Depot dream

By LYNNETTE HINTZE

Model railroader eyes original Columbia Falls building for museum

The Daily Inter Lake

Wes Tintinger thinks big.

He's a "glass half full" kind of guy, and that's why he's charging forward with a project that some might consider a long shot, or at the very least a tall order.

Tintinger, 70, of Columbia Falls, wants to start a historical society in the town. Then he wants that organization to secure a plot of land from the railroad. And then he wants to move the original train depot back to the tracks at the north end of Nucleus Avenue.

Time is of the essence, not just because he's not getting any younger, he said, but also because the owner of the depot building, Larry France, wants to sell the structure and its accompanying property this spring.

The stucco depot, built at about the same time the railroad came through Columbia Falls in 1905, was moved in three pieces in the 1950s to the southeast corner of Nucleus and U.S. 2, where it was first used as a logging-truck shop.

Linc France, a longtime Columbia Falls community leader who died in 2005, bought the depot in 1965. He raised his family in one end and ran an auto-repair shop in the other end of the historic building.

"It worked really good for us," said Larry France, executor of his father's estate. "Dad liked the fact that he was able to get up and go right to work. He loved that place."

France said doesn't see a problem with moving the 117-by-28-foot structure, since it's been moved once already. The building appears sound, though the decorative cornices have weathered.

He has a price in mind for the highway-frontage property and building, and if he can sell the property for enough money, he said he'd be willing to donate the depot to the historical society once it's formed.

TINTINGER HAS submitted the paperwork to the Montana Secretary of State's office for a nonprofit historical society, and is soliciting prospective board members. He's contacted the office of Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., for help and has circulated petitions to gather signatures of supporters.

Once the organization has solidified, he hopes to get the depot declared a historic building and wants to pursue grant funding for its renovation.

Several local groups, including the Columbia Falls Uptown Merchants Association, support the project.

"We are definitely enthused," said Barbara Jenkins, president of the merchants association. "We're giving him full support. Everybody's excited about it."

The association is working toward revitalizing Columbia Falls' historic main street, and "a museum is a no-brainer," Jenkins said.

Tintinger has a spot in mind for the depot, on an acre or so of land west of the historic Shay engine near the railroad tracks. A second depot was burned down as a training exercise about a decade ago, but BNSF Railway Co. won't allow the original depot to be placed on an existing foundation, he said.

IT WAS Tintinger's love of model railroads that got him interested in the project in the first place. A retired bricklayer, he is president of the Flathead Valley Model Railroaders and would love to find a permanent place to set up model railroad displays.

He envisions building a basement on which the depot could be placed, and using the lower level for trains and the main floor as a museum. Space could be made available for the Chamber of Commerce, too, he added.

Tintinger said the Big Sandy Historical Society has a museum in its old depot similar to what he hopes for Columbia Falls.

"There's no shortage of artifacts to put in a museum," he said, adding that many residents have indicated they have historic items to donate to a museum.

Jenkins said she, too, has talked to many people who have photographs and historic memorabilia suitable for a museum.

It will take the support of many Columbia Falls organizations to get the depot project going, Jenkins acknowledged.

"We want all of us to come together to pool resources and ideas," she said. "We're all learning how to do this."

Anyone wanting to get involved with the project may contact Tintinger at 892-5953.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com