For Operators

 Blelow operators of the Clearwater Pacific can find links to relevant documents required for railroad operation.

Operations

 The Clearwater Pacific aims to provide variety and enrichment to the operating staff. Traffic control is by Direct Traffic Control with car forwarding handled by a custom design car card and waybill system combined with an custom industry work order sheet. Mainline authority is grated using industry standard track warrants. 

Operations on the Clearwater Pacific Railway begin with the railroad already in motion. Each session reflects a continuation of prior activity rather than a reset, with conditions shaped before the crew takes control.

The day opens with the BNSF Missoula–Seeley Lake transfer (L-MSSSLK). This short Class I movement sets out inbound interchange at Edmonds Landing, lifts all northbound fuel, and proceeds to Seeley Lake. Fuel may be spotted if directly accessible; otherwise it is left for the Clearwater Pacific crew. The train returns light and clears the railroad.

With BNSF work complete, the Clearwater Pacific assumes control. The Blue Star Job (BLS-101) begins immediately, clearing and servicing Blue Star Rail Park while establishing the initial flow of car at Edmonds Landing.

The Morning Sort (YRD-201) follows, organizing the railroad based on actual conditions. Cars are worked as they lie, with the goal of building the next movement rather than creating a perfectly ordered yard.

The Lake Turn (LT-301) operates every session and carries the remaining intent of the railroad north. Typically a short train, it serves Seeley Lake, a terminal district where cars are considered complete once delivered. The train returns with empties or southbound traffic as conditions require.

Industry service windows guide what is active each day. These do not assign specific cars, but define where attention is focused, allowing crews to shape the work based on availability and need.

The Afternoon Sort (YRD-202) concludes the session. Returning cars are absorbed, outbound traffic is staged, and the yard is left in a valid but unfinished state, ready to carry forward into the next day.

Operations emphasize judgment over automation. Crews evaluate the railroad as it exists, decide what needs to move, and act accordingly. The result is a system that is consistent in structure, but different every time it is run.

Locomotive Fleet

CSLP #19 “Big Mike” – Shay (80-Ton, 3-Truck) – 1911

Built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1911, Shay No. 19, Big Mike, serves as the Clearwater Pacific’s occasional steam locomotive and specialized switching engine.  Mike spent his early career working the forests north of Seeley Lake under W. M. Ritter Lumber Company. Retired and placed on display in Seeley Lake, he was later moved to Bonner for restoration, where the project stalled and the locomotive was ultimately forgotten—stored carefully, but unused, for decades.

Rediscovered during the CSLP acquisition, Mike was found remarkably well preserved, allowing for a long, deliberate restoration back to operating condition. Based out of Bonner and transported by dedicated flatcar when needed, Big Mike changes the character of the railroad whenever he appears. 

CSLP #70 “Little Joe” – NW2 – 1949
Built by EMD in 1949, NW2 No. 70, Little Joe, serves as the Clearwater Pacific’s dedicated yard and town switching locomotive. Designed for deliberate, low-speed work, Scooter is not a road engine by temperament, but where the work is tight, repetitive, and close at hand, he is exactly at home.

Powerful and sure-footed, Scooter brings a sense of weight and grit to switching duties, lugging confidently even when compared to larger road power. Best suited to early mornings and quiet hours, he handles the unglamorous but essential work of spotting, pulling, and organizing the railroad with calm determination. In the yard, Scooter is not in a hurry—and that is precisely why he belongs there.

CSLP #7 “Coastal” – Plymouth – 1950

Built by Plymouth Locomotive Works, No. 7, Coastal, serves as the Clearwater Pacific’s light-duty industrial and team track locomotive. Acquired from service in the Seattle waterfront district, Coastal arrived on the property carrying both its name and its history, and continues to wear them without alteration.

Small, deliberate, and unhurried, Coastal is not intended for road service, but where the work is light, close, and occasional, it is exactly at home. Best suited to quiet days and single-car movements, it handles the subtle but necessary tasks of keeping the railroad in order—spotting, shifting, and tending to the edges of operations with a steady, mechanical patience. On the CSLP, Coastal does not hurry, and it does not need to.

CSLP (SP&S) #94 – RS-3 – 1955

Built by the American Locomotive Company in 1955, RS-3 No. 94 was acquired new by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle and was the first locomotive to join the Clearwater Pacific roster. Sure-footed and capable, the locomotive bridges the gap between road work and local service with a presence that is both steady and demanding.

Restored to as-delivered livery, No. 94 is often found handling road assignments in Cedar’s absence, as well as working the Blue Star Job and Lake Turn when needed. Responsive but requiring attention, it rewards deliberate handling and thoughtful planning. On the CSLP, No. 94 is not the easiest locomotive to run—and that is precisely why crews respect it.

CSLP #1601 “Cedar” – GP-9 – 1957
Built by EMD in 1957, GP-9 No. 1601, Cedar, serves as the Clearwater Pacific’s primary road locomotive. Well balanced and predictable, Cedar is closely matched to CSLP’s light rail and ruling grades, making it an easy locomotive to plan around and a dependable partner in daily service. Often found leading customer turns and road assignments, Cedar has quickly become the railroad’s backbone. Whether working Clearwater or heading out on the Lake Turn, Cedar handles the job with a steady confidence that has made it feel at home on the CSLP from the very first day.

Railroad Standards

For Bulletproof Operations as espoused by Don Irace, standardization is the key. The CSLP has adopted this idea with gusto to that end the following are standards on the line. You can find our full car roster HERE.

Car Weight: NMRA Standards or close as we can reasonably come. Every car is weighed and if found wanting brought up to weight if feasible. 

Couplers: The standard coupler of the CLSP is the Kadee #148. We appreciate the simplicity of the design and ease of procurement and installation. 

Wheels: Metal wheels are standard. Standard wheelsets are Walther's Proto 33 all metal wheels.