The August, 2008 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman has a article on the Washington and Idaho Railroad in it. The W&I is the latest iteration of the WI&M of the early 20th century. It makes an interesting read. It also contains track plans of Palouse, WA, Potlatch, ID and Bovil, ID, as well as an overall track plan of the railroad and how it fit into the scheme of things. I decided to change the track plan a bit, doing away with the wye in the middle. It just didn’t seem to make any sense. This new track plan corrects some mistakes that I had made, relying on a 40 year old memory from my college days. Probably had too much Holy Water to remember much. Anyway, the NP and GN interchanged at Palouse, WA, and the MILW interchanged at Bovil. Now, it’s the BNSF at Palouse and the St. Maries River RR at Bovil. The W&I no longer goes all the way from Palouse to Bovil, but if the market turns just right, the roadway has not been abandoned, so with a bit of work and money, it could again. At Palouse and Bovil, I put in some track for operating, based on what has been there in the past, but who knows how long it will take for me to build all the necessary switches to make it happen.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Layout/Layout_Diagram.jpg)
Notice BS JUNCTION on the track plan. Below is a photo of BS JUNCTION looking toward Grizzly Turn that goes off to the right toward Palouse.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/BS-Junction.jpg)
Below is a photo taken from Palouse, looking back to Grizzly turn towards BS JUNCTION. At the point where the photographer is standing, the roadbed will be about waist high. It will take a 2% grade from Grizzly turn to reach waist high at Palouse, but it will be worth it. Palouse itself will be level. The engine and caboose will be turned by roundtable.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Layout/Palouse.jpg)
We have completed our business in Palouse, leaving interchange for both the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific from our major customer, Potlatch Forest Industries, and have headed back down hill, arriving back at BS JUNCTION. We can either take the turnout to the right toward Potlatch and the barn, or continue on to Bovil.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Layout/Img_0019-1.jpg)
We decided to go on to Bovil as we have interchange traffic for the Milwaukee. We head downhill to Hunter’s Turn, near Copper’s Hill.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Layout/Img_0014-1.jpg)
This is a view of Hunter’s Turn and Copper’s Hill, with Bovil in the distance. Again, Bovil will be waist high, with a roundtable, possibly a roundhouse. (Not this year, though.)
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Coppers_Hill.jpg)
I may have to rethink the central wye. Without it, operators will have to retrace their path to Palouse, turn their trains, and then return to BS JUNCTION, before returning to the roundhouse for the night at Potlatch. I dunno, what do you all think? I suppose we could justify it by picking up empties at Palouse and returning them to PFI before tieing down for the night in Potlatch. On the WI&M, the Roundhouse and shops were in Potlatch. Below is a pic of the entrance to Potlach.
(http://www.lscdata.com/users/stevef/Layout/Img_0023-1.jpg)