Lewis and Clark's Columbia River
Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later"
"Railroads, Trains and Tracks, etc."
Includes ... Railroads, Trains and Tracks, etc.  (alphabetical) ...
Image, 2005, Engine, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe 5515, near Rock Cove, Stevenson, Washington. Image taken June 19, 2005.


Railroads and the Columbia River ...
Railroads and the Columbia River go together hand-in-hand. As the railroads developed so did the population, commerce, and history of the Columbia River.


Railroads, Trains and Tracks, etc. ... (alphabetical)



Amtrak ...
In October 1970 the U.S. Congress passed the "Rail Passenger Service Act" in an attempt to revive the passenger train, which was losing business to traveling by car and airplane. That "Rail Passenger Service Act" created Amtrak, a private company, which, on May 1, 1971, began managing a nation-wide rail system dedicated to passenger service. Today Amtrak operates over more than 22,000 route miles, mostly on the tracks of freight carriers such as Burlington Northern Santa Fe. On weekdays Amtrak operates over 250 trains per day (excluding commuter trains) and operates over 400 locomotives (NRHS, Philadelphia, 2002). The Amtrak Empire Builder follows the route of Lewis and Clark and travels between Chicago, Illinois, to Spokane, Washington, and then on to Seattle, or down the north side of the Columbia River to Portland, Oregon. The Amtrak Cascades, in it's green and brown colors and fin-tailed baggage car, travels the Interstate 5 corridor between Eugene, Oregon, and Vancouver, British Coumbia, Canada, crossing over the Interstate 5 Bridge and stopping at the Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington.

Image, 2005, Amtrak arriving at Vancouver Station, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Amtrak arriving at Vancouver Station. Train on the left is a Burlington Northern Santa Fe heading south. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2005, Amtrak at Vancouver Station, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Amtrak 467, at Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2007, Carty Unit, Ridgefield NWR, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Amtrak, as seen from the old bridge, Carty Unit, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Washington. Image taken July 1, 2007.
Image, 2007, Amtrak Yard Switcher 530, Mosier, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Amtrak Yard Switcher 530, Mosier, Oregon. Image taken May 13, 2007.

"MP15 #530-539 were built in 1970 for the P&LE as #1585, 1586, 1589 to 1895, 1897. Acquired by Amtrak June 1993 from P&LE. Overhauled by Amtrak at Wilmintong DE in 2004/05." ["hebners.net" website, 2016, "Amtrak Photo Archives"]


Burlington Northern ...

Image, 2005, Engine, Burlington Northern, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Bulington Northern 3149 and 2735, at Dog Creek, Columbia Gorge, Washington. Image taken July 6, 2005.
Image, 2011, Burlington Northern Caboose, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Caboose 12345, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken December 14, 2011.
Image, 2011, Burlington Northern Caboose, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Caboose 12574, near Longview, Washington. View from moving car on Washington Highway 432, heading east. Image taken May 1, 2011.


Burlington Northern Santa Fe ...
Today's Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway was created in 1995, and is the product of some 390 different railroad lines that merged or were acquired throughout the United States during the past 150 years. The BNSF system has more than 30,000 miles of track, 5,000 engines, and 190,000 freight cars, and creates an Interstate 5 corridor between Vancouver, British Columbia, and San Diego, California. The Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) was created on March 2, 1970, by the merger of four primary railroads: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Co. (CB&Q); Northern Pacific Railway Co. (NP); Great Northern Railway Co. (GN); and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway Co. (SP&S). The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) was chartered in 1859, with construction beginning in Topeka, Kansas, and the finished railway extending throughout the southwest. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks are on the Washington side of the Columbia River.

