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Spokane Public Radio is a member
of NPR, PRI
& APM. Site
hosted by Argia.
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The
Spokane International Railway:
A Short History
The Spokane International Railway (SI),
was a small Class I Railroad
built in 1905 by D.C. Corbin. The railroad operated a 140 mile rail
line from Spokane, Washington to Eastport, Idaho with a branch line
connecting to the town of Coeur d'Alene. The railroad existed independently
from 1906 to 1958. The SI primarily moved interchange traffic from
the Canadian
border to the Pacific Northwest.
At Spokane, the SI connected with the Union Pacific, Great Northern,
Northern Pacific, and the Milwaukee Road. The dispatcher's office
was located at the Spokane Railroad station but the yard office headquarters
was located at Spokane Shops (m.p. 2.7), located two miles from downtown.
Continuing East, the railroad entered the Millwood-Trentwood industrial
area. (m.p. 6.8) The SI served the Inland Empire Paper company located
along a long spur line called the Irvin Branch that paralleled the
Spokane River. The SI also delivered to the Perfect Cement Plant located
at the end of the Irvin spur. The main line continued east and crossed
the Spokane River. The Kaiser Aluminum Plant and a Naval Supply Depot
at Trentwood-Velox (m.p.10.8) were few other customers that the railroad
served.
Leaving the industrial suburb, the main line headed for the Washington-Idaho
state line. Traveling along the Spokane Valley, the SI reached Grand
Junction, Idaho. (m.p.22.1) The SI interchanged with the Milwaukee
Road at this location. The SI would transport MILW hoppers loaded
with phosphate rock up to the Canadian border along with other commodities.
Three miles east was the Coeur d'Alene Junction. (m.p. 25.5) This
was a nine mile branchline that ran south to serve lumber related
industries in Coeur d' Alene area. At Corbin Junction, the line ran
up to Bayview located along the south point of Lake Pend Oreille (pronounced
"pon-der-aya") A barge would be unloaded with gondolas carrying limestone
for cement plants in the Spokane area.
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KPBX
KIDS' CONCERTS PRESENTS
SIDETRACK:
Railroad Songs & Train Tunes
Saturday, May 10, 2008
1pm to 2pm, FREE!
The Bing Crosby Theatre
901 West Sprague Avenue, Spokane
 
HEAR
THAT LONESOME WHISTLE BLOW!
Spokane fivesome, Sidetrack: Phil Kleinman, Geoff Haworth, Dave McRae,
Alan Fisher, and Rick Singer, have been singing and playing together for
almost five years. They will bring their special blend of harmony and
instrumentation to the May KPBX Kids’ Concert, which highlights music
and songs of the railroad. They'll be singing traditional train songs
and some terrific tunes from their CDs, as well as leading the audience
in a sing-a-long to “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” You'll also get
to learn
some fun history about the history of the rairoad in the Inland Northwest.
So, all aboard for a train song sing-a-long!
Event Donors: Windermere Real Estate,
Sterling Savings Bank, and Yoke's Fresh Markets.
Visit Sidetrack's website at:
www.sidetrackmusicband.com
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