Perhaps I can add a little to this thread.

My family moved to Mullan, Idaho in the summer of 1957. I was 7 years old and in the second grade. We moved to the Kellogg area in the summer of 1962. For those five years I saw most of the trains that the NP operated. At that time, there was service six days a week--Missoula to Wallace on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and Wallace to Missoula on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. In the non-snow months, two GP-9s was the usual power, unless the train of ore cars was heavier than usual. In winter months three Geeps was normal. Usually, but not always, #241,242 and 243 were in the consist.

There is photographic evidence of non Geep power in the NP era--pages 42 and 43 of the Morning Sun book NP in Color, Volume 2, 1960-1970 shows the eastbound train near Taft, Montana, with an F9 b unit in the middle of two GP-9s. The photo was taken on May 16, 1969. After the BN merger, GP-18s and assorted GN F units sometimes appeared. In the summer of 1980 BN used a few GP-35s.

The bridge over Willow Creek was commonly known as the "S" bridge. NP called it Bridge 43. There is a nice Ron Nixon photo of the last train to cross this bridge in the April 1964 issue of Trains magazine. This occurred on October 16, 1963. After that date, NP demolished the bridge and replaced it with a switchback.

There was passenger service on this line as late as 1941. It was a two car train that ran between Missoula and Wallace. The last passenger train over the Lookout Pass line was a Gyro Club special that ran from Wallace to Taft. This was on July 18, 1958. Gyro is a local service club, much like Rotary.

Service on this line lasted until early September 1980. From then until April 28, 1993, UP operated the former NP line from Wallace to Mullan, to preserve service to Hecla Mining Company's Lucky Friday mine. The line east of Mullan was abandoned in September 1980.

Please keep in mind that these are the rememberances of a grade school age child. I am welcome to hear any corrections and clarifications.

Jay Burkgart