint to the north.
2. Milwaukee was rumored to have studied a route over Lolo Pass to Lewiston, but chose the more difficult St Paul Pass route. Something about not wanting to be "boxed in" along the Lochsa/Clearwater river canyon, now used by US Highway 12.
3. The Gilmore & Pittsburg (the erstwhile G&P nicknamed the "Get out & Push") was once projected to run west of Salmon Idaho via the River of No Return canyon all the way to Lewiston.
4. The Oregon Shortline (UP) ran a line into Hell's Canyon from the mainline at Huntington as far as Homestead, and they apparently had their sights set on reaching Lewiston. Too bad they gave up - UP brass would be dancing on their desktops if today's UP had a water level line to bypass the Blue Mountains!
Now, if the federal government ever got serious about expanding our nation's rail network, two of the top five new routes to consider would have to include a line from southern Idaho to Lewiston via Hell's Canyon, and a line from Missoula to Lewiston.
