Camas Prairie Railroad Company ( reporting mark CSP ) was a short line railroad in northern Idaho jointly owned and operated by Northern Pacific Railway and Union Pacific .
13-583: Parts of the former railroad are now operated by the Great Northwest Railroad and the BG&;CM Railroad . The Nez Perce Indian Reservation was opened to white settlement in 1895. By the turn of the 20th century, Edward H. Harriman and James J. Hill were engaged in a "railroad war" for control of rail routes through this area to reach the Pacific Northwest . Despite their competing interests,
26-622: 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. The railroad runs from Lewiston, Idaho , west to Riparia, Washington , and interchanges with the BNSF and Union Pacific at Ayer, Washington. Construction
39-542: Is visible from U.S. Route 95 . The Nezperce & Idaho Railroad (reporting mark NP&I) was an independently owned short line railroad that connected the community of Nezperce to the Camas Prairie Railroad. Primarily used to ship agricultural products it operated from 1910 until 1975, it was then used for boxcar storage until the 1980s. The railroad was sold to North American RailNet in April 1998, and it became
52-413: The "railroad on stilts" due to the many wooden trestles along its route. In one five-mile (8 km) stretch, there were more than a dozen trestles. In addition to its wooden trestles, the railroad's second subdivision also had a sizable steel viaduct, 1,520 feet (460 m) in length with a maximum height of 280 feet (85 m). Bridge 38 spans Lawyer's Canyon, between Craigmont and Ferdinand , and
65-585: The main line along the Clearwater River to Stites and on the second subdivision to Grangeville was discontinued 69 years ago in August ;1955. The 1975 film Breakheart Pass starring Charles Bronson was filmed on portions of the railroad, as were parts of 1999 's Wild Wild West . 46°14′N 116°28′W / 46.24°N 116.47°W / 46.24; -116.47 Great Northwest Railroad The Great Northwest Railroad (GRNW)
78-567: The railroad barons co-operated to build the Camas Prairie Railroad. The CSP was built to tap the rolling, fertile hills of the Camas Prairie and the timber of the forested hills and canyonlands of the Clearwater River . Service to the south terminus of the second subdivision line at Grangeville commenced in December 1908, and continued for 92 years. The Camas Prairie Railroad was known as
91-492: The remainder of the railroad to Watco in March 2004, which renamed it the Great Northwest Railroad . In 2011, Bridge 21-3 was destroyed in a wildfire. Although BG&CM owner Mike Williams indicated plans to rebuild by spring of 2012 at the latest, no construction has occurred. By 2021 the tracks had been removed all the way from Grangeville to Ruebens . All locations in north central Idaho Source: Passenger service on
104-647: The state of Idaho and borders Oregon , Montana , and Washington . It is the southern half of the state's Panhandle region and is rich in agriculture and natural resources. Lewis and Clark traveled through this area on their journey to the Pacific Ocean in September 1805, crossing Lolo Pass and continuing westward in canoes on the Clearwater River . They returned the following spring on their way eastward. The primary cities are Lewiston and Moscow , home of
117-585: The subsidiary Camas Prairie RailNet, Inc. (CSPR). After less than two years, CSPR notified the U.S. government in late 1999 that the second subdivision line to Grangeville could be subject to abandonment, citing lack of profitability. It made its formal request in May, and it was approved by the Surface Transportation Board in September 2000; the last run to Fenn and Grangeville was on November 29. The tracks were to be removed shortly thereafter, but that
130-481: Was completed later to form an additional branch between Spalding and Grangeville for 66 miles (106 km) and a 40-mile (64 km) connection between Orofino and Headquarters . The GRNW interchanges east of Lewiston with the BG&CM Railroad . Primary commodities of the GRNW are forest products consisting of lumber, bark, paper and tissue; agricultural products, industrial and farm chemicals, scrap iron and frozen vegetables. The Camas Prairie Railroad Company
143-517: Was delayed as a new operator for the line was sought. When BG&CM stepped in to operate the second subdivision line in December 2002, it was originally only to extend from Spalding to Craigmont , but a few weeks later decided to continue south, across Lawyer's Canyon to Cottonwood , stopping the salvage crews from going further north. The tracks from Cottonwood to Grangeville were removed and salvaged in late 2002 and 2003. North American RailNet sold
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#1732852080731156-749: Was formed in 1909, jointly owned and operated by the Northern Pacific Railway (later BNSF), and the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company (later Union Pacific). According to Watco, "The OWR&N came in to Lewiston via the Snake River from the west and the Northern Pacific reached Lewiston from the North out of Spokane, Washington . The competition continued up the Clearwater River from Lewiston towards Kamiah and Kooskia . This competition
169-411: Was known as the "Clearwater River Railroad Wars" or just "The War". In 1909, the two major carriers joined forces and the Camas Prairie Railroad was born. Rather than constructing two lines along the Clearwater River, one line was constructed and a joint operating company, Camas Prairie Railroad, was formed." North Central Idaho North Central Idaho is an area which spans the central part of
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