Image, 2017, Waterfront Park, Vancouver, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe 4054, as seen from Waterfront Park, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken January 14, 2017.
Image, 2005, Engine, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe 4432, heading west, from near Rock Cove, Stevenson, Washington. Viewed from Washington State Highway 14. Image taken June 19, 2005.
Image, 2005, BNSF engine at Vancouver Station, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe 4878, heading south, at Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2005, Engine, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe 5515, crossing Rock Cove Bridge heading east, Stevenson, Washington. Viewed from Washington State Highway 14. Image taken June 19, 2005.
Image, 2007, Burlington Northern Santa Fe at Ridgefield NWR, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe 7785 passing crossing at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Image taken March 29, 2007.
Image, 2007, Burlington Northern Santa Fe at Ridgefield NWR, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe 7785 passing crossing at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Image taken March 29, 2007.
Image, 2005, Two cars, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Two cars, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, heading east, near Rock Cove, Stevenson, Washington. Viewed from Washington State Highway 14. Image taken June 19, 2005.


Burlington Northern Santa Fe Tracks ...

Image, 2011, Lyle, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Tracks at Lyle with BNSF Engine 5407, looking upstream, from bridge over tracks, Lyle, Washington. Image taken June 4, 2011.
Image, 2005, Tracks at Ridgefield, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Tracks, Burlington Northern Santa Fe. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe track runs from Vancouver to Tacoma, and is parallel to the Columbia River for much of the route. The tracks serve approximately 30 freight and passenger trains through the area per day. View from Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Carty Unit. Image taken April 27, 2005.
Image, 2004, Bridge crossing the Lewis River, near mouth, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Railroad Bridge crossing the Lewis River. View is from the Lewis River's right bank, just upstream from its confluence with the Columbia River. Image taken August 29, 2004.


Cascades Portage Railroad (north side) ...
The Cascades Portage Railroad covered six miles from the Lower Landing on Hamilton Island to the Upper Landing just downstream from Stevenson, Washington, near Ashes Lake. The first steam engine (named "Ann") began operating on the tracks on April 20, 1863. The Oregon Steam Navigation Company (see below) operated the railway until 1907, until competition from the Cascade Canal and Locks, and the Transcontinental Railroad on the Oregon shore, made the railway obsolete. Part of the tracks were then used by Frank Warren for his cannery tramway.

Image, 2005, Fort Cascades, Cascade_portage_railroad, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Cascades Portage Railroad, Fort Cascades Historic Site. Image taken April 2, 2005.
Image, 2014, Fort Cascades Historic Site, Hamilton Island, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Cascades Portage Railroad, Fort Cascades Historic Site, Hamilton Island, Washington. Image taken April 7, 2014.
Image, 2014, Fort Cascades Historic Site, Hamilton Island, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Cascades Portage Railroad, Fort Cascades Historic Site, Hamilton Island, Washington. Image taken April 7, 2014.


CEFX ...

Image, 2005, CEFX 106 going through Wallula Gap at Port Kelley, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		CEFX 106 passing through Wallula Gap at Port Kelley. Image taken September 24, 2005.


Chelatchie Prairie Railroad ...

According to Clark County's "public works" website (2018):

"Clark County owns the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, a 33-mile short line that stretches diagonally across the county. It is southwest Washington's only operating short line, with connections to the BNSF Railway. The Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad Co. operates the line."

Railroad history:

According to the Clark County "public-works" website (2018):   in 1888 the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad began as the Vancouver, Yakima and Klickitat Railroad, as investors led by Vancouver businessman L.M. Hidden (of Hidden brick fame) tried to build a line from Vancouver to Yakima through the Klickitat Pass. The investors ran out of money in Brush Prairie, only 13.5 miles from Vancouver. In 1897 the line was sold and renamed the Portland, Vancouver and Yakima Railroad. In 1903, following the 1902 Yacolt Burn, the Northern Pacific Railway acquired the line for timber salvage, logging, and passenger service. The line went through more owners and extensions until 1981 when the line was sold to three Vancouver business men who changed the name to Chelatchie Prairie Railroad.

"The railroad was used for both commercial and passenger service until 1984 when its owners filed to abandon the line so they could sell the tracks, ties and right of way. Clark County purchased the line over several years, primarily during the second half of the 1980s, for commercial, tourist and recreational purposes."

"Today, the Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad provides freight service on the portion of the line from Vancouver to Battle Ground. On the line north of Heisson, the Battle Ground, Yacolt and Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Association volunteer group, known as BYCX, operates excursion passenger trains out of Yacolt from May to December."

