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Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad

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Coordinates: 45°25′09″N 123°48′19″W / 45.419171°N 123.805397°W / 45.419171; -123.805397
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Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad
Overview
LocaleWashington and Tillamook counties, Oregon, United States
Dates of operation1952 (1952)–Present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge[1]
Length101 miles (163 km)

The Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad (reporting mark POTB) is a shortline railroad in northwestern Oregon in the United States. It was established in 1952 to handle switching in Tillamook, Oregon, and came to greater prominence in 1986 when it leased 94 miles (151 km) of the Southern Pacific Railroad's Tillamook Branch.

Purchased from the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1990 by the Port of Tillamook Bay, the railroad was used to transport lumber and agricultural products over the Northern Oregon Coast Range between the Oregon Coast and the Portland area until heavily damaged in a 2007 storm.[1][2][3][4] The Port of Tillamook Bay began operating the unincorporated railroad on March 27, 1986,[1] but the tracks were originally constructed by Oregon judge George R. Bagley and others in 1906.[5] The railroad's main line, no longer in use due to storm damage, runs between Hillsboro and Tillamook.[1]

History

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The line to Tillamook was constructed by the Pacific Railway and Navigation Company between 1906–1911.[6] The Pacific Railway and Navigation Company, whose reporting mark was "PR&N", was sometimes known as the "Punk, Rotten, and Nasty" because of the wet and muddy working conditions for crews building the railroad through the Coast Range.[7][8][better source needed] The Southern Pacific took control of the company in 1915, and the line became the Tillamook Branch.[9]

In 1943, the United States Navy established a short branch line within Tillamook to serve Naval Air Station Tillamook. The Port of Tillamook Bay created the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad in 1952 to assume operation from the Navy.[10]

Storms

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In January 1990, the railroad was significantly damaged by a storm, and the cost of repairs was about $1.3 million.[11] In February 1990, after having leased the railroad, the Port of Tillamook Bay purchased it from the Southern Pacific Transportation Company for nearly $2.9 million.[12]

Twisted and broken railroad tracks above the muddy Salmonberry River in a forested canyon
The Salmonberry River and the damaged Hillsboro–Tillamook line in February 2008

In February 1996, more storms damaged the Hillsboro–Tillamook line. About 7 miles (11 km) of line was "nearly completely destroyed",[13] two bridges washed out, and the flooding Salmonberry River washed "boulders the size of cars" through one of the line's tunnels.[13] A preliminary estimate of the damage, given by the Oregon Department of Transportation, was $5 million.[13] In March, Oregon governor John Kitzhaber, convinced that repairing the railroad would not harm steelhead runs, permitted repairs to continue through the end of the month.[14] In June, the state determined that the Port of Tillamook Bay had violated state environmental laws, such as by failing to control erosion in the Salmonberry River canyon.[15]

During a storm on December 2 and 3, 2007, known as the Great Coastal Gale, the railroad was again significantly damaged in the Salmonberry River canyon.[2] The cost of repairs to the railroad was first estimated at $20 million. Tillamook County logging companies faced increased costs because they had to transport timber by truck.[16] When the repair cost estimate was revised to $57.3 million, fisheries groups suggested permanently abandoning the railroad because they thought "that economically, the railroad is not viable, and environmentally, rebuilding it would affect fish runs already hammered by last winter's storms".[17] Workers began assessing the railroad damage in February 2008 in snowy, rugged terrain, and found that the flooding Salmonberry River had eroded steep embankments, damaging tunnels and collapsing trestles and bridges. Later that year, they hiked as far as 18 miles (29 km) each day to the canyon to further assess the damage.[18] The Port of Tillamook Bay opted to not repair the damaged track over the mountains, but it still owns more than 101 miles (163 km) of railroad right-of-way, including main line, spurs, and sidings.[2] The port also leases a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) section of track from Banks to Hillsboro to the Portland and Western Railroad and leases the coastal portion of the line to the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad.[2]

Locomotive fleet

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The following locomotives listed here are locomotives used by the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad (POTB).[19][20]

