On March 2, 1985, the Mansfield Branch Line owned by the Burlington Northern Railroad (previously the Great Northern Railway) terminates service to and from Mansfield, ending 76 years of boxcar and passenger service on a 60.58-mile branch line into Central Washington wheatlands.
Train Beginnings
In 1889, Canadian-born James Jerome Hill (1838-1916) -- nicknamed "Empire Builder" for his ability to create prosperous business where none previously existed -- took over the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and renamed the Minnesota-based company the Great Northern Railway. Hill pushed the Great Northern's rails westward across Montana, Idaho, and Washington, and by 1893, the Great Northern was the only solvent transcontinental railroad, after the Northern Pacific, the Union Pacific, and the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe all went bankrupt.
In 1907, the Great Northern expanded to Douglas County, building a branch line with Mansfield as its terminus. Surveying was completed in 1908, construction of the railroad began in January 1909, and the line was completed in September 1909. The Great Northern called the completed route the Mansfield Branch Line. The arrival of the first passenger train was celebrated on October 9, 1909 in Mansfield.
The branch Line extended 60.58 miles from the Columbia River, zig-zagging from the southern floor of Moses Coulee, snaking up Douglas Creek, and then across a plateau of massive wheat fields into Mansfield. Full operation began in November 1909. Ten scheduled stops were made along the way to drop off or load grain on 40-foot boxcars. The line was a blessing to wheat farmers on the plateau. Prior to its arrival, goods were transported from town to town by horse teams and wagons. The rail line allowed for quick transport of wheat, other products, and passengers.
Boxcars and passenger trains shared the rails until 1949, when passenger service ceased for a variety of reasons, including the arrival of the automobile, truck transportation, and the birth of paved highways. In 1944, the Mansfield depot was retired, and then sold and removed in 1961. The right-of-way on the Mansfield Branch Line was retired in 1957. In the 1970s and 1980s, train service dwindled to Sunday afternoons only. The Great Northern maintained ownership until the 1970s, when the Great Northern was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad (BNR), which maintained ownership until the branch line was abandoned in 1985.
Mansfield Railroad Blues
The first discussions about abandoning the line occurred on June 26, 1981. Several alternatives were considered by an estimated 50 wheat farmers and their supporters to acquire and operate the line themselves. Burlington Northern, the Central Washington Grain Growers (CWGG), and others came up with options as well. The attempts by the farmers failed. As expected, they were unhappy. Abandonment of the railroad was announced in the fall of 1983, retiring the last of Burlington Northern's boxcar fleet assigned to grain service.
The reasons for abandoning the branch line were laid out in an Abandonment Study by the state Planning and Community Affairs Agency conducted in 1984 by Hickerson and Associates of Kennewick. The study found that the Mansfield line for many years suffered from deterioration, the projected cost for repairs was extensive, and that newer, 100-ton hopper cars could not be supported on the rails. The Wenatchee World reported, "Burlington Northern estimates it would cost about $7.2 million to upgrade the line to handle 'jumbo hopper' rail cars at speeds no less than 25 miles per hour. The line, which mainly carries grain shipments, can only handle old-fashioned box cars now" ("Eastside Port ..."). Boxcars were being rendered obsolete by hopper cars, and the Mansfield line was one of the last branch lines in the country to use boxcars to move wheat.
Last Train on the Mansfield Line
Saturday, March 2, 1985, dawned snowy and breezy in Mansfield. The last train arrived from Wenatchee after 10 a.m. Impromptu speeches were made, and fond memories were brought up, such as riding the train to visit family and friends, or just as a passenger heading to an event. Media was present from KCWT Channel 27, a Wenatchee television station, to report on a celebration in nearby Douglas. Some 150 people came to see the last train of 40 rusty boxcars, two locomotives (Nos. 2730 and 2738), and caboose BN10794 leave for the final time. Seventy-five years of railroad history in central Douglas County were coming to a close.
"Never saw so many cameras in such a small crowd," said railroad employee Walter E. Thayer (1915-1998). "Even the trainmen were shooting pictures of the Douglas depot, crowd, engine, etc." ("Last Train ..."). Guest speakers from the Douglas County Historical Society climbed onto the front end of locomotive 2730 one at a time to address the gathering. They included Waterville Mayor Forrest Barnes (1912-2002), Roxanne C. Kemp Viebrock (1912-2004), Esther F. Viebrock (1909-1985), Edna Slusser George (1907-2003), Glorian Eggers (1925-2008), and Nadra Betcher (b. 1939). The president of the local historical society, wheat farmer Alice Jacobsen (1925-2013), said, "I doubt our lives will ever be the same" ("Last Train On ...").
Guests were served coffee provided by the Douglas County Historical Society from a table during the ceremony. T. James Davis, president of the Douglas County Wheat Growers, told the Wenatchee World: "[It] was a sad day. Farmers now must rely on truck transportation and pay about 8 cents a bushel more to get their crop to market. The Mansfield Line has been a vitally important competitive factor. Without it, some marginal wheat ranches could be in trouble, especially if fuel prices and wheat production levels turn against them. Wheat farmers do well to break even nowadays. They can cut back on fertilizer or put off replacing machinery, but transportation is one cost they can't control" ("Last Train Rides ...").
Davis said he felt that everything that could have been done to save the railroad had been done. Doug Verity (b. 1945). a Wenatchee agent, said he "hopes the goodwill continues as Burlington Northern continues its operations out of Wenatchee and Brewster" ("Last Train Rides ..."). Said retired railroad trainmaster Earl Black, "It's sad to see this go, but this is progress" ("Last Train Rides ...).
The train crewmen walked the top of the boxcars performing one last check before the train pulled out of the Douglas Station at 11 a.m. The train slowly moved away at 10 miles an hour loaded with wheat and black diesel smoke filled the air. Mark E. Hinderer (1930-2009), who was born and raised in Waterville and served in the U.S. Army, was the last person from the area to ride the Mansfield Branch Line as a passenger. The Waterville Empire-Press reported: "Hinderer said he was able to get a 'bootleg' ride on the last train to travel the Mansfield Branch Line from Wenatchee to Douglas through sheer determination and a small bribe of a beef roast. 'I waited in Wenatchee Friday until 2 a.m. to find the crew. As far as I'm concerned, that was a real sad day, seeing the train go'" ("75 Years Of Rail History ...").
Onlookers waved, photographs were taken, and many guests waited for coins that were placed on the rails to be flattened into souvenirs. The train left the station en route to Wenatchee. The last train crew on the line consisted of George Vernon (Joe) Mengelos (1930-2015), who was honored by the Mansfield Railroad Museum for being the engineer who drove the last train; conductor Jim Caputo; and brakemen Al Gordon and Joe Engley. The engineer blew the final whistle from the rear of the caboose, signaling the end of an era.
