http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/devon_sinsley/Poster.pdf

Here is a link to a poster for a lecture I am giving in Wallace Id. on Sept 10th 2015.

I checked my calendar and unfortunately I will be unable to attend. I send my regrets, sure would like some cake and ice cream!

Yer bud,
John

Me too John that’s the only way I would agree to do it, for the cake.

Is that before the NP convention or during the convention? I’m still waiting to hear back on a final word about my presentation.

Craig,

The NP convention is in 2016. This is in a few days. It is just a small open house. It is something the director would like to start doing every year. I am sure Shauna will be getting back to you after this years tourism season is over. I know she plans to go into full convention mode starting in the fall.

Well tonight is the night should you be in the area and want cake and ice cream. Oh and maybe to listen to me

Give em Hell, and the whole nine yards.

Consider videoing the whole thing, both for posterity, and for those of us that can’t make it there.

I’d set thru it, even without the cake.

Dave. I had not thought about it. I will try to do my best on that it is a good idea. Might have to scramble to get a recorder

Awesome Devon! Good luck with it and I sure hope you’re able to record and post online. I’d love to watch it. Who’s birthday?

I rounded up a video camera so wee will see how that goes.

Randy,

it is the 124th anniversary of the arrival of the all rail standard gauge Coeur d’Alene Branchline of the Northern Pacific from Missoula Montana to Wallace, Id. I would say its the 124th anniversary of Northern Pacific in Wallace but that is an inaccuracy in that Northern Pacific leased the narrow gauge I am given my lecture on in 1888. What it did mean for NP and Wallace was that the ore from the mining district was able to be loaded and hauled to mills and smelters without having to be transferred from the narrow gauge to steamboats to standard gauge cars. The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company already established this the year prior and began to put a serious dent in NP traffic. Now NP would be able to compete again.

My talk is on the narrow gauge predecessor to this NP branchline. It was established in 1886 and was the only railroad in the mining district until 1890. This railroad secured ROW that ensured NP’s ability to establish itself in the region. NP immediately saw the potential ( I actually believe it was the plan all along and they were instrumental in establishing the narrow gauge and circumstantial evidence is bearing this out) of the narrow gauge’s ROW and took control of it at its earliest opportunity with plans to ditch it for standard gauge. The narrow gauge was in full operation less than one year before the NP 999 year lease.

The deal between the Coeur d’Alene railway and Navigation Company and NP was all too tidy to be a coincidence. Especially when the CR&N could have just as easily been tied in with the OR&N as it was NP maybe even easier.

Anyway that’s a teaser. I hopefully will video it and throw it on Youtube. I have a series of things coming up on this subject. A two piece article will be published in the Mainstreeter (Northern Pacific Historical Society) magazine in the near future as well as this is the topic of my book to be released this time next year. Finally I will be speaking again at the 2016 Northern Pacific Convention in Wallace Idaho next September.

WHAT? Class 1 RRs would pull schannigans by setting up other companies to do their dirty work, how dare you put out that kind of info.

One compelling tell, would be if the RR put down NG ( short ) ties when they layed the track, that could not be used to go standard gage. Overwhelming evidence would be the use of standard gage ties, and they left enough room on one side to just move over one rail. Replacing all the ties would be a big hassle, and $.

Break a leg, Grasshopper.

Dave,

There in lies the problem… They used NG ties and very light rail to build it (40# and 55#). So most of the NG was useless to NP. The NG was built very poorly. In the end half of it was abandon outright. But the Oregon Railway and Navigation company chartered the Washington and Idaho Railroad at the same time the CR&N was chartered. Both were surveying in 1886 but the land had not been surveyed by the Federal Govt so neither could get deeds to that lands. Basically whoever built it first would get it. So I think the NG was thrown down just to have something. It was surveyed using NP surveyors and an NP engineer oversaw the construction. The owner of the road had close ties with Villard (he had a personal invitation tot he Gold spike ceremony) and all plans for the road included ties to NP. But on the other side of the fence it was incorporated by all local men (either mine owners from the area or friends of Corbin from Helena). And there was a ton of money made by Corbin in the lease deal. So while I believe it was of great NP interest I do believe it was truly privately owned and operated for the first year.

Neat History Devon. How was attendance at the event? Get any new tidbits of info from the attendants? Do you have the lecture online yet?

Well the talk went well for me. I had fun…but I went way long. I don’t think I lost them too bad but I had a 40 min window and went 75. Need to learn how to manage time. I really thought I wouldn’t have 30 min and was going to have to stretch it. That will come with experience I know. I also stumbled a few times on dates or other facts that I should have had pinned down better. I am being critical as I want to be better at it. I think as a person in the audience they would have been fine with it.

I will edit the video and get it on Youtube once I figure out how. Not my camera and its an older one.

Randy Lehrian Jr. said:

Neat History Devon. How was attendance at the event? Get any new tidbits of info from the attendants? Do you have the lecture online yet?

About 25 or so and nothing real new to add but One tidbit came from a bottle collector. My dad collects bottles and there is a very expensive one $3000.00 that comes from Wardner Id. It is a Hutchinson soda and it say Idaho territory. It is an early bottle. Well the guy I was talking to after hearing my talk believes that the bottling company had to wait for my RR in order to get its equipment there. The first bottles were produced in June or July of 1887. The RR began servicing the area in March 1887. So he thinks its likely that the company hauled in its equipment which was heavy as soon as the RR could get it there. So it was neat to see another industry outside of mining needing the RR.