Midnight in Spokane - Regular Edition

Midnight in Spokane is one of six color prints by well known artist Mr. Larry Fisher offered in the GNRHS company store.

The image is a high quality 17 inch high by 21 inch wide giclee print. The mat closest to the image should be placed just under the signature and the numbering on the print. The mat sizes and frame are of choice for the finished print framed.

It is October 2, 1959. Great Northern’s Number 31, the westbound Empire Builder, arrived  30 minutes late and stopped just clear of Spokane’s Howard Street crossing. A Spokane Yard switcher coupled into the rear of No. 31 to cut out the 48 seat Portland coach and the Portland sleeping car from No. 31 and fold them into the waiting Spokane, Portland & Seattle consist on the Depot Track which will run to Portland, Oregon as SP&S Number 1. The nightly switching  between the two passenger trains usually takes a bit less than half hour.

It is now 12:08 AM according to the clock. The blue flags have been removed from both engines, showing that the carmen have released both trains. SP&S #1 will depart in a moment and the Builder will leave for Seattle five minutes later at 12:13, which will be 28 minutes late for each train. Both trains have plenty of miles to make up time and should arrive at their destinations on time.  The busy Spokane Yard switch crews can now resume their normal nighttime freight duties.

Great Northern switcher No. 7 is on the move toward Spokane Yard.  The 1000 horsepower S-2 Alco built switcher just brought the Mountain series observation car from  Hillyard where it was repaired, a rare event.  Last night’s eastbound Seattle to Chicago Western Star, train No. 4, had to set the car out in Spokane due to a mechanical problem. The Mountain series cars, built for the 1951 ‘Mid Century’ Empire Builder, featured tall rear windows, to allow a better view of the tall mountains ranges she passes by between Cut Bank Montana and Seattle, Washington. They were bumped to the Star in 1955 when several new cars, including the dome coaches and new observation cars were added to the Builder.

The mail crew man has rounded up all his empty baggage carts from the platform. After No. 1 departs, he will pull his empties to the post office, located beyond the Depot Track and SP&S No. 1’s train. They will remain there until shortly before SP&S No. 4 arrives from Portland at 5:40 AM and GN No. 4 arrives from Seattle at 6:00 AM to have two cars from Portland cut into it, along with the Mountain observation which will move to Dale Street coach yard in St. Paul to resume its normal cycle.

James J. Hill brought the Great Northern to Spokane in 1892. He built the depot on Havermale Island in the Spokane River in 1902.  The finished GN depot was touted as the “finest railroad depot west of Chicago.” He also constructed the Hillyard Shops complex, a major steam locomotive maintenance and rebuilding facility, north of the city.  Later, Hillyard would repair and repaint diesel engines.

In the early 60s Spokane’s city leaders began thinking of ways to recapture their river and their falls. At that time, the Union Pacific’s depot and viaduct separated downtown from the beauty of the river, and the GN occupied the island. Negotiations to relocate the railroads to the elevated Northern Pacific line a few blocks to the south soon began. The plan would take 10 years, the 1970 merger of the GN and NP, and construction of a new multi-million dollar bridge over Latah Creek just west of downtown. The bridge was completed just in time for the scheduled Expo ‘74 World’s Fair with the theme: “Man and the Environment”.

The city originally planned to demolish the depot and clock tower to make way for Expo. However, efforts by a local group called “Save Our Station” fought to preserve the station and clock tower. While the group lost the battle to save the station, the clock tower escaped the wrecking ball.  

The clock is still manually hand-cranked once a week, and the only way up the 155-foot tower is a winding staircase. Once up there it will take 98 turns of the crank to get another week’s time.

Today the clock tower is part of the beautiful Riverfront Park located on Havermale Island.  The city placed a plaque on it as a reminder to the contributions the railroads made to build Spokane into a thriving city.

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