Nostalgia & History > Centennials On the Hinkle-Spokane-Eastport Line?

Another intriguing question just popped up in my mind. How often did Centennials make it up to Spokane, or even Eastport Idaho from Hinkle back during the 70's? I was just reading an old Info magazine from 72', and it has an article on UP's move from the Spokane River front to make way for Expo 74'. The article states that in April of that year, UP ran their first freight over BN trackage rights between Fish Lake and Napa Street, pulled by a Centennial. It then states that the Centennial is the first of this type to visit Spokane.

So besides this ocassion, did Centennials ever make their way up to Spokane in regular freight service? If it did happen, I've never seen pictures of it.

Didn't one run up to Spokane for the 1974 World's Fair?

WAF Wrote:
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> Didn't one run up to Spokane for the 1974 World's
> Fair?

I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did for such a special ocassion. I guess my point was that Centennials probably rarely made it up to Spokane, because they were always in such demand on the long distance, cross country hotshots. Compared to North Platte to the west coast runs, the Hinkle to Spokane and Eastport runs were pretty short and never warranted that power. Also, Centennial power probably wasn't changed out, or serviced, at Hinkle very often, usually just running straight through. So there probably wasn't many opportunities for the diesel house there in Hinkle to send Centennials up towards Spokane anyway.

The 844 was parked at the World's Fair for the duration.

cdub Wrote:
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> I was just reading an old Info
> magazine from 72', and it states that in April of
> that year, UP ran their first freight over BN
> trackage rights between Fish Lake and Napa Street,
> pulled by a Centennial. It then states that the
> Centennial is the first of this type to visit
> Spokane.
>
> So besides this ocassion, did Centennials ever
> make their way up to Spokane in regular freight
> service?

That may well have been the only time, and I doubt a Centennial ever ran regular freight service on the ex-SI.

Centennials sometimes turned at Hinkle instead of Portland, but there would have been hell to pay with Power Control in Omaha if one were diverted up the Washy instead of sending it back to North Platte or Salt Lake on the next P&M schedule.

I did see DD35s on the Washy in the 70s though, that happened a number of times. But I doubt any double diesels were run on the ex-SI, there were still major wooded trestles in those days.

Best regards,

Rob L.