MONTANA WYOMING & SOUTHERN RR COMPANY
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Historical Snapshot: The Montana, Wyoming & Southern Railroad Company originally began as the Yosemite Park Railroad to entice financial backers in 1905. The 21 mile line from Bridger Montana to the Bear Creek coal mining area, down the Clark's Fork Valley, was built cheaply so it could be sold at a handsome profit to the Northern Pacific at Bridger. That never happened however and the railroad went bust in 1909. It was reorganized as the MW&S. From then until 1953 it operated as the same line carrying just enough coal and local lumber to survive. As the Northern Pacific and other railroads went to diesel motive power the coal business, much of it slack for locomotive fuel, went to almost nothing and the line was abandoned and off the records by 1955. Its history reads like many short lines. Insufficiently financed, light track, the Depression years, changes is passenger ridership, World War II and constantly at odds with the Northern Pacific. Not knowing, however, it couldn't survive, it lasted for almost 50 years!
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MW&S 2-8-0 #10
Image, Montana, Wyoming & Sou. 2-8-0 #10 Order No. MWS10I Photograph from the original Paul Eilenburger Collection A nice little Montana, Wyoming & Southern 2-8-0 locomotive #10 waits to return to service in this 1930's view. It is believed the Company had a second similar engine, #12(?). Shopping Cart 8.5" by 11" Image, Price - $ 5.00 [Add To Cart] ____________________
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