Discovering Washington's Historic Mines, Volume 3

The North Cascade Mountains
ISBN -1931064-15-6

The northern Cascade Mountains of Washington State were host to some of the earliest and most productive mining activity in the region. From the islands of Puget Sounds eastward to today's Pasayten Wilderness, some of the earliest activities in the area involved the search for minerals. While most of these finds were small, and shipped little ore, some were substantial and still there for you to see. These pages tell the stories of the mines and the men and women who dared to challenge the elements to wrest their treasures from them. Their colorful histories, their geology, their locations, and more often spin a story more fascinating than fiction. Numerous photographs and drawings accent the facts, bringing the history to life. The location of each mine is rated for hiking difficulty and distance, providing a guide for endless hours of mountain pleasure. Softbound, 344 pages, 100+ photographs, plus maps and mine locations,

Vista-Dome North Coast Limited

By William R. Kuebler, Jr
ISBN# 1-931064-06-7
Hardbound with a dust jacket; 352 pages, 4-color throughout.

One of the world's extra fine trains!

The Vista-Dome North Coast Limited was the premier passenger train of the Northern Pacific Railway from 1954 to 1970. Dressed in Raymond Loewy's two-tone green paint scheme, deemed by many to be the most attractive ever applied to a passenger train, the Vista-Dome North Coast Limited featured glass-topped dome cars, which allowed passengers a sweeping view of the scenic territory between Chicago and Seattle. It also featured a unique lounge car with a Lewis and Clark theme, top-notch dining car service, and state-of-the-art Pullman sleeping cars.

This book gives the complete story of the NP's Vista-Dome North Coast Limited. Illustrated with over 280 photos, it provides a detailed look at the train's 1954-70 operation from the perspectives of both the traveling public and the train's crew. The author takes you on marvelous trip between Chicago and Seattle aboard the Vista-Dome North Coast Limited during its heyday. Included is a personal tour of the entire train from front to rear. Detailed diagrams and discussion about the train's makeup, operation, and appearance make this a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in the Northern Pacific Railway or passenger trains, whether as historian, modeler, rail fan, or an armchair reader who would like to revisit the "good old days" of passenger rail travel. Come and experience what it was like to travel in comfort, eat in a luxurious dining car, relax in one of the train's lounges, sleep in plush, private rooms, be pampered by the best crews in the business, and meet some of the world's most interesting people. Enjoy the magnificent scenery from one of the four vista-domes on this beautiful, "Four Dome Train West". Find out why this truly was "one of the world's extra fine trains."
Price: $74.95

1925 Willamette Catalog Reprint

It's hard to describe just how cool this catalog really is so we've included a couple of sample pages here so you can see for yourself. This is a faithful reprint of the 1925 Willamette Iron & Steel Works full-line catalog, including their geared locomotive. (We've also added a few additional pages from their 1926 supplement.)
If you're interested in early industrial equipment, especially logging, you're going to really like this. As you can see in the photos, it's a great combination of product pages plus shots of the equipment at work in the field.
Originals are almost impossible to come by. The last one we saw listed for sale had an asking price of US$700, which may have been outrageous but certainly speaks to how rare this particular catalog is.
Our reprint is hardbound (it was not possible to exactly duplicate the original binding, but we're in the ballpark) and contains 160 pages. The trim size is 8-1/2" by 11", as was the original. We're printing only 2,000 copies and no more, so if you're interested don't delay.
Price: $24.95

White Pine Route
The History of the Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway Company

By Thomas E. Burg
ISBN 0-9643647-8-6

Potlatch Country!

The Washington, Idaho, and Montana (WI&M) Railway was built in 1905-1907 to access the world's finest stands of white pine. The fifty-mile line from Palouse, Washington to Bovill, Idaho, was the Potlatch Lumber Company's conveyance of timber to mill, cut lumber to outside connections, and the artery of commerce for the region. The road carried so much white pine that it adopted the nickname "the White Pine Route."

White Pine Route tells the history of the WI&M through its independent period (1905-1962), as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Milwaukee Road (1962-1980), as the WI&M branch of the Burlington Northern (1980-1996), and as the WI&M Industrial Lead of the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad (1996-present). Part II documents WI&M rolling stock, from its initial steam power and logging locomotives of the Potlatch Lumber Company, through its railcars carrying passengers, mail, and express from the Depression until the end of passenger traffic in 1955, to its diesel era. Railroad structures and logging operations of the Potlatch Lumber Company are also covered. Over 400 photographs, maps, and other exhibits accompany the text. Hardbound with a dust jacket, 8-1/2" by 11" vertical format.

