Trackage at Sandpoint, Idaho - Trains Magazine

Ed,

Both the NP and the GN passed thru Sandpoint on a NE-SW axis, with NE being railroad east in both cases.

From the west the major features on the NP side ca 1960 were: the long bridge across the end of the lake/start of the river, the brick passenger depot, a siding, a wye, and then the remnants of the Kootenai engine terminal and yard which was discontinued in the 1920's. The NP installed CTC between at least Spokane and Kootenai by the time of the merger.

The GN used Sandpoint as a supply point for steel both east and west of Sandpoint when the line was originally constructed. To accomplish that, the GN built "the stem" track from the NP wye, crossed Sand Creek on a timber trestle and continued more or less NW to another wye on what was probably originally a siding and built the main line both directions from Sandpoint. By 1960 there were several customers located on the stem and the Spokane International had been built a bit north of Sand Creek, creating an at grade railroad crossing.

When the merger came along, the BN built a new connection more or less parallel with the stem, and to the north by a few hundred feet. The new bridge over Sand Creek was a relatively modest affair, at least in comparison to the Latah Creek bridge in Spokane. As part of this project the new 10,000' siding of Boyer was built along part of the new connection and well onto the GN right of way.

While the new connection was under construction, the old was used to cross trains over, in both directions between the GN and the NP. These moves took about an hour assuming no conflicting moves on the main line being entered.

If you want more, since you are one of those railroad guys, I will send you a chapter out of a book I am helping a retired GN Spokane trainman write about his life on the railroad. Simply send me a private message with your email.

Mac McCulloch