Bountiful Grain and Craig Mountain Railroad (BG&CM)

Bountiful Grain and Craig Mountain Railroad near Lewiston, Idaho
BGCM near Lewiston ID

Two Day Tour Oct 19 - 20, 2013 in Idaho

The former Camas Prairie Railroad was the location for a two day PRO motorcar excursion out of Lewiston, ID. Day one was a 144 mile RT to Riparia on the Great Northwestern Railroad. Sunday was a 129 mile RT to Kamiah on the BG&CM. The ECs were Will Krasselt and Bill Taylor.

The Great Northwest Railroad, formerly the 3rd Subdivision of The Camas Prairie Railnet, runs west from Lewiston, ID 71 miles to the Union Pacific at Ayer Junction in Washington state. Pacific Railcar Operators’ EC Will Krasselt organized this rare Autumn event that was blessed with great weather. The latitude of the railroad corresponds with central Montana giving the scenery a “Big Sky” feel. This wheat and cattle country is made up of large rolling hills bisected by the wide Snake River. We share the scenery with riverside campers that include steelhead trout fishermen and duck hunters. On long curves it is possible to see both the lead and tail cars despite their two mile separation.

On day two, we ran the BG&CM, formerly the 1st Subdivision of The Camas Prairie Railnet, runs east from Lewiston, ID 65 miles to Kamiah. The crisp fall weather and bright autumn colors prompted EC Will Krasselt's wife Lori to say it "felt like we were riding into a photo on a calendar.""

Wayne Parsons photograph near Greer, Idaho, used on the January–February 2014 Setoff cover
This great shot by Wayne Parsons was the cover of the Jan-Feb 2014 Setoff.

Railcars coming off the Riparia wye and heading back to Lewiston
Coming off the Riparia wye headed back to Lewiston