Railroad Logging in the Klamath Country

Jack Bowden
ISBN 1-931064-11-3
330 pages, hardbound.

Major Railroad Logging in Pine Country!

It is hard to imagine an area better suited for railroad logging than the park like pine forests of south-central Oregon, a gently rolling country where railroads could be built with a minimum of cost. Ease of construction coupled with an abundance of high quality timber set the stage for one of the nation's really great logging shows. Railroad Logging in the Klamath Country is the fascinating story of the logging railroads of this area. During the first half of the 20th century more than two dozen of these colorful lines were pushed into the forests of Klamath, Deschutes, Lake and Jackson Counties. Ranging in size from Ackley Brothers short, two-mile gravity railroad at Keno, to the extensive systems of Brooks-Scanlon and Weyerhaeuser, they're all here. For over 90 years, companies like Algoma, Pelican Bay, Lamm, Ewana Box, Shaw-Bertram, Kesterson, Wheeler-Olmstead, Brooks-Scanlon, Shevlin-Hicks, Medco, the OC&E and others brought logs out of the woods on their railroads in an attempt to satisfy the nation's insatiable demand for pine lumber and wooden boxes. A must for any logging railroad fan! In addition to over 140 photos, the book contains a concise history of every lumber company in the region that operated a railroad, a roster of its locomotives and one or more maps of its rail lines.
Price: $49.95

The MODOC: Southern Pacific's Back Door to Oregon

By Tom Dill and Jack Bowden
ISBN: 1-931064-09-1
Hardbound, 352 pages
Price: $49.95    BACK IN STOCK FOR A LIMITED TIME!

Hauling Lumber on an Epic Scale!

The Southern Pacific's (SP's) Modoc Line was built for the sole purpose of providing a shortcut for forest products moving from the lush forests of Oregon to mid-western and eastern markets by way of Ogden, Utah. This remote and virtually unknown line cut across the high desert country of Northeastern California from Klamath Falls, Oregon to Fernley, Nevada, crossing four major summits with a 140-mile helper district. As many as four articulated locomotives in a single train were commonplace. This was mountain railroading at its very best.

Opened in 1929, on the eve of the Great Depression, traffic levels on the Modoc remained relatively low until 1945. Then, as the nation's service men returned home from the war, this sleeping giant came to life to fill the insatiable demand created by the unprecedented levels of housing starts nationwide. This was just what the Modoc had been built for, and, as a result, an ever-increasing volume of Oregon lumber began moving eastward. During the year that followed, as many as seven tonnage trains might move out of Oregon in a single day. Moving by train-order authority (without benefit of CTC or even block signals) and employing worn out steam locomotives that had been cast off from their main line assignments, crews made do with what they had to work with to get over the road.

Finally, in the early 1950s, this obscure line finally gained a bit of notoriety. As diesels gradually displaced steam in its old familiar haunts, rail enthusiasts were suddenly awakened to the fact that there was still a place on the SP where one could go see their beloved cab-forward locomotives doing battle with heavy mountain grades. One after another, the rail enthusiasts made their pilgrimage to the Modoc to witness this (the final!) spectacular stand of steam on a mountain railroad. As late as 1956, tonnage trains, powered by three large cab-forwards, could still be found toiling up heavy grades on the Modoc.

The MODOC book gives you the complete story, from the roots of the narrow-gauge Nevada-California-Oregon Railway in 1880 to the final operation of a through train by Union Pacific on June 30, 1997. They are all here--personal recollections by the workers, train orders, timetables, maps, and a plethora of photos--in this action-packed history of the Modoc Line. Hardbound, 352 pages.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter 1: Modoc Northern
Chapter 2: Nevada-California-Oregon
Chapter 3: Fernley and Lassen
Chapter 4: Depression and War
Chapter 5: Postwar Years: A Time of Prosperity
Chapter 6: End of the Line
Chapter 7: Passenger Service
Chapter 8: Alturas
Chapter 9: Calling Out the Big Hook
Chapter 10: A Crummy Life
Appendix
Bibliography
Color Photo Section
Index

What are readers saying about this book?

"I think this book has written the definitive history of the Modoc Line. I would recommend it without reservation to anyone wanting to know the life and times of one of the west's best secondary mainlines."
Greg Brown

"I found the Modoc book to be informative and enjoyable reading and thank the two authors for their fine work. I wish more railroad books matched the caliber of this book."
David Myrick - Western Railroad Historian
 

Discovering Washington's Historic Mines, Volume 2

The East Central Cascade Mountains and the Wenatchee Mountains
by Phil Woodhouse, Daryl Jacobson, Vic Pisoni, and Greg Cady
ISBN: 1-931064-04-0
Softbound, 440 pages, maps, photos, index.
Price: $34.95    Definitely Gold in These Thar Hills!

