Maddie Farnsworth - Outside the Right-of-Way
Edition 3, Installment 2
It’s past sunset in rural Idaho on a cold fall night. Stars dot the sky over the town of Potlatch and the mountains to the north soak in the silence of the evening – all while Maddie Fansworth attempts to replace a headlight bulb on a GP9 diesel locomotive before the evening run of her railroad. Now a part-owner of a startup shortline operation, Maddie has found a new love for an industry that has long–since captivated her, and is excited to be a part of building a new network of freight transportation in a community she loves, even if it involves getting dirty most of the time.
Maddie’s earliest memories take her to beautiful southwestern Colorado onboard the famed Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Growing up in Albuquerque, her family was only three hours away from the quaint mountain town that was the namesake of the massive tourist railroad, known for their unremitting use of steam locomotives and splendid views only viewable by rail. Though Maddie’s specific memories from early trips to Durango do not come from the trains themselves, but rather riding in the open-air gondola cars and waving to those just outside the right-of-way as they watch the train go by. Something about how motorists, pedestrians, and locals alike would stop to watch and wave to the train excited her in a way she had not felt before, and that feeling was strong enough to keep her interest for trains going. Her great-grandfather had worked for Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, and her grandfather had taken note of her budding fascination. He would tell Maddie stories of his dad’s time working for the mighty Santa Fe in their hometown, and made a point to visit the park display that housed the ATSF No. 2926, a massive 4-8-4 steam locomotive that once danced across the southwest at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. These day-trips with her grandpa became treasured memories and helped solidify the idea that with trains comes community. To this day, Maddie holds onto a pocket watch that once belonged to her great-grandfather, with the special timepiece employing two hour hands – one for each time zone that his territory occupied.
After graduating high school, Maddie went onto higher studies at the University of Idaho in a small town called Moscow, Idaho. Her studies in school overlapped with her studies of the local railroad scene, as she found herself trackside to observe the rail operations just as often as she was in class! Her interest in railroad was obvious to the local crews of the shortline railroad than ran through Moscow, and Maddie eventually befriended many of the crew members and was treated to cab rides and opportunities to see the craft of railroading from a whole new lens. Always an observer from the outside, this new perspective started an appreciation for the craft of railroading that later would become a huge part of Maddie’s life. In 2010, Maddie graduated from university and opted to stay in the area that she had grown fond of, finding work in the electronics field, and later moving onto a job driving for the local transit agency in the town of Pullman, Washington.
The next several years saw Maddie continuing to work for Pullman Transit, and finding a love for working with the public. She even began to volunteer with Operation Lifesaver to conduct safety seminars at local schools, talking about the importance of railroad safety to the youth. In 2018, one of the railroads that Maddie had spent the better part of her college career watching shuttered, and a the bedrock for a new opportunity was laid. A few more years passing saw a group of interested entrepreneurs and railroaders eye the line for a revival under a new company, and they soon turned to Maddie for her expertise on how the previous iteration of the railroad operated. Her insights earned her a defacto role as a consultant with this motivated group, and eventual transpired into her being asked to come on a part-owner. In her words, she “would never had asked, but was hoping they might ask her” about the opportunity to buy-in, and she didn’t hesitate to join the efforts to restart a railroad she believed in. The 21-mile railroad follows along the Palouse River originating from the town of Potlatch, Idaho, with many scenic stretches as the railroad works towards its terminus at a large lumber mill. The lumber mill had opted to buy the abandoned right-of-way and contract the operations to this new company, a plan that would take several years to get off the ground, and not without lots of hard work from a small group, now including Maddie.
Maddie’s railroad adventures began as an enthused passenger and railfan, but she never expected for her passion to take on the form of a career and investment. Though, 2023 came with the opportunity for Maddie to learn to be a railroader, and also understand the business and economics of what it takes to run a railroad. She and the other co-owners of the railroad worked to redeck bridges, install ties, and build up the necessary equipment and infrastructure for the better part of two years, all while still holding day-jobs and working on the railroad in the darkest hours of the night. The first train hauling ballast to refine the right-of-way voyaged over the railroad ran on February 21st, 2025, with revenue runs following a few months later. Maddie was quick to get her feet wet in the world of operations as she continued to figure out her role with the young company. She can recall that she was excited to be around trains in an operating sense, but had to tamp down her enthusiasm at times in favor of maintaining a safe headspace to work in. Learning what all the terms she had heard muttered on the radio – after years of holding a scanner at her ear while awaiting the next train – actually meant was a lesson that stood out, especially the term “red zone” (three-step for my eastern audience), which is what a train crew member on the ground says to one in control of a locomotive to ensure the train will not move while they work between the cars. After being around for a few months of bringing empty lumber cars to the mill and returning loaded ones to the interchange track in Palouse, Maddie marked up as a conductor, a milestone she is proud to have accomplished. From her first cab ride ever in 2006 with the crew of the Washington and Idaho Railroad - the previous operator of the line - she now rides the same route as a co-owner, helping rebuild a network of infrastructure one lumber car at a time.
Now holding a conductor’s card and spending most weeknights at the railroad’s terminus in Palouse, Maddie sees the industry and trains with a much wider scope. “Even as a shortline, you have a large impact on your community…”, she explained to me – something she learned as many of the locals in the town came out to see the restarted-operations shine rails that they had thought rusted over for good. At first, Maddie and the team at the Washington Idaho and Montana Railroad were worried about the public reaction to trains coming back, but those worries were quickly dismissed when the community all backed their project with enthusiasm. The railroad has taken to their interest and began hosting events – including a haunted locomotive attraction and bringing Santa Clause to town – all while giving a positive economic impression. The railroad has eventual goals of being a larger force for their publics, including potential passenger train rides in the long term. In the meantime though, Maddie is proud to have been a part of building a new network of railroading and is excited to see her little operation – and herself – grow. In the meantime though, Maddie will continue to wave at everyone outside of the right-of-way, just as she did on her first train ride of many.
Thank you everyone for reading this edition of Behind the Throttle, and thank you to Maddie for joining us on the blog! Going forward, we’ll be publishing on the first Monday of every month, so stay tuned for April’s edition featuring another western railroader who learned to work on the side safe. Until then, I’m Max Harris – joined by Jonah Collins and Nick Martin – and we’ll see you down the line.