[More Chelatchie Prairie]


Image, 2018, Yacolt, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Depot, Yacolt, Washington. Image taken August 8, 2018.
Image, 2018, Yacolt, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Depot, Yacolt, Washington. Image taken August 8, 2018.
Image, 2018, Yacolt, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Caboose, Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, Yacolt, Washington. Image taken August 8, 2018.
Image, 2018, Yacolt, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Caboose, Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, Yacolt, Washington. Image taken August 8, 2018.
Image, 2018, Yacolt, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Chelatchie Prairie RR tracks, heading north, Yacolt, Washington. Image taken August 8, 2018.


Columbia and Cowlitz Railroad ...
The Columbia and Cowlitz Railway is a short-line railroad built by Weyerhaeuser Company but since 2010 owned by the Patriot Rail Corporation. The line was incorporated in 1925 and the rails laid between 1926 and 1928. The railroad runs an 8.5 miles route from the Weyerhaeuser Company mill in Longview to the junction just outside of Kelso's city limits. From that junction cars are switched to either the Patriot Woods Railroad (known as the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad) where lumber is transported another 30 miles to Weyerhaeuser's Green Mountain Sawmill in Toutle, or it is switched to the Burlington Northern/Union Pacific line for transport to Portland, Oregon, or Seattle, Washington. The Columbia and Cowlitz Railway system owns seven locomotives, one caboose, and 500 freight cars.

Image, 2013, Columbia and Cowlitz Railroad, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Columbia and Cowlitz Railroad, Longview, Washington. Sporting the original Weyerhaeuser colors of yellow and black. Image taken March 8, 2013.
Image, 2013, Columbia and Cowlitz Railroad, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Columbia and Cowlitz Railroad, Longview, Washington. Showing a newer mineral red color scheme. Image taken March 20, 2013.


Early History, 1851 ...
The first railroad was built in the Columbia River Gorge in 1851, 45 years after Lewis and Clark. The railroad was a wooden-rail portage road and the "cars" were four-wheeled platforms pulled by donkeys (see North Bank Railroad sign below). These tramways were designed to get folks around the Cascade Rapids. The cars and freight were pulled by donkeys.

"... In 1851, Hardin (or Justin) Chenowith built a railroad consisting of one wagon on wood rails pulled by a single mule. Chenowith charged 75 cents for every hundred pounds of freight. He added more mules and cars (the first railroad in the future Washington state) and sold it to the Bradford family, which expanded it further and built a hotel. By 1854, Upper Cascades included a store, a hotel, a blacksmith forge, and corrals for stock. ..." ["HistoryLink.org" website, 2006]

"... The first railroad of any kind built in Oregon was a wooden tramway constructed on the north side of the Columbia River around the Cascades in 1850 by F.A. Chenoweth. This was rebuilt in 1856 by P.F. Bradford. In 1862, the portage road from The Dalles to Celilo was built to cheapen transportation to the newly discovered mines in Idaho. ..." [J.B. Horner, 1919, Oregon: Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature, p.193]

In 1852 emigrant Parthenia Blank described the route:

"... a railroad 3 miles long made of scantling [timber frame] and plank without iron. On this runs a small car propelled by a mule attached by a long rope for an engine and a pair of thrills [shafts on each side of the mule] between which the engineer stations himself and walks and guides the car. On this the charge is 75 cts. per cwt. but takes no passengers. At the end of the railroad the goods have to be let down perpendicularly some 150 feet [others estimate 50 feet] to the river from whence they are taken on a boat to the steamboat landing about 3 miles more. ..." [passage courtesy Oregon Historical Society website, 2005, embedded comments theirs]

Image, 2005, North Bank Railroad information signs, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Information sign for the North Bank Railroad. Image taken June 29, 2005.
Caption for the left image reads: "Washington boasts the river's first railroad, which was built in 1851. A wooden cart on wooden rails and pulled by mules, it assisted early settlers around the Columbia's rapids. Despite this early start, modern locomotives were a long time coming."

