By Jerry Hanley, edited from a previous story in Lifestyles Montana History of Central Montana Railroads 1903-2016
The first railroad to reach Lewistown was an extension of a line from Harlowton which originated in Lombard. The line was built and operated by the Montana Railroad Company (popularly known as the “Jawbone”). The first train arrived in October 1903. In 1910, the Chicago Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway (eventually known as the “Milwaukee”) purchased the Montana Railroad as part of their extension to the Pacific Northwest.
The Great Northern Railway (GN), having already built a mainline between Billings and Great Falls in 1908, completed a 30-mile branchline from Moccasin to Lewistown in 1912. Construction of a line eastward from Lewistown, intended to reach New Rockford, ND, was underway by 1913. The roadbed for this line was completed to Grass Range but the track was never laid. World War I brought a halt to construction and the project was never revived.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee was also expanding its presence in central Montana. Between 1912 and 1917, 332 miles of branchlines were constructed from Lewistown reaching out to: Hilger, Winifred and Roy; Grass Range and Winnett; and an intended mainline to Great Falls, Agawam and beyond.
The most ambitious undertaking was the 137 miles from Lewistown to Great Falls which required five massive steel viaducts (trestles) and six tunnels. Along these routes were many stations, some with water and coaling facilities for the steam locomotives and facilities for section crews and other necessary infrastructure, all needed to accommodate the numerous passenger and freight trains.
Steam locomotives were the only power used in central Montana until the late 1940s when diesel locomotives began appearing. Electric locomotives were used from Harlowton and west between 1915 and 1974. By 1955, all locomotives were diesel. Lewistown was the hub of the 394-mile Northern Montana Division originating from the Milwaukee’s mainline at Harlowton with connections to Chicago and Seattle.
Both GN and the Milwaukee built good-sized terminals in Lewistown and Great Falls. The Milwaukee constructed their Lewistown depot in 1913 and the large yard and engine facility shortly after. The depot operated until 1955 and after abandonment was renovated to become part of the Yogo Inn. The GN depot was last used in the 1980s and is now owned by local businesses. The Milwaukee’s Harlowton-Lewistown- Great Falls daily passenger service ended in 1955. The GN’s Lewistown-Great Falls daily passenger service ended in 1966.
Freight traffic had decreased on most of the Milwaukee’s branchlines by the 1960s. In addition to declining revenues, tracks and infrastructure were deteriorating on both roads. Over a span of ten years, one-third of Milwaukee’s branchlines were abandoned.
On March 28, 1980, the bankrupt Milwaukee’s last train left Lewistown and the remaining two-thirds of the line was abandoned. The abandoned segments between Lewistown and Geraldine, Lewistown and Heath, and Lewistown and Moore were taken over by the Burlington Northern. The BN and then BNSF succeeded the GN through various mergers commencing in 1970. Complex and involved circumstances eventually resulted in BNSF’s last train leaving Lewistown on April 10, 2003. After ninety-nine and one-half years of continuous railroad service, no more train whistles would be heard in Lewistown.
However, railroading did not end in central Montana.
The State of Montana acquired key portions which BNSF relinquished and the non-profit Central Montana Railway (CMR) was organized in 1984 to haul grain between Geraldine and Spring Creek Junction. Here, it connected with the BN. In the late 1980s, five miles of new track from BNSF’s mainline near Sipple to Moore, and nearly one mile at Kingston Junction (just west of Spring Creek junction) was constructed to augment BNSF and CMR operations.
Today, BNSF continues to serve large grain terminals at Moore and Moccasin. An excursion dinner train, called the Charlie Russell Chew Choo, has, for over twenty years, been operating over a portion of the former Milwaukee’s Lewistown- Great Falls line between Kingston Junction and Denton. This unique railroading experience is operated by the Lewistown Area Chamber of Commerce and CMR.
When in the Lewistown area,visit the Central Montana Railroad Heritage Site located on the trail system by the Lewistown swimming pool at Frank Day Park.You’ll also want to check out the former depots, the restored brick “sand house” at Brewery Flats and the trestles.
The Charlie Russell Chew Choo Dinner Train made its first run with two leased train cars on July 4, 1994. In 1996 the Chamber bought the five cars still in use today. The train cars used by the Charlie Russell Chew Choo are 1950s vintage stainless steel Budd-built Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs). The cars weigh approximately sixty tons each and were originally self-powered, meaning they could run independently of one another. The rail cars are currently powered by the diesel locomotives owned by Central Montana Rail.
The premier dinner train that makes a 56-mile roundtrip journey from Kingston Junction to Denton, crosses three historic trestles and passes through a half mile long tunnel. Scenery includes rich farm land, rough terrain and bountiful wildlife. Along the way, you’ll be entertained by Western musicians, and masked bandits. The train features a full course, prime rib dinner plus all the fixin’s and dessert, a no host cash bar, climate controlled coaches, and bathrooms.
The North Pole Adventure Train is a one and one-half hour trip that includes Christmas stories, snacks and a trip to the North Pole. Tickets are available on fourteen trains during the holiday season. A true Montana experience, the Charlie Russell Chew Choo Dinner Train is a once-in-a- lifetime adventure that you’ll remember for years to come.
Trestles and the Hoosac Tunnel
The Charlie Russell Chew Choo loading dock is a few miles past the Hanover Trestle, which can be seen right off the Hanover Highway. This trestle is an abandoned railroad bridge 78 feet high and 1,391 feet
long constructed entirely of milled timber except the two rectangular steel firebreak bents which divide the bridge into approximate thirds.
The first trestle the Charlie Russell Chew Choo train goes over is the Judith River Trestle. It is a short hike from the Ware elevator. This 33-span bridge is 138 feet high and 1,953 feet long. This trestle was severely damaged in the spring of 2011. It was approved for a 5-million-dollar grant for repair which took place in 2014.
Indian Creek Trestle, the second trestle on the Chew Choo Dinner train, is a 22-span bridge that is 150 feet high and 1,303 feet long. It may be seen just off the Danvers road.
The Sage Creek Trestle, the last of the trestles on the way to Denton, is a 27-span Trestle163 feet high and 1,698 feet long. The 1996 movie Broken Arrow, filmed train sequences on the Sage Creek Trestle in 1995 with a 150-person crew over six weeks. The 2,014-foot Sage Creek Tunnel nearby is 300 feet underground. Adventurer Bear Grylls filmed in the area an episode of “Balls of Steel” which includes both the Sage Creek Trestle and the Sage Creek Tunnel.