Discovering Washington's Historic Mines, Volume 1 introduced you to all the known hard rock mines in Washington's West Central Cascade Mountains. Although any "booms" went "bust" fairly quickly, there was a lot of mining activity and plenty of fascinating history to go along with it-a lot of which you can still find to this day. (And the book even shows you where!)

Here comes Volume 2, and the fact that's roughly twice the size of Volume 1 should tell you something right away. The mining in the areas covered in this volume-the East Central Cascade Mountains and the Wenatchee Mountains-played out much more successfully than their western counterparts and until fairly recently even saw commercial mining on a huge scale. And yes, for each of those big strikes there are hundreds of smaller mines, everything from little glory holes to small working mines that actually showed their owners a profit. Plus, the mining activity in these areas predates the mining farther west. In fact, scores of Chinese miners worked this area whereas very few worked the western side because by that time the anti-Chinese sentiments were running at fervor pitch.

The format in Volume 2 is the same, meaning you'll get detailed maps, directions, hiking guidelines, and more. It's not often you find a book that offers historical depth to this level of detail and offers you and your family the chance to get right out there and experience it for yourselves!
Price: $34.95

ISBN 0-920698-41-7
Published by Canadian Caboose Press, distributed by Oso Publishing Company

A Narrow Gauge Smorgasbord!

     Narrow Gauge Railway Scenes is a collection of over 400 photographs taken by some very gifted photographers along some very interesting lines. The variety of photos is staggering; everything from "classic" railroad photos you'd expect to see to the unusual such as night scenes at a depot to cab-view scenes from a Rio Grande Galloping Goose. For the logging fan there's some great shots of the West Side Lumber Company and Mich-Cal, and for something completely different there are some great shots of Ward Kimball's backyard, er, "layout." (One shot even shows Walt Disney at the throttle!)
     Of course, fans of the Colorado narrow gauge "circle" will not be disappointed! Author Adoph Hungry Wolf has done a great job of collecting some really spectacular shots, everything from awe-inspiring canyon shots to compelling detail shots such as a lokie taking on water (shot from the water tower!) and plenty of shop scenes with all kinds of treasures scattered around. You also see depots, trestles, and other structures in a variety of settings and seasons.
     In the East we get the East Broad Top, the Tweetsie, and some Maine two-foot action. In Canada we get some choice shots, and we even get a couple of lines you can still see today: the B.C. Forest Museum and Oregon's Sumpter Valley Railroad. Finally, we get some tasty shots from a region famous for its great narrow gauge railroads, Central America.
     And if all that wasn't enough, you get watercolors from renowned artist John Coker, and the list of photo credits is a who's-who in the narrow gauge railroad world: Otto Perry, W. C. Whittaker, Robert W. Richardson, Ron Nixon, and many others.
     Softbound, 224 pages, 8-1/2 by 11 horizontal format. Available immediately from your local dealer and Oso Publishing Company: Price: $24.95

ISBN 0-920698-37-9
Published by Canadian Caboose Press, distributed by Oso Publishing Company

A Historic Railroad You Can Still Ride Today!

     "Route of the Caribou" presents railroading in one of North America's most scenic and rugged regions. The Pacific Great Eastern Railway was incorporated in 1912 to serve a sparsely-populated wilderness whose natural resources were expected to sustain train traffic. For many years afterwards, the line operated at a loss and was several times threatened with abandonment, its two disconnected segments taken over by the provincial government and its initials--PGE--jokingly said to mean the "Province's Great Elephant."
     Today's modern BC Rail system covers over 1,200 miles and barely resembles the old PGE operation, although the fantastic scenery is still there. Tourists come from around the world to enjoy it, traveling on BC Rail's efficient Rail Diesel Cars or aboard the summertime Royal Hudson Steam Train which offers the continent's last regularly-scheduled mainline steam-powered passenger service.
     This first fully-illustrated history of the PGE and BC Rail includes nearly 400 photographs and illustrations, including 64 pages in full color, showing the trains, stations, people and tracks that make up this fascinating railway. The informative text includes numerous entertaining first-hand accounts and anecdotes, plus maps and equipment rosters. Readers who have not yet travelled over BC Rail will wonder why, before they finish this volume.
     Hardbound with a dust jacket, 8-1/2 by 11 horizontal format. Available immediately from your local dealer and Oso Publishing Company: $59.95

ISBN 0-915370-03-4
Published by Northwest Short Line, distributed by Oso Publishing Company

Super steam from the 1930s through the 1950s!

