By Liv Stecker
At the beginning of the 20th century, the fast timber resources of the north Pend Oreille forests were just beginning to be tapped into. During this time, lumber was moved geographically from forest to industry by floating the logs in rafts down rivers or bodies of water. The far north eastern corner of the state faced difficulties with this operation since the Pend Oreille River runs north into Canada. Franklin Blackwell, backed by big-money partners from the eastern seaboard, invested in logging interests in the mountains north of Spirit Lake, Idaho. To facilitate transport of their commodities, Blackwell and his partners constructed a railroad in 1907 that stretched from the base of operations in Spirit Lake to Newport, right on the border of Washington and Idaho. The following year they expanded the Idaho-Washington Railroad another 50 miles to the little town of Ione, where Blackwell and his partners built a mill for the Panhandle Lumber Company. In 1910, the Box Canyon Trestle was constructed and the line ran another nine and a half miles to Metaline Falls.
The railway served to transport timber and cement out of north Pend Oreille county for decades, as well as two passenger trains per day between Spokane and Metaline Falls. Changing ownership from Blackwell’s organization to the Milwaukee Railroad, and finally Kyle Railroad, the line kept operating commercially until the early 1990’s when both the cement plant in Metaline Falls and the large lumber mill closed down. Sections of the railway farther south are still in commercial use by the paper plant in Usk, but the northernmost stretch has been used only for recreational purposes for more than 20 years.
In 1981, North Pend Oreille Valley Lions Club member Bud Sargent, who was an operator for the Kyle Railroad at the time, suggested a scenic train ride along this far north part of the track during the colorful fall months. The first ride was on a single flat car that was outfitted with chicken wire and wooden benches. It was such a success that the Lion’s Club adopted the train ride as their annual fundraiser. The first year of the ride, the seating capacity was 60 people and tickets were just $3.00 per person.
The scenic ride winds along nearly 10 miles of track, through rustic wooded areas, quaint neighborhoods, black-as-night tunnels, and across the historic engineering feat of the Box Canyon Trestle, which stretches 500 feet across Box Canyon, suspended 160 feet above the Pend Oreille River. The trestle was constructed starting at one side and working across using cantilever technology, groundbreaking engineering in the early 20th century. Along the way, passengers are treated to historic tidbits and facts about the area, and at the turn around point, passengers are accosted by a rag-tag band of ruffians consisting of local actors collecting donations and making off like bandits. The rugged and dramatic landscape of the area was used as the backdrop for filming the movies “Benny & Joon” and “The Postman”.
In 1984, the Railroad Historical Society of Spokane donated a cattle car to the NPOV Lion’s Club for the ride, and the success of following seasons enabled the club to purchase a coach car, two more open cars and a caboose. Two additional coach cars and another open car have been leased from the Inland Empire Railroad Historical Society, and the railroad has been operated by crew members from the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad. The tracks have been maintained to date by the Port of Pend Oreille.
The NPOV Lions Club event has accommodated over 10,000 riders a year, during 6 weekends of train rides in the summer and fall. Running during popular local events and into the bright fall weekends, the rides are often sold out weeks in advance. After covering their expenses, income from the train ride has gone to benefit many community projects and efforts.
In 2017, a federal mandate goes into effect, requiring railroads to have all bridges inspected by a certified bridge inspector. The estimate for an official inspection of the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad is over $130,000, not including the cost of repairs or maintenance work that the inspection would call for. This formidable expense spells the end of a long-enjoyed tradition for the residents of Pend Oreille County and the thousands of visitors to the train ride every year. With no commercial interests backing this section of track, the cost of continuing operations is impossible for the Lion’s Club to cover and forces the discontinuation of the popular event. 2016 marks the 35th and final season of the NPOV Lions Excursion Train Ride on the historic tracks.
For more information, visit http://www.lionstrainrides.com or call the NPOV Lion's Club at 1-877-525-5226.
