Re: Possible new operator for Toppenish to White Swan (was CBRR)
Author: z
Date: 11-03-2009 - 20:25
What really happened, Rich, was Washington Central (the Temples) tried to abandon the line in 1992. To prevent that, the state of Washington bought it and turned it over to Yakima County. The museum obtained an operating agreement from the county and formed a for-profit subsidiary to operate it. In 2005 the museum's subsidiary, Toppenish Simcoe and Western, reported moving 3000 loaded cars annually, mostly from the Yakama Tribe's White Swan mills. And guess what? In the guise of the Columbia Basin Railroad, the Temples wanted it back. And the county commissioners awarded it to them in late 2005.
If CBRR loses it now, it would be poetic justice.
The basic information presented here is taken from a Yakima Herald-Republic news story of November 11, 2005.