     Warren McGee and Ronald Nixon, the finest photographers employed by the Northern Pacific Railway, took some of the best locomotive photographs ever. Author Richard Green, using an 11 by 8-½ horizontal format, presents a rich and vivid collection of 300 McGee and Nixon photos that are an absolute delight to peruse.
     There's truly something special about this book: Overall, the book is organized by locomotive, with chapters on Mikado's, Pacific's, and Northern, as well as the mighty Yellowstone's and Challengers. More, there's a chapter devoted to the colorful and popular Yellowstone Park Line. Best of all, the composition skills of McGee and Nixon give the reader the added value of some wonderful locomotive settings, everything from passenger depots to mountain passes to rolling prairies. The accompanying captions provide detail that you simply won't find anywhere else; each photo and caption pair truly sparks the imagination!
     This book is of value both to the enthusiast and the researcher. An extensive index, organized by locomotive type, leaves no guesswork to the rail fan or modeler trying to isolate a particular piece of motive equipment. Beyond steam, the last chapters of the book take a look at some of the NP's early diesel locomotives, an endearing sight to people who were kids in the 50s and 60s and some of the most popular model railroad engines today.

Hardbound with a dust jacket, 296 acid-free pages and 300 photographs. A must-have for all NP fans!

You'll see steam locomotives ranging from smaller units to massive articulated mallets, as well as diesels and diesel electrics. Each photo's locomotive is identified both by type and by number. A very interesting feature of this book is the anecdotes added by Warren McGee to some of the photographs.

Hardbound with a dust jacket, 262 acid-free pages, 300 photographs, plus maps and a locomotive and location index. Available immediately from Oso Publishing Company:
 

ISBN 0-915370-06-9
Published by Northwest Short Line, distributed by Oso Publishing Company

"...packed full of striking black and white photographs of early country logging camps, unique engines and the man who worked--and occasionally died--operating the huge machines" The Skagit Valley Argus

     Author Dennis Thompson spent more than 10 years painstakingly researching the fascinating and colorful early logging operations in Washington State's Skagit county. The result, 308 pages with 411 photographs and dozens of drawings, is an incredible portrayal of an important early industry in a rugged and untamed land. Through a combination of personal experience, countless interviews, and scores of hours pouring over historical archives, Dennis presents a complete and very interesting account and a well-chronicled period of our history.
     From the small operations that probably would have faded from memory forever to the area giants such as English Logging Company and Bloedel-Donovan Lumber Mills, you'll get complete details: How, why, where and when they started, what kind of equipment they used, what areas they worked, and ultimately what became of them. Backing up the concise, interesting, and often amusing text are some outstanding photographs that complete the story. From life in a logging camp to the perils of a locomotive wreck, you'll see it all.
     The first printing of this book sold out quickly after readers discovered exactly how interesting and unique this work truly is. The printing features the same high-quality 80# acid-free glossy stock and is hardbound with a dust jacket. Price: $59.95

Alaska/Yukon Railroads: An Illustrated history

ISBN 0-9647521-4-X
Published by Oso Publishing Company

North to Alaska!

Gold! The name of this precious metal has always incited a fanatical rabidity in the hearts of fortune seekers, and when the gold started flowing from the Yukon, the age of the "Klondiker" was born and the rush was on. Many fortunes were made and many more were not, but the demand to move people and materials remained insatiable. Wagon roads had been built to meet the transportation demand, but by 1898 several companies were vying to build the first railroads. Ultimately, three companies—one American, one in British Columbia, and the third in the Yukon—joined forces to create "the road that couldn't be built": The White Pass & Yukon Route.
     In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson gave the nod to what would become the 471-mile-long Alaska Railroad connecting Seward with Fairbanks. The work was slow and dangerous, and some bridges even today remain engineering marvels, but the line was ultimately completed. Both the White Pass & Yukon and the Alaska Railroad are still around today, still "working for a living," as well as enjoying a brisk tourist trade. But Alaska has seen dozens of other railroads come and go over the years. While these lines were smaller and lesser known, each has its own story to tell. Nome gave birth to railroads that spanned the flat, spongy tundra. Farther south, several lines sprang up to reach the rich copper deposits in the Copper River Valley. Various stock-selling schemes accompanied the hype, and ultimately two companies watched as their crews stood toe to toe in a confrontation that left several wounded and entire communities in an outrage.
     Back in the Klondike, other short lines were started up to meet the needs of the expanding industry, including tiny tramways that used animal power and wooden rails. Katalla became a bona fide boomtown as companies scrambled to build lines to tap the area's oil and mineral resources. Other regions in Alaska that held the promise of vast riches and there were many also drew the attention of hopeful railroad schemes, despite any difficulty or circumstance.
     This has been the spirit and promise of Alaska and the Yukon Territory, with their natural wealth held in check by almost unimaginable terrain and weather challenges. Alaska/Yukon Railroads, An Illustrated History, is the story of all known railroads in the area, including several that never left the drawing board. Over 200 photographs give you a real sense of the challenges, attempts, successes, and failures of the brave souls who stepped forward to conquer the last frontier. Most chapters include complete rosters, showing the wide variety of motive power used to operate the lines.
     Originally published in 1981 as "Rails North" by Superior Publishing Company, Seattle, WA. The book has been completely overhauled and updated to the extent that we felt a title change was in order. We think you'll like what you see!

