Nostalgia & History > Northern Pacific depot at Easton, Washington

“Easton is between Talmage and Hubner Spur. It was named in 1886 by the Northern Pacific Railroad Company when they established the town near the east end of the Stampede tunnel. The post office was established on June 23, 1890. Weston was established near the west portal - thus, the name of each of these railroad towns. The town is located 12 miles west of Cle Elum. The town site of Easton was surveyed in 1902, the plat being filed for record on August 2, 1902.”—NPRHA

When I shot this picture of the Easton depot in April, 1974 the NP Stampede Pass line still carried the daily Amtrak Empire builder 7-8 while the resurrected North Coast Hiawatha 9-10 took the GN route over Stevens Pass before returning to former NP rails through Montana!

Squint at the train board and you will see that 3 trains were listed through the 1950’s. 1-2 The Mainstreeter, 5-6 The Spokane-Seattle Express, and 25-26 the North Coast Limited.  In the end Easton was only a flag-stop for the Mainstreeter itself renumbered after the merger into Burlington Northern to avoid a conflict with the Denver Zephyr.

1. Easton depot looking west to Stampede Pass
2. Train board
3. NP water tank

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Photoshop the car out of the first picture and it could be timeless.  I used to hate it when you would want to take a depot photo and the agent parked his car on the platform.

Railpax71 Wrote:
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> Squint at the train board and you will see that 3
> trains were listed through the 1950’s. 1-2 The
> Mainstreeter, 5-6 The Spokane-Seattle Express, and
> 25-26 the North Coast Limited.  In the end Easton
> was only a flag-stop for the Mainstreeter itself
> renumbered after the merger into Burlington
> Northern to avoid a conflict with the Denver
> Zephyr.

Thanks so much for this timeless, classic photo of an NP depot.  

In the late 1960's, the locomotive engineer on many of the North Coast Limiteds and Mainstreeters passing by this depot was a gentleman named Francis William "Frank" Scobee.  As many railroaders did, he came out of a railroad family.  His father, Richard Scobee, had worked as a signal maintainer in Easton since 1923 (after starting as a signal helper in 1916).  Frank Scobee was one of five children born to Richard and Frances Scobee, and was raised in Easton.  

Frank and his wife Edlynn met after he graduated from Easton High School in 1936 and began work for the NP as a caller, laborer, and engine watchman at the roundhouse located in Easton.  She was a waitress in Ed's Cafe where most of the railroaders dined in Easton.  They got married and had a child in 1939, shortly before he became a fireman in 1940.  He was promoted to engineer in 1945.  He was exceptionally skilled in his craft, and the NP promoted him to road foreman in 1960 in Montana and Idaho.  In 1968 he returned to his first love, running passenger trains between Seattle and Ellensburg until Amtrak took over passenger service when he returned to freight service for what was now BN until he retired in 1978 after 42 years of service.

The son born in 1939 was named Francis Richard Scobee.  He became a combat pilot in Vietnam.  "His flying skills were as exceptional as the locomotive-handling talents of his father, and he was selected for astronaut training in 1978."  Commander Francis R. Scobee piloted the Space Shuttle Challenger on a successful flight in 1984.  He was again commander of the Space Shuttle Challenger when it was launched on that fateful day: January 28, 1986.

(Quote and information extracted from to book "Steam to Diesel - Jim Fredrickson's Railroading Journal".)

Francis Richard Scobee’s son is currently Major General Richard W. Scobee.  He is currently the 10th Air Force commander, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas. His command includes all fighter, bomber, special operations, rescue, airborne warning and control, fighter and bomber flying-training missions, combat air operations battle staff, remotely-piloted aircraft, space, and cyber units in the Air Force Reserve Command. 
 

On 10/7/72 No. 8 was cleared at Easton with one order copied on a NP form:

1) & 2) BN Clearance + T.O. 614 delivered to No. 8 at Easton WA 10/7/72 

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czephyr17 Wrote:
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>
> The son born in 1939 was named Francis Richard
> Scobee.........
>  

CZ-
Wow.  Interesting fact about this small town.. Thanks.

Jeff