If you looked at the subject line for this post and your first reaction was: "Chelatchie Prairie????", you're probably not alone. Until Pete Lerro of Lerro Productions announced that he was including the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad in a series of October charters he was planning to run with his friends Martin Hansen and Ron Burkhard, I had never heard of this operation.
More formally known as the Battle Ground, Yacolt, and Chelatchie Prairie Railroad (reporting mark BYCX), this tourist line is operated by volunteers, on a former Northern Pacific logging line that runs from Yacolt, WA to the nearby city of Battle Ground. The line operates both diesel and steam-powered passenger trains on selected weekends from May to December. The featured steam power is Crossett Western #10, a 1929-vintage, 80-ton, Alco 2-8-2 saddle tanker....a virtual twin of the Hammond Lumber #17 at the Mt. Rainier Scenic.
On October 12th and 13th, Lerro Productions ran a photo charter, with Crossett Western #10 and a short freight. An interesting variety of weather, some great scenery, a very photogenic locomotive and a most excellent performance by the Chelatchie Prairie Crew combined to produce some very pretty and memorable images. For a first-time visit, this trip was a home run. The link below will take you to a small Flickr album, so you can see the results of this charter:
Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Photos
If you happen to be in the Portland, Oregon area during their operating season, you will want to check this operation out. They are less than an hour north by car. It's an interesting line and a great group of people!
/Kevin
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2014 10:01PM by KevinM.
