Re: Railroads That were never Built
Author: Jeff A.
Date: 07-04-2008 - 14:13
Actually, North from Lakeview is not entirely speculative. The Sumpter Valley was projected to connect with the N-C-O at Lakeview. The sudden death of founder David Eccles in 1912 stalled this extension and SVRy never progressed beyond Prairie City in Grant County. If it had, however, it would moved the intermountain narrow gauge system about another 300 miles northeast to Baker City. From there it could have concievably gone down the Powder River to the Snake in Hells Canyon and to Lewiston ID. From Lewiston it could have either gone down river to the Pacific on a water-level grade, or alternatively North to the Canadian Border. A fascinating speculation; if completed it would certainly have altered the history of the intermountain west. A north-south narrow gauge trunk line was seriously proposed in the midwestern states, but this hypothetical intermountain narrow gauge trunk has recieved very little attention by historians.
J