Old Missoula

War Taxes Facilities of NP Railway

2,000 Miles of New Rail Laid

During World War II, the Northern Pacific rolled up its sleeves and joined the rest of the nation in the war effort. Increased freight volume and numbers of passengers moving over the rails taxed the railway’s facilities.

NP started a major rehabilitation program during the war, which was continued through the decade which followed.

About 2,000 miles of new and heavier rail was laid and extensive application of heavy ballast was made. More than 300 main line curves were eliminated or reduced, bridges and tunnels replaced and new shops and freight houses built.

Operations Modernized

Following the war, NP took advantage of the rapid advances being made in technology to improve and modernize all phases of its operations.

The railway pioneered in the use of radio in freight train operations and in the extensive use of continuous welded rail which almost completely eliminates rail joints and reduces maintenance costs. First installation of this type was made on a 10-mile stretch of track near Greycliff, and in 1956, welded rail was laid on 3 ½ miles between Bradley and Garrison on the Rocky Mountain Division.

CTC Into Operation

Traffic demands of World War II gave rise to the first installation of centralized traffic control between Garrison and Helena with control of train operations carried out from Missoula. CTC went in service between Missoula and Garrison in 1959 and today trains operating between Missoula and Livingston, a distance of 241 miles, are controlled from Missoula.

Of all the postwar changes, the diesel locomotive is the most familiar and dramatic example of the vast changes that have taken place in railroading. The Rocky Mountain Division became fully dieselized in 1957. After 1955, however, the steam locomotives which remained on the division were used principally in yard switching.

First in Northwest

Through the years, since the Northern Pacific had introduced dining cars and electrically lighted trains to Northwest travelers, NP has continued to provide top passenger service. Vista-Domes were added to the North Coast Limited in 1954 and stewardess-nurse service was inaugurated on the crack streamliner the following year.

Slumbercoaches

Another Northwest exclusive, Slumbercoaches, made their debut on Vista-Dome North Coast Limited late in 1959. These are not only the first in the Northwest, but also are the only cars of this type to run to the Pacific Coast.

By the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Missoula area had developed a healthy agricultural economy. There was no longer a need to emphasize settlement and land development. This work was largely finished. There was now a need to attract new industries to locate in the area in order to insure continued progress.

Industrial Development

Thus in the postwar period, the railway has turned its attention to industrial development in the Missoula region. In 1948 NP acquired 45 acres of land and in 1953, an additional 106 acres west of Missoula for industrial development. Several new industries have located on these tracts.

NP’s status both as a major owner of timber lands and as a common carrier has contributed to a current boom in the forest products industry in the area, which has seen the establishment of eight industries that have invested nearly $22 million in facilities and which have payrolls in the neighborhood of $6 million.

Concurrent Growth

The story of the Northern Pacific Railway and the city of Missoula is one of concurrent and cooperative economic development. As the city and its surrounding area has grown and developed, so has the railroad which provided the city with its first effective transportation link with the rest of the world and which remains its major transportation agency today.

Rocky Mountain Division superintendents, giving date of start of service have been: C. P. Russell, January 1900; W. C. Albee, March 1903; B. E. Palmer, May 1903; Andrew Gibson, April 1905; F. E. Willard, August 1907; J. M. Rapelje, July 1908; M. M. Fowler, September 1909, A. M. Burt, August 1911; F. L. Birdsell, April 1912; T. F. Lowry, September 1915; F. R. Bartles, November 1917; W. C. Sloan, March 1924; Fred Brastrup, February 1925; J. H. Johnson, December 1926; D. M. Driscoll (acting), November 1934; G. N. Slade, June 1936; W. W. Judson, July 1938; D. S. Colby, February 1940: Dan Healy, August 1944; C. W. Coil, September 1946; N. M. Lorentzsen, May 1954; J. O. Davies, April 1957; D. H. King, August 1959.

$7 Million Payroll

From 1900 to 1920 the average number of employes on the Rocky Mountain Division was 3,700 with an average annual payroll of $2,000,000. The averages for 1920 – 1940 were 1,700 and $1,800,000 and for 1940 – 1960 they were 2,900 and $7,000,000.

The employee figure dropped during the 1920 – 1940 period because this covered the depression of the 1930s when business was at a low ebb. The employe figure for the last two decades reflects the large number during World War II. The current figure would be lower than the average for the last 20 years because of technological changes such as diesel locomotives.