Caption for the right image reads: "In a driving rain on March 11, 1908, delighted locals joined dignitaries here at Sheridan's Point to celebrate completion of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway between Pasco and Vancouver."



Early History, north side, Bradford Brothers, 1855 ...
In History Of The Pacific Northwest Oregon and Washington, published in 1889:

"... The rush of miners to the Colville diggings in 1855, with the corresponding growth of the Cascades and The Dalles as distributing points and centers of trade, and also as keys to Eastern Oregon and Washington, had necessitated not only open communication across the portage between the Cascades of the Columbia, but had invited the supplying of improved facilities for travel, and the transportation of merchandise. The growing trade at The Dalles, the increased number of troops concentrated at that point, the presence of volunteers and regulars in the Yakima and Walla Walla country, and the necessary transportation of munitions of war and supplies for troops, had induced the putting on of steamers to ply between Portland and the Lower Cascades, as also upon the Columbia river above the Upper Cascades, running from thence to The Dalles. Such lines established, the trans-shipment of merchandise, and its conveyance over the portage, required appliances for handling and transportation. For these objects, Daniel F. Bradford, and Putnam his brother, late in the fall of 1855, commenced the construction of a tramway between the Upper and Lower Cascades, five miles in length, which was well-nigh completed in the early spring of 1856. During the previous winter (1855-56), a strong guard had been on duty at the blockhouse located a mile below the Upper Cascades landing, which had been erected by Major Rains in the fall of 1855; and from the name of its builder it had been uniformly but unofficially called Fort Rains. ..."

The 1860 Washington Territory cadastral survey map (tax survey) for T2N R7E, shows "Bradford's Railroad" which followed the Washington shoreline. It began at the location of today's Ashes Lake (just upstream of "U.S. Garrison", known today as Fort Lugenbeel) and ended just upstream of the location of today's Fort Rains Fort Rains was not shown on map. Also shown on the map is the "U.S. Military Road", going between the locations of Fort Lugenbeel and Fort Cascades (located on Hamilton Island).


Early History, south side, 1855-1862 ...
Between 1855 and 1862 Joseph Ruckel and Harrison Olmstead operated a portage railroad on the Oregon side of the Columbia River in the Cascade Locks area. Horse-drawn carts transported goods and people around the Cascade Rapids. Their competition on the north side was the portage railroad of the Bradford Brothers.


GMTX ...

Image, 2011, GMTX engine, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		GMTX engine 9043 passing Murdock, Washington. View from the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, The Dalles, Oregon. Image taken October 6, 2011.

"RRpicturesarchives.net" lists the "GMTX 9043 (SD60)" as a "EMD SD60" model, built in November 1986 as "OWY 9043 (SD60)".
Image, 2011, GMTX engine, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		GMTX engine 9043 passing Murdock, Washington. View from the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, The Dalles, Oregon. Image taken October 6, 2011.


Great Northern ...

Image, 2007, Great Northern, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Ex-Great Northern wood chip hopper now owned by Greenbrier Companies, GBRX 34648. Big Sky Blue paint. Union Pacific train passing Mosier, Oregon. Image taken May 13, 2007.

Between 1967 and 1970 Great Northern freight cars were painted "Big Sky Blue". ["gnrhs.org" website, 2016, "Paint Schemes"]

"Greenbrier Companies, headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading international supplier of equipment and services to the freight rail transportation markets." ["gbrx.com" website, 2016]

Image, 2007, Great Northern, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Ex-Great Northern wood chip hopper now owned by Greenbrier Companies, GBRX 34650. Big Sky Blue paint. Union Pacific train passing Mosier, Oregon. Image taken May 13, 2007.
Image, 2007, Great Northern, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Ex-Great Northern wood chip hopper now owned by Greenbrier Companies, GBRX 34650. Big Sky Blue paint. Union Pacific train passing Mosier, Oregon. Image taken May 13, 2007.


