Spokane International Railway 
Modelers Notebook & Words of Larry Shawver

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This is a 92-page 8½” x 11” portrait format softcover book
containing thirteen Larry Shawver essays with over
100 photos to assist modelers. 

“There once was a lonely but proud little Class l railroad
that ran from Spokane up through the Northern Idaho Panhandle
to Eastport, Idaho/Kingsgate, B.C., where it connected
with a branch line of the CPR.”  That is how Larry Shawver,
the railfan and author begins the first of fourteen short essays written during the 1970s. Through these writings we catch
a glimpse of rail photographers not usually recognized
for what they are; historical artifacts of the Spokane International Railway story, but also the story of the life of Larry Shawver. 
 

    These essays cover not only the history of the Spokane International, but also touch much of the daily operations
of the S.I. during the period of the 1920s thru 1940s.
He talks about the love of his life and the death of his wife
in an automobile accident. He writes in second person,
often referring to himself as “the kid”, recounting growing
up “on the farm” and the pain he felt when his father “burned”
him by selling the farm right from under him; his high school escapades and descriptions of the mournful sounds
of the individual Spokane International steam engines
are all covered in his writings. 
 

This Spokane International Railway book highlights with words
and a few of the over 3,000 photographs of Larry Shawver,
one the most ardent chroniclers of this relatively small railroad
in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. 

His photographs are almost legend, but few have ever read the stores of the man behind the camera.

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