Rail Fans

Allan Manson, right, wears a vintage conductor’s cap as he welcomes riders on a special tour train Friday, July 16, 2010 near Sandpoint. Manson, a board member of the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Assocation, served a “car host” on the trip, talking with the passengers of the car he was assigned to ride for the trip to Paradise, Mont. and back. The riders were mostly those attending the NPRHA convention in Spokane. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Allan Manson from Olympia, Wash., wears a vintage conductor’s hat as the crowd boards for a day trip to Montana Friday, July 16, 2010 aboard a special combination train assembled for the convention attendees from the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association convention in Spokane. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Riders line up to board the train for a day trip to Montana Friday, July 16, 2010 aboard a special combination train assembled for the attendees from the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association convention in Spokane. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Macon “Sid” Jack shoots some video of the train before boarding for a day trip to Montana Friday, July 16, 2010 aboard a special combination train assembled for the convention attendees from the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association convention in Spokane. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Train buffs from around the region gather near Sandpoint on Friday, July 16, 2010, to board a train that would take them on a special trip to Paradise, Mont., and back. Most of the riders were attending the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Aric Spence stands by a special tour train which he hopes to follow and photograph Friday, July 16, 2010, near Sandpoint. Spence has followed the fate of the historic Sandpoint train as a new highway bypass is built just a few feet away. The depot’s fate is uncertain and may not be saved. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Riders Ken Johnsen, left, and Phil Edminster, in Gonzaga shirt, next to his wife, Sharon get a program from Joe Legner, center, of Chicago before they settle in their classic dome car for a day trip to Montana Friday, July 16, 2010, aboard a special combination train assembled near Sandpoint for the attendees from the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association convention in Spokane. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

Dick Bosse, who built his retirement home just south of Sandpoint, can look up from his recliner and watch trains from his back porch all day long. Bosse is an unrepentant train buff with a house full of memorabilia and books about trains. At lower left is a historic velocipede, a human-powered vehicle meant to get switchmen or maintenance men around the rails. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)