Great Northern 2507 ...
The Baldwin Locomotive No.2507, run by Great Northern, was presented to Klickitat County in 1962 by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle (SP&S) Railway Company "as a lasting memorial to the days of steam locomotives and the men who operated them." Engine 2507, built in 1923, was one of 28 "P-2 class" engines built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, and purchased by Great Northern for fast passenger service. With the advent of diesel engines, the 2507 was retired in December 1957 and put in storage for many years in Minnesota. In 1966 the engine was put on display at Maryhill Museum as an SP&S engine. In 1994 a group of enthusiasts attempted to restore the engine. While it was never fully restored, the engine was once again returned to its Great Northern style, with the Great Northern Goat replacing the SP&S logo. Its color scheme was done not in its original Glacier Park green, but in the all black it wore in the 1950s. In On July 7, 2003, the Great Northern 2507 was towed to its new home in Wishram, Washington.

Image, 2011, Wishram, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Great Northern 2507, Wishram, Washington. Image taken October 15, 2011.
Image, 2011, Wishram, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Great Northern 2507, Wishram, Washington. Image taken October 15, 2011.
Image, 2011, Wishram, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Front, Great Northern 2507, Wishram, Washington. Image taken October 15, 2011.
Image, 2011, Wishram, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Great Northern 2507, Wishram, Washington. Image taken October 15, 2011.
Image, 2011, Wishram, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Logo, Great Northern 2507, Wishram, Washington. Image taken October 15, 2011.
Image, 2011, Wishram, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Wheels, Great Northern 2507, Wishram, Washington. Image taken October 15, 2011.


Ilwaco Railroad ...
The Megler area once was the terminus of the Ilwaco Railroad and a ferry landing, complete with a waterfront restaurant. All that remains today are wood pilings in the Columbia, best seen in Megler Cove, on the downstream end of the Megler Rest Area.
[More]

Image, 2004, Megler Cove, Megler Rest Area, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Pilings, Megler Cove from Megler Rest Area, Washington. Image taken April 9, 2004.


Kalama Railroad Ferry ...
The town of Kalama, Washington, is located at Columbia River Mile (RM) 75, and lies just upstream of the mouth of the Kalama River. Kalama was built by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1870 during the construction of a rail line from Tacoma, Washington, to Portland, Oregon. Between 1874 and 1884, the rail line ended in Kalama where passengers and freight would transfer to steamers on the Columbia to continue their journey to Portland. In 1884 the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company completed their railroad on the Oregon side of the Columbia from Portland to Goble, and began a ferry service from Kalama to Goble. To transport the trains across the Columbia, the Company bought what was at the time the second largest ferry in the world. The ferry The Tacoma was disassembled into 57,159 pieces and shipped around Cape Horn, and reassembled in Portland. The ferry transported trains - engines, cars, and all - across the Columbia. This service ended in 1908 when the railroad bridge was built connecting Portland, Oregon with Vancouver, Washington, and the track was finished to Kalama.
[More]

Image, 2006, Kalama, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Train Ferry "Tacoma", Mural, Kalama, Washington. Image taken April 19, 2006


Mount Hood Railroad and the Mount Hood Railroad Linear Historic District ...
The Mount Hood Railroad was initially incorporated October 1905 and opened for business in May 1906, with the tracks running from Hood River to Dee. By 1909 the tracks extended to Parkdale, a distance of 21 miles. In 1968 the Union Pacific acquired the line, operating it until 1987 when they sold the line to local investors where it was reorganized under the original name. In 2008 the line was again sold, this time to the Chicago-based Iowa Pacific Holdings. Today the railroad offers four-hour scenic tours through the Hood River Valley and narrated historic excursion train tours, as well as special events. There are views of Mount Hood and Mount Adams along with the surrounding orchards and farmland of the Hood River Valley. In 1994 the old Mount Hood Railroad line between Hood River and Parkdale, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Industry, Agriculture, Transportation #93001507).
[More]

Image, 2013, Hood River, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Mount Hood Railroad, Hood River, Oregon. Image taken March 18, 2013.
Image, 2013, Hood River, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Mount Hood Railroad, Hood River, Oregon. Image taken March 18, 2013.

