This cache is NOT at the posted Coordinates
This cache is part of the 2018 Spokane Trains And Railroads GeoChallenge. If you are participating in this GeoChallenge be sure to download and print your STAR Passport and find other helpful resources at STAR Challenge and get started today.
and get started today.
This cache is placed and maintained by Lookout Lisa.
The train, labeled "Spokane International Railroad," sits on tracks facing Sprague Avenue and has been at that spot in Spokane Valley for more than 30 years. The three orange rail cars previously served as a dentist's office and now sit empty. While the engine, sleeper car, and caboose were not originally Spokane International Railroad equipment, they were painted in the railroad colors to reflect the rich railroad history in this area. The Spokane International Railroad was constructed between Spokane to Canadian Border at Eastport, Idaho. The 140.8 mile rail line is still in operation as part of the Union Pacific Railroad System.
Dr. John Ryan moved the equipment to this location in 1985. The reception area was constructed from a train engine built for the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1951 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. Ryan purchased the engine – numbered 5808 – from Amtrak in September 1982. The area where Ryan saw patients was constructed out of a Pullman sleeper car that was built in 1914 and named "Blystheswood." The car was declared old and it was retired in Hillyard. Burlington Northern auctioned it off in February 1979. The doctor’s office was in the former Burlington Northern 11389, a 30-foot-long, metal caboose. It includes an early coal caboose stove.
This is a fairly easy and simple two-step multi cache, with a short walk to the final.
Final coordinates are: N 47 39.A W 117 15.B
1. Go to the posted coordinates. Here you will see a train that is going nowhere fast. What is the four digit number on the front of the train?
2. A = Train # minus 5,508
3. B = Train # minus 5,326
4. Now take a little hike!
This cache is part of the 2018 Spokane Trains And Railroads GeoChallenge. Spokane has a strong history as a major train hub, and in many ways still is. The STAR Challenge will take geocachers on an adventure, finding caches in places significant to railroads past and present. You will visit locations featuring retired train cars, streetcar rails, bridges, graves and rail yards. Successful completion of the STAR Challenge is rewarded with a trackable Geocoin.
- All caches begin with the series name STAR: followed by a location-specific name so they are easy to search. We also made a STAR Bookmark of the caches.
- To qualify for a Geocoin, find the code word or stamp in each geocache and record it on your passport.
- Visit STAR Challenge and get started today.
to find the challenge rules, a printable STAR Passport and map view of qualifying caches.
The Spokane Trains And Railroads GeoChallenge is sponsored by Cache Advance, and by donation from local cachers. We hope you enjoy!
