Steam & Excursion > Neither The Grade Nor The Inhospitable Terrain Is Any Match Here!

When the Great Northern decided to push its track south out of Bend, Oregon in the 1920's the first obstacle that they ran into was the steady adverse grade for the first 10 miles that lead to an enormous lava field left behind by volcanic activity that had occurred centuries earlier.

Such an obstacle was this lava field, that the GN initially avoided traversing it all together by striking a deal with the Shevlin-Hixon Company to use their logging railroad that went south out of Bend along the Deschutes River thus avoiding the lava field.  The GN upgraded the S-H logging railroad for their mainline use for a few years while the GN track crews struggled to blaze a rail line through the huge lava field.

By 1947, when this photo was taken by Dale Clark, the GN was operating trains daily south out of Bend and on to Klamath Falls, Oregon through the Lava field.  Here we see GN 2-8-8-0 #2021 blasting through the Lava field at the siding appropriately named "Lava".

Originally built in 1925 by the GN in their Superior, MN shops as an N-2 Class engine, #2021 was rebuilt at those same shops in 1940 into an N-3 Class engine.  She would last in service on the GN until she was stricken from the roster in 1957 and sent to scrap.

As we see demonstrated here, even the Lava Fields south of Bend, Oregon were no match for the determination of the GN and the might of their steam motive power.

Martin



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/19 04:28 by LoggerHogger.

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Each time I pass the lava fields as I go to Bend I always think of how tought a job it was to buiild a railroad there.

Interestng story, is there any sign of the old right of way along the river? I really haven't spent much time in the area.
tia.

LoggerHogger Wrote:
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...
>
> Such an obstacle was this lava field, that the GN
> initially avoided traversing it all together by
> striking a deal with the Shevlin-Hixon Company to
> use their logging railroad that went south out of
> Bend along the Deschutes River thus avoiding the
> lava field. 

TCnR Wrote:
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> Interestng story, is there any sign of the old
> right of way along the river? I really haven't
> spent much time in the area.


Yes, the Shevlin-Hixon grade along the Deshutes is intact and can be easily traveled by both car and foot.

Martin
 

I just love it that the GN made it all the way to California.  Very bold.