Hardbound in linen with a dust jacket, 256 pages, over 200 high-resolution photographs, plus maps and complete locomotive rosters.
Price: $42.95

ISBN 0-9647521-2-3
Published by Oso Publishing Company

"This last summer, I tagged along with the Northwest Underground Explorations folks [to one of the mines]...it was a total hoot..." Tina Kelley, The Seattle Times

Gold! No other single word evokes such mystique and desire. The quest for the yellow metal has driven exploration into new lands for centuries, creating frenzied rushes when any appreciable amount was discovered even allegedly discovered. Such was the case in Washington's west-central Cascade Mountains: In 1889, Joseph Pearsall discovered "a broad ledge of gold" (it was actually Galena) on a mountainside and the rush began. The resulting influx of miners created the now-legendary ghost towns of Monte Cristo and Silverton, a railroad backed by John D. Rockefeller, and a brief but colorful chapter of the area's history. The ruins of some ghost towns and traces of the railroad still exist today and are readily accessible to the casual tourist. However, hidden in the mountains and forests remain the driving forces behind these establishments—the mines. These silent, abandoned sentinels were once a frenzy of activity, and some of the engineering and transportation feats employed were a marvel even by today's standards. Discovering Washington's Historic Mines is three books in one: Divided into seven sections, the book documents the history, the geology, and the locations of all the known hard rock mines between Darrington and North Bend. Each mine is rated for hiking difficulty and distance, plus you'll get an idea of what you'll find when you get there.

230 pages, 8-1/2"x11", softbound. Includes maps and photographs. Available now for only $24.95.

Logging to the Salt Chuck

ISBN 0-915370-04-2-X
Published by Northwest Short Line, distributed by Oso Publishing Company

Over 100 years of railroad logging in Mason County, Washington

     Simpson Timber Company has the distinction of being both the oldest logging railroad in the state of Washington and the only logging railroad in the United States to still operate today! This is the story of Simpson Timber plus all the other logging lines that operated in Mason County, Washington, from the earliest days. The book is profusely illustrated with both photographs and maps, and you'll see an incredible variety of equipment and settings. There are a few color shots of Simpson's distinctive red locomotives running in modern times, plus there's a great appendix of drawings, including a Gibson speeder, a Clyde track layer, Camp Grisdale, and more, including some locomotives. Definitely a classic book on early railroad logging.

192 pages, hard bound with a dust jacket, and hundreds of great photos. Definitely a classic book on early railroad logging.

Order Logging to the Salt Chuck: Price: $45.95

Railroad Camp

Adolph Hungry Wolf

ISBN 0-920698-43-3
(Canadian Caboose Press, distributed by Oso Publishing Company)

Island Timber

ISBN 1-55039-101-1

Richard S. Mackie
(Sono Nis Press, distributed by Oso Publishing Company)

Logging by Rail

Robert D. Turner

ISBN 1-55039-065-1

This winner of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association book award is considered a must-have by logging railroad enthusiasts, and for good reason. From the 1880s to the beginning of diesel, this book truly tells (and shows!) it all.
326 pages, 500 photos, paperback Price: $39.95
 

Railscapes

Jim Frederickson

ISBN# 0-87422-272-9 $45.00
(Washington State University Press, distributed by Oso Publishing Company)

The Thunder of Their Passing

Robert D. Turner

ISBN# 1-55039-130-5 Price: $55.00
(Sono Nis Press, distributed by Oso Publishing Company)

In Search of the Narrow Gauge

Bob Whetham