 |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | North Central Idaho, U.S. |
| Dates of operation | 2004– |
| Predecessor | Camas Prairie RailNet (1998–2000) Camas Prairie Railroad (1909–1998) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The BG&CM Railroad or Bountiful Grain and Craig Mountain Railroad( reporting mark BGCM) is a Class III shortline railroad located in North Central Idaho.
The BG&CM operated a line between Spalding and Cottonwood along the former Second Subdivision of the Camas Prairie Railroad. Spalding is located about 10 miles (16 km) east of Lewiston, which is at Idaho's western border with Washington. BGCM connects with Great Northwest Railroad at Spalding. BGCM also operates the portion of the former Camas Prairie Railroad which runs from Spalding to Orofino, then to Kooskia along the river grade of the Clearwater River.
BGCM's route consists of the former Camas Prairie Railroad's Second Subdivision line, which was 66.5 miles (107 km) in length from Spalding to Grangeville. [1] As of 2005, only the 52 miles (84 km) between Spalding and Cottonwood were operated; the last 14.5 miles (23.3 km) of track between Cottonwood and Grangeville were removed in late 2002 and 2003. [2] [3] When BG&CM stepped in to operate the second subdivision line in December 2002, it was originally planning to operate the 34 miles (55 km) from Spalding to Craigmont, [4] but a few weeks later decided to continue 17 miles (27 km) south, across Lawyer's Canyon to Cottonwood, stopping the salvage crews from going further north. [2] [3]
In 2005, Watco, owner of the BGCM's Spalding connection Great Northwest Railroad (GRNW), leased to BGCM the entire 75-mile (120 km) GRNW route east of Lewiston of mainline track, including the railroad from Orofino to Konkolville.
The BGCM route had been acquired from Camas Prairie RailNet (CSPR) in December 2002, a subsidiary of North American RailNet, which had acquired the entire Camas Prairie line in April 1998 from the line's previous (and original) co-owners, Union Pacific and BNSF. CSPR received permission from the Surface Transportation Board to abandon the Grangeville Branch in September 2000 and made its last run on that line in late November. [5] [6] Watco had acquired the remainder of the Camas Prairie RailNet in March 2004. [7] [8]
As of April, 2013, the second sub is used for storage of empty flatcars between Lapwai and Culdesac. The grade crossing of US 95 south of Craigmont has been removed and the crossings in that town are graveled over. Also, one of the wooden trestles—Bridge 21.3 [9] —near Winchester was lost in a forest fire on September 7, 2011. [10] All that remains of the trestle is a single rail suspended precariously across the chasm, as well as ashes and bits of metal beneath. [11] A fire also destroyed the original elevators at Craigmont, beginning on May 12, 2013. The fire smoldered for nearly three weeks. [12]
The Camas Prairie Railroad was formed in 1909, and was jointly owned and operated by the former Northern Pacific Railway (later Burlington Northern Santa Fe), and the former Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company (later Union Pacific). The two railroads were competitors throughout the Pacific Northwest, battling to capture railroad traffic in timber, minerals, and agricultural products. [13] Camas Prairie Railroad was sold by co-owners UP and BNSF to North American RailNet of Bedford, Texas in April 1998 and it became Camas Prairie RailNet, Inc. After six years it was sold to Watco and became Great Northwest Railroad in March 2004. There were about 177 miles (285 km) of track in the transaction: 72 miles (116 km) from Riparia, Washington, east to Lewiston; 74 miles (119 km) from Lewiston east to Kooskia; and 31 miles (50 km) from Orofino northeast to near Jaype. The Orofino to Jaype segment was out of service.
BGCM is owned by Midwest Pacific Rail Net & Logistics of Kansas City.
MPRL also owns:
In 2009, BGCM's owner attempted to purchase a portion of the Arizona and California Railroad, running 49.4 miles (79.5 km) between Rice, California and Ripley, California through Blythe, California from RailAmerica then-recently granted for abandonment, but failed to succeed an offer of financial assistance process. [14]
Great Northwest Railroad (GRNW) at Spalding, Idaho. GRNW is a WATCO company, which owns 35 shortline railroads nationwide.
BGCM operates an ex-ATSF GP30, numbered as BGCM 2404 (EMD 27191, 7622-5, April 1962; ex-BNSF 2404; ex-ATSF 2704:2; ex-ATSF 3204; née-ATSF 1204), as well as an EMD GP9u, numbered as BGCM 1639. [15]
Lewis County is a county located in the north central region of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,533, making it the fourth-least populous county in Idaho. The county seat is Nezperce, and Kamiah is the largest city. Partitioned from Nez Perce County and established in 1911, it was named after the explorer Meriwether Lewis. Most of the county is within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, though Native Americans comprise less than 6% of the county population. Similar to the opening of lands in Oklahoma, the U.S. government opened the reservation for white settlement in November 1895. The proclamation had been signed less than two weeks earlier by President Cleveland.
