Courtesy of Tom Carver.
October 1980
"The westbound Central Washington, or CW, local ran from Spokane to Coulee City, WA, on the ex-NP branch of the same name. Out one day and back the next, it is seen here westbound at Marshall, WA., in October, 1980. Enough upgrades to the branch were finished by the following year to replace the classic 40-foot grain boxes with 100-ton covered hoppers, and would also be the last year for the Parkwater (Spokane) based F-unit fleet. It is shown here rolling over the former NP mainline from Spokane to Seattle, prior to entering the branch at Cheney. The track in the foreground was the joint Milwaukee Road/Union Pacific main and the track up on the hillside was the former SP&S line to Pasco. At one time there was an NP interlocking and tower here at the end of double track west of Spokane, located behind the last boxcars visible through the overpass."
