The Glacier reporter. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1953-current, 1954-01-08
Regular Stop Of Western Star
Requested by the Lions Club


At the regular meeting of the
Lions Club, held in the Steak
House dining room Wednesday
evening, a resolution was adopt
ed to ask the Great Northern
Railway company to make
Browning a regular stop station
for the Western Star. trans.con-
tinental passenger train running
from Chicago to Seattle; listen
ed to q report of the ticket com.
mittee sponsoring the Christmas
rattle, heard a report by Gene
Power, star athlete from the
Browning high school, and took
care of q number of routine bust.
ness matters.
The matter of asking the rail.
road company to make this city
a regular stop for their Western
Star train was discussed at
length. and advantages both to
this community and to the rail.
road company, were pointed out.
1t was stated that from the rail.
road standpoint, there should be
numerous advantages. especially
from the point of giving better
public service and increased bust.
ness. Under the present flag
stop" schedule. passengers trav.
cling west cannot board the train
unless they buy ticket as far
west as Spokane. or beyond that
point. On the castbound train.
the train will not stop here to
let off passengers except those
having tickets from as far west
as Spokane. To the east, at pres.
ent. the train will stop here for
passengers only buying tickets to
points east of Havre or south of
Shelby.
Thus it is impossible for pas.
scngers from Browning to board
the train here for Kalispell.
Whitcrish. Columbia Falls. Lib.
by. or any point east of Spo.
kane. or TO obtain service from
any Of those points to Browning
Cut Bank. thirty.fivc miles t.
the east. is the closest poin,
where regular stops are made
and Columbia Falls, 80 miles o.
more to the west. is the closes
regular stop in the opposite di
rection.
Not only would the dcsigna
ton as a regular stop be con
venicnce to passengers and in
crease travel on the trains, bu,
il would be big improvement,
in the mail service. both in and
out of Browning. Under the pres
cnt arrangement. only first class
mail may be dispatched or re-
ceivcd here from the train. That
Is the reason for the poor mail
service. especially for newspap
ers and parcel post mail from
Great Falls and other points
south and east. For instance. the
only way the Great Falls Trib
unc, principal daily newspaper
service in this area. can be de-
livcrcd in Browning on the day
of publication is by sending the
bull dog" or carly edition
around through Havre. and
which reaches Browning early in
the morning. The final, or reg
ular" edition comes up by bus
and reaches here around noon
However. subscribers wou d
much prefer to wait little long
er for delivery. and get the reg
ular edition. II Browning was O
regular stop station. newspapers
and parcel post service from
points both east and west. could
be maintained.
It was suggested by one mem
bcr that in talking with a rail
road official last year. when q
request was made for improve
mcnts in the Stockyards here
that It was stated the railroad
company was contemplating q
change In the routing Of the road
from a point east Of the highway
undcr.pass. east Of the depot. "a
a point west Of the snow sheds
Oh the park highway west Of this
city. IN which event the tracks
would pass through Browning
along the ridge just north Of tho
Agency hospital. and the dcpo,
and stockyards would have to be
relocated.
II was then pointed out that II
such a change should be made
the designation Of Browning a.
o regular stop station for tho
Western Star at an early date
would III no way conflict with
any future rc.routing Of the MAR
line through town. as that change
would take a considerable length
Of time at best. while the i'm
proved local service could bt
initiated in a comparatively shorI
time.
a committee was appointed e
take the matter up with the
Great Northern. and report back
to the club at the next meeting