Cheshire Railway Modellers
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Keith Johnson
The Sip and Switch Valley Interchange
The Sip and Switch Valley Interchange Railroad – a Division of the K. Johnson Short Line Group is loosely based on the Walla Walla Valley Railroad (WWV). The WWV was a 14 mile short line operating between Wall Walla, Washington and the Oregon border town of Milton-Freewater. There was also a spur to the orchards at Baker Langdon. The line was originally chartered as a streetcar line in 1905, expanding through the fruit orchards of the southern Walla Walla valley the next year as an interurban. Passenger trains stopped running in 1931 and the electric motors gave way to Alco diesels in 1950
The WWV competed with Northern Pacific (NP) and Union Pacific (UP) and provided interchange operations with inbound and outbound traffic as well as a run through operation. See Fig 1.
Walla Walla was on the NP Dayton to Eureka/Pasco route and the UP Dayton to Athena/Pendleton Junction with a junction at Walla Walla for Wallula. The Wallula route was the exit point to the “Fruit Expresses” for the perishables from the Walla Walla and Yakima Valleys for nation wide shipping. Walulla is also a barge loading port and rail cars were transferred for goods shipment to the major Western Seaboard ports and around the world.
At one point there was a takeover of the WWV by NP but this was subsequently reversed by the Interstate Commerce Commission and the rights acquired by the K. Johnson Short Line Group who still own and manage the old WWV under the SASI line herald. Part of the Interstate Commerce Commission agreement was the running rights for the SASI line to Wallula Port and subsequent switching rights at the Port.
SASI, NP and UP all had customers in Walla Walla, Wallula and Milton-Freewater. The SASI diesels did all the switching and freight movement in these locations. Diesel and car maintenance facilities are housed on the Milton-Freewater spur.
In the 1960-1970 due to the various mergers and acquisitions, involving UP and NP a variety of motive power and cars will visit the area. In addition, the SASI has acquired a variety of stock some of which are in their previous owner heralds and colours and some in the SASI colours.
The Modelling Plan
Wallula is situated on the “Columbia River”, 1,243 miles long and the forth largest in the States, known as Wimahl or Big River to the Chinook-speaking natives. It stretches from the Canadian province of British Columbia through the State of Washington, forming much of the border between Washington and Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. Just north of Wallula at Pasco, the “Snake River”, 1040 miles long, enters as the largest tributary of the Columbia River at the aptly name “Snake Bend”. Of interest, the name "Snake" is thought to derive from an S-shaped (snake) sign that the Shoshone Indians made with their hands to mimic swimming salmon. See Fig 2 for an overall view of the area.
The following details the heralds that will be seen at Walla Walla and Wallula, the industries served types of car and switching capability and the layout at Wallula.
Heralds that can be seen on the SASI Railroad due to mergers and running rights
• Chicago and North Western Railroad
• Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
• Missouri Pacific Railroad
• Southern Pacific Railroad
• Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
• Western Pacific Railroad
Burlington Northern Santa Fee - 1996
• Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fee
• Burlington Northern Railroad - 1970
• Northern Pacific
o Little Falls and Dakota Railroad
o Tacoma, Olympia and Grays Harbor Railroad
o North Yakima and Valley Railroad
o Minnesota and International
o Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railroad
o Chicago, Burlington and Quincy – control to assure access to the rail hub of Chicago
o Duluth Transfer Railroad
o Monte Cristo Railway
o Northern Pacific and Great Northern begin construction of Portland and Seattle Railway (later Spokane, Portland and Seattle)
o Washington and Columbia River Railway
o Walla Walla Valley Railway – Subsequently reversed by the Interstate Commerce Commission and rights acquired by the K. Johnson Short Line Group
• Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
• Great Northern Railway
• Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
Wallula Ferry/Barge Terminal
Industries Serviced by SASI, UP and NP in Wallula
Company Business Inbound/Outbound Car Capacity Type of Car
Team Track Variety Inbound and Outbound 2 (one car on dock) Box car, refrigerator car, flatcar, gondola, covered hopper
Reb’s Scrap Yard Scrapyard Outbound 2 Gondolas
James Conoco Oil Bulk oil and petroleum products Inbound 2 one car on pipes Tank cars (oil), boxcars (misc. petroleum products)
Toms Cannery Vegetable and Fruit Cannery Inbound and Outbound 3 Box cars (inbound empty cans, packaging material), insulated boxcars and Reefers (outbound canned goods)
Can Co Frozen Food Processor Outbound 2 Reefers. Nb: vegetables and packaging material delivered at rear road bay.
Tlee Fruit Fruit and vegetable shipping warehouse Outbound 2 Ice bunker and mechanical refrigerator cars. Nb: vegetables and packaging material delivered at rear road bay
DJ Box Company Cardboard and wood box supplier for fruit, vegetable shippers. Raw material plus finished goods Inbound and Outbound 2 Boxcars.
Pete’s Cold Storage Cold storage warehouse Inbound and Outbound 3 Ice bunker and mechanical refrigerator cars, insulated boxcars.
Classification Track Variety Inbound and Outbound 8 Variety, goods holding for ferry on and off. Plus Fruit Expresses North and South from Wallula
Ferry Barge Variety Inbound and Outbound 10 in 2 distinct lanes Variety, local industry plus UP and NP out of town customers.
11 Industries or Locations for 36 cars.
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