Orofino is a city in and the county seat of Clearwater County, Idaho, United States, along Orofino Creek and the north bank of the Clearwater River. It is the major city within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. The population was 3,142 at the time of the 2010 census.
Cottonwood is a city in Idaho County, Idaho. On the Camas Prairie in north central Idaho, the population was 900 at the 2010 census, down from 944 in 2000. It is just west of U.S. Route 95, between Grangeville and Lewiston.
Ferdinand is a city in Idaho County, Idaho, United States. The population was 159 at the 2010 census, up from 145 in 2000. At the southern end of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation, it was founded by F.M. Bieker shortly after the reservation was opened for settlement in 1895. It was named after Ferdinand, Indiana, where his mother's family had lived.
Grangeville is the largest city in and the county seat of Idaho County, Idaho, United States, in the north central part of the state. Its population was 3,141 at the 2010 census, down from 3,228 in 2000.
Kooskia is a city in Idaho County, Idaho, United States. It is at the confluence of the South and Middle forks of the Clearwater River, combining to become the main river. The population was 607 at the 2010 census, down from 675 in 2000.
Stites is a city in Idaho County, Idaho, United States. In the lower canyon of the South Fork of the Clearwater River, it is about four miles (6 km) upstream and south of Kooskia on State Highway 13. The population was 221 at the 2010 census, down from 226 in 2000.
Craigmont is a city in the northwest United States in Lewis County, Idaho. Located on the Camas Prairie in north central Idaho, it is within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. The population was 501 at the 2010 census, down from 556 in 2000.
Winchester is a city in western Lewis County, Idaho, United States, located on the Camas Prairie in the north central part of the state. The population was 356 at the 2020 census, up from 340 in 2010.
Lapwai is a city in Nez Perce County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 1,137 at the 2010 census, and it is the seat of government of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. Lapwai actually means "The land of the butterflies"
The name camas prairie refers to several different geographical areas in the western United States which were named for the native perennial camassia or camas. The culturally and scientifically significant of these areas lie within Idaho and Montana. Camas bulbs were an important food source for Native Americans.
Camas Prairie Railroad Company was a short line railroad in northern Idaho jointly owned and operated by Northern Pacific Railway and Union Pacific.
U.S. Route 12 (US-12) is a United States Numbered Highway in North Central Idaho. It extends 174.410 miles (280.686 km) from the Washington state line in Lewiston east to the Montana state line at Lolo Pass, generally along the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and is known as the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway. It was previously known as the Lewis and Clark Highway.
In the U.S. state of Idaho, U.S. Route 95 (US-95) is a north–south highway near the western border of the state, stretching from Oregon to British Columbia for over 538 miles (866 km); it was earlier known in the state as the North and South Highway.
White Bird Hill Summit is a mountain pass in the northwest United States, located in north central Idaho on U.S. Highway 95. In Idaho County, it is midway between White Bird and Grangeville. The summit elevation of the highway is 4,245 feet (1,294 m) above sea level, through a substantial cut.
The Oregon, Washington and Idaho Railroad built a 72.03-mile (115.92 km) rail line along the right (north) bank of the Snake River between Riparia, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho. The company was incorporated in Oregon on August 8, 1903, and began operating its completed line on July 7, 1908, as an operating subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad, which also controlled the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) through Riparia. A portion of the preliminary work had been done by the Snake River Valley Railroad, which built a completed line along the Snake River below Riparia. Beginning on December 3, 1909, the Camas Prairie Railroad, a joint subsidiary of the OR&N and Northern Pacific Railway (NP), began operating the Oregon, Washington and Idaho Railroad as part of a line between Riparia and Grangeville, Idaho, including segments owned by the NP and subsidiary Clearwater Short Line Railway. On December 23, 1910, the property of the Oregon, Washington and Idaho was conveyed to new Union Pacific subsidiary Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company, successor to the OR&N, but the Camas Prairie Railroad continued to operate it as agent.
The Clearwater River is in the northwestern United States, in north central Idaho. Its length is 74.8 miles (120.4 km), it flows westward from the Bitterroot Mountains along the Idaho-Montana border, and joins the Snake River at Lewiston. In October 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition descended the Clearwater River in dugout canoes, putting in at "Canoe Camp," five miles (8 km) downstream from Orofino; they reached the Columbia Bar and the Pacific Ocean about six weeks later.
Fenn is an unincorporated community in Idaho County, Idaho, United States. It is located on U.S. Route 95 on the Camas Prairie, seven miles (11 km) northwest of Grangeville and eight miles (13 km) south of Cottonwood. Fenn had a post office with ZIP code 83531.
The Great Northwest Railroad (GRNW) is located in North Central Idaho, and runs a mainline of approximately 77 miles (124 km). Known as the Camas Prairie Railroad until 1998 and then Camas Prairie Railnet, Watco purchased the line in 2004 and renamed it the GRNW.
