Re: BGCM question for Stan Patterson
Author: butler
Date: 11-28-2009 - 12:29
I have been told that BG&CM DOES NOT stand for "Bountiful Grain & Craig Mountain" or anything else for that matter. In any event, they operate the former Camas Prairie RR lines between Lewiston ID and Kooskia ID as well as the long out of service line that formerly ran between Spaulding ID and Grangeville ID, now pulled up between near Cottonwood ID and Grangeville ID. Much of the BG&CM trackage is currently used for storage of unneeded rail cars.
Stan Patterson is the General Manager of the W&I (Washington and Idaho) which is the remaining part of the ex WATCO, exx BN, exxx NP P&L (Palouse WA to Lewiston ID) line between Marshall WA (9 miles SW of Spokane WA) and Moscow ID, along with the former WI&M (Washington, Idaho and Montana) between Palouse WA and Harvard ID.
The P&L line between Moscow ID and Arrow Jct ID (about 12 miles up the Clearwater river from Lewiston) as well as eastern part of the WI&M between Harvard ID and Bovill ID were both torn out by WATCO during their period of ownership.
You can see much of this with google maps. Arrow Jct is about 1/2 mile upriver from where highways 3 and 12 join.
Please understand that "Camas Prairie", P&L, and CW (ex NP lime between Cheney WA and Coulee City WA) were the long established names of these branch lines in the Spokane WA area and many of us locals still use these names even though they have long since passed into history.
Hope this clarifies some of the geography and names involved.