Passenger Trains > Project 430 — Clean & Affordable Lodging

Number 27 scoots into Ritzvile at 5:03 a.m. Friday — right on time — rolling past one of my favorite props, the Empire Motel sign.

Offering clean & affordable lodging, plus a fridge, coffee, internet, microwave, and laundry, what's not to like about the Empire?

As motels go, the Empire is the nicest of Ritzville's second-tier lodgings along what was once U.S. 10.

The second photo shows what the Empire looks like today.

The third photo is an undated post card of the motel, when it was known as Womack's Motel. The flip side of the post card boasts of "strictly modern single and double units." 

The rooms were equipped with Simmons Beautyrest beds. The rooms featured wall-to-wall carpeting, individually-controlled central heat, air conditioning, and free radios.

Project 430 — which refers to the time I set my alarm to in the morning to get out trackside in time —  is my ongoing summer solstice project to capture number 27 around Ritzville at sunrise. The project began in May, and will continue until sometime in July.   

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It still looks pretty decent!  

It's far better than the Top Hat, which is down the street, and has seen better days.

The Top Hat, too, has a post card history.

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Love it!  Absolutely love it!

Keep them coming!