Photograph Road No. Model Build date Serial No. Former No. Status Notes
101 EMD GP9 6/1956 21703 INPR 101 In operation at Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad since 2008
110 GE 80-ton switcher 10/1943 18059 US Navy 65-00285 Scrapped in 1994
111 GE 80-ton switcher 12/1943 18067 LP&N #80 Scrapped in 1998
3771 EMD GP9E 12/1956 22900 SP 3771 Scrapped in 2010
4368 EMD SD9E 04/1955 20203 SP 4368 Scrapped in 2010
4381 EMD SD9E 03/1955 19945 SP 4381 Involved in a wreck in January 1999, scrapped in 2003
4405 EMD SD9E 04/1955 19986 SP 4405 Scrapped in 2010, front hood is at Astoria Riverfront Trolley shed
4406 EMD SD9E 04/1955 19983 SP 4406 Scrapped in 2022
4414 EMD SD9E 04/1956 21314 SP 4414 Scrapped in 2010
4432 EMD SD9E 04/1955 19951 SP 4432 Scrapped in 2010
6113 EMD SD9 01/1957 22488 BNSF 6113 Scrapped in 2009
6114 EMD SD9 01/1957 22489 BNSF 6114 Scrapped in 2010
6116 EMD SD9 04/1959 25013 BNSF 6116 Scrapped in 2018
6124 EMD SD9 04/1959 25015 BNSF 6124 Scrapped in 2010
6139 EMD SD9 12/1954 20121 BNSF 6139 Sold to Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad in 2017
6156 EMD SD9 08/1955 20564 BNSF 6156 Scrapped in 2009
6157 EMD SD9 08/1955 20565 BNSF 6157 Scrapped in 2009
6164 EMD SD9 09/1955 20572 BNSF 6164 Scrapped in 2012
6178 EMD SD9 10/1957 23610 BNSF 6178 Scrapped in 2009
6196 EMD SD9 08/1957 23628 BNSF 6196 Scrapped in 2009

Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad

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Main article: Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad

The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (OCSR), a non-profit museum group, operates a heritage railroad in conjunction with the POTB that runs tourist trains on a portion of POTB track from Garibaldi north to Rockaway Beach.[21] as well as various excursions from Wheeler to Batterson, Oregon.[22] As of 2011, OCSR was negotiating a contract with the port commission to perform track maintenance in exchange for controlling the scheduling along the portion of the line.[23] There is disagreement between the port authority and OCSR about the percentage of ticket revenues to be paid to POTB.[23] OCSR wanted an agreement with POTB as assurance that if the scenic railroad invests $30,000 to $40,000 in a building to house a new, larger train engine, that the tracks would not be used for another purpose.[23] Meanwhile, the port commission said it had received an offer of more than $4 million to sell the railroad for scrap, an amount that would pay off the nearly $1.7 million in debts the port has accrued on the railroad.[23] A former port commissioner speaking on behalf of OCSR believed, however, that the port would have trouble gaining federal approval to completely abandon the rail line.[23]

In March 2012, OCSR agreed to lease from POTB 46 miles (74 km) of line from the Salmonberry River to Tillamook.[24] This would effectively make the entire line a tourist railroad. OCSR plans to extend services to Tillamook as soon as practicable, with extension to the north a future possibility.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Robertson (1995), p. 133
  2. ^ a b c d "Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad". Port of Tillamook Bay. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  3. ^ "State of Oregon Railroads 2022" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. July 27, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  4. ^ "Worst is over for storm victims in Oregon". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 12, 1990. p. A4. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  5. ^ Lockley (1928), pp. 709–10
  6. ^ Hofsommer (1986), pp. 41–42
  7. ^ "Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad". Active Short Lines of the Pacific Northwest. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  8. ^ Clock (2000)
  9. ^ Interstate Commerce Commission (1933), Valuation Docket No. 1008: Southern Pacific Railroad, vol. 45 Val. Rep., p. 1
  10. ^ Lewis (1996), p. 253
  11. ^ "Coastal county to get storm aid". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. Associated Press. January 25, 1990. p. A4. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  12. ^ "Tillamook port buys rail line". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. Associated Press. February 4, 1990. p. 2D. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  13. ^ a b c "Flooding and mudslides cripple railroading in the Pacific Northwest". Pacific RailNews: 10–11. April 1996. Archived from the original on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  14. ^ "In-stream railroad repairs to continue". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. March 23, 1996. p. 3B. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  15. ^ "Tillamook Railroad needs oversight". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. Associated Press. June 4, 1996. p. 2E. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  16. ^ "Tillamook port cuts back operations after railroad is devastated". The Daily Astorian. Astoria, Oregon. December 7, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  17. ^ Milstein, Michael (September 30, 2008). "Tillamook RR repair cost tops $57 million". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  18. ^ "Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad damages". CW Construction. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  19. ^ "Port of Tillamook Bay". www.thedieselshop.us. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  20. ^ Burkhardt (1994), p. 45
  21. ^ "Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad". Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  22. ^ "Special Excursions". Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  23. ^ a b c d e Swindler, Samantha (June 29, 2011). "Still no agreement between Port, OCSR". The Tillamook Headlight-Herald. Tillamook, Oregon. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  24. ^ Rimel, Anthony (April 4, 2012). "Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad wins lease to extend track". The Daily Astorian. Astoria, Oregon. Coast River Business Journal. Retrieved October 12, 2014.

Bibliography

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad.

45°25′09″N 123°48′19″W / 45.419171°N 123.805397°W / 45.419171; -123.805397

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