SLRG 509 dome car (see more below), MH 2920 "Wahkeena" passenger car (formerly RPCX 2920), and engine MH 02.
Image, 2013, Hood River, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge


North Bank Railroad ...
The Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railroad, competitors in the transcontinental business, launched the Seattle Portland & Seattle Railway in 1905 and built a line along the north side of the Columbia River. This line was known as "The North Bank Railroad", "The North Bank Road", "Columbia River Scenic Route", and "The Northwests Own Railway". The tracks were started in October 1905 and completed in February 1908, with a celebration being held on March 11th at Sheridan Point upstream of the Fort Rains Blockhouse location. On March 19th, regular passenger servcie between Vancouver and Pasco was begun. The journey took eight hours.
[More]

Image, 2005, Fort Rains and the North Bank Railroad information signs, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Information signs for Fort Rains and the North Bank Railroad. Image taken February 26, 2005.
Image, 2005, Fort Rains and the North Bank Railroad, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Tracks, North Bank Railroad, at Fort Rains location, Washington. Image taken February 26, 2005.
Image, 2005, Fort Rains and the North Bank Railroad information signs, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Information sign for the North Bank Railroad. Image taken June 29, 2005.
Image, 2005, North Bank Railroad information signs, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Information sign for the North Bank Railroad. Image taken June 29, 2005.
Caption for the left image reads: "Washington boasts the river's first railroad, which was built in 1851. A wooden cart on wooden rails and pulled by mules, it assisted early settlers around the Columbia's rapids. Despite this early start, modern locomotives were a long time coming."

Caption for the right image reads: "In a driving rain on March 11, 1908, delighted locals joined dignitaries here at Sheridan's Point to celebrate completion of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway between Pasco and Vancouver."



Northern Pacific ...

Image, 2005, Northern Pacific caboose, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Wood Caboose, Northern Pacific. 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2005, Northern Pacific logo, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Logo, Wood Caboose, Northern Pacific. 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2005, Northern Pacific passenger car, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Passenger Car "Green River", Northern Pacific. 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2005, Northern Pacific passenger car, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Passenger Car "Green River", Northern Pacific. 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2007, Northern Pacific, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Northern Pacific wood chips car, Northern Pacific. Union Pacific train passing Mosier, Oregon. Blue boxcar behind is a Great Northern boxcar (see above). Image taken May 13, 2007.


Oregon Electric Railway Company ...
(to come)

Image, 2014, Astoria, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Oregon Electric Railway Company caboose, Astoria, Oregon. Taken from window of moving car. Image taken August 4, 2014.
Image, 2018, Astoria, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Oregon Electric Railway Company caboose, Astoria, Oregon. Taken from window of moving car. Image taken February 10, 2018.


The Oregon Pony ...
The Oregon Pony was the first steam engine in the Pacific Northwest and operated on the tramway built on the Oregon side of the Columbia River to portage around the Cascade Rapids. In 1862 Captain John C. Ainsworth was in San Francisco and purchased rails and a small locomotive, the Oregon Pony, for shipment to the Gorge. Within a few months, workers transformed the old cart-rail system of Ruckel and Olmstead into Oregon's first railroad line - a five-mile route from Tanner Creek to the head of the Cascade Rapids. This small 13-foot-long steam engine survived the times and became an Oregon icon. It was on display at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition held in Portland. The "Oregon Pony" was on exhibit in the Transportation, Electricity, and Machinery Building. In the 1940s the Oregon Pony was on display at the Union Station in Portland, Oregon. Today the Oregon Pony is on display in a glass enclosure at Marine Park, Cascade Locks, Oregon. A painting of the Oregon Pony is included in the mural on the south support of the Bridge of the Gods.
[More]

Image, 2005, South Support, Bridge of the Gods, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Oregon Pony, South Support, Bridge of the Gods Mural, Cascade Locks, Oregon. Image taken May 13, 2005.
Image, 2013, Oregon Pony, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Glass enclosure, Oregon Pony, at Cascade Locks Marine Park, Cascade Locks, Oregon. Image taken May 19, 2013.
Image, 2006, Oregon Pony, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge
Glass enclosure, Oregon Pony, at Cascade Locks Marine Park, Cascade Locks, Oregon. Image taken September 16, 2006.


Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company ...
Excerpts are from The Pacific Northwest Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, "The Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company", written by Glenn Laubaugh, edited by Ron McCoy:

"... Although the name itself has been long gone, what was once the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company (OR&N) and later the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company (OWR&N) is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad, and has been for over a century.

In 1878 and 1879, purchase negotiations were held between Captain Ainsworth, who owned the Oregon Steam Navigation Company and its related protage railroad operations, and the newly incorporated Oregon Railway & Navigation Company. By March 31, 1880, all operation was being performed under the OR&N name. ...

[In 1880] the OR&N started construction of a railroad between Wallula and Celilo, Oregon. The Wallula to Umatilla section was opened for traffic in October of that year. By April of 1881 the line from the Dalles to Wallula was completed, and steamboat operations ceased between those points. ...

In mid-1882 the line was completed all the way to Portland.

In mid-1883 the line became part of a transcontinental link, when the Northern Pacific was completed between Wallula and St. Paul, Minnesota, providing the first all-rail link with the rest of the nation's railroad system. ..."

Throughout the end of the 1800s the nation's railroads merged and split and took over other lines. They built their own new lines and changed names and played the "financial game". This all resulted in the then-named Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company becoming a subsidy of the Union Pacific. Merger with Washington-based lines created the Oregon and Washington Railroad & Navigation Company.

"... As time went on, the O-WR&N name slowly fell into disuse. Although in later years steam locomotives still carried that name, the tenders of the locomotives had the Union Pacific emblem on them. All diesel locomotives came lettered and painted in Union Pacific colors, and therefore the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation company name become much less visible as time went on.

Although corporate existence of the O-WR&N would continue afterward, for practical purposes of this brief history, the Union Pacific will be considered to have become the successor to the O-WR&N around 1950. ..."


Oregon Railroad & Navigation, 1908 ...
Stations listed on the Railroad Commission "Map of Washington, 1908" (west to east):



Oregon Steam Navigation Company ...
In late 1860, Captain John C. Ainsworth, Jacob Kamm, and other investors incorporated the Oregon Steam Navigation Company (OSN), making it one Oregon's first large corporations. The OSN consisted of steamboats, portage railroads, and freight lines making it a powerhouse of commerce in the Pacific Northwest. In 1862 the OSN acquired both of the portage tramways in the Cascade Locks area. They improved the portage railroad on the Washington side of the river and incorporated it as the "Cascades Railroad Company" as a subsidiary of the OSN. The railroad was six miles long, built to a track gauge of five feet, and was built from the start to standards that would allow for operation with steam locomotives. On the Oregon side the OSN shipped in the Oregon Pony, which became the first steam engine to operate in the Pacific Northwest. During the same time period upstream the 12-mile-long "Oregon Portage Railroad" (webnote: some sources say 14 miles) was constructed on the south side of the Columbia from The Dalles to a point just above Celilo Falls. Sternwheelers met the railroad at each end of the portage line. Both railroad lines were ready for operation by late April of 1863, and newer, larger steam locomotives arrived in May of that year. By 1865, even larger locomotives arrived. The investors of the OSN sold major interest in the company to the Northern Pacific in 1872. However following the Panic of 1873 they bought back the shares. They finally sold out in 1880 to Henry Villard, owner of the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company (OR&N). The OR&N immediately built a railroad along the south bank of the Columbia east to the Umatilla River. In 1883, Villard gained control of the Northern Pacific, thus creating Oregon's first transcontinental link.


Oregon Trunk Line (Bridge at Wishram/Celilo) ...
In 1906 the Oregon Trunk line was being developed in Central Oregon, and was merged into the Spokane, Portland & Seattle (SP&S) system in 1908. The Oregon Trunk originally connected with the SP&S using boats to cross the river, until 1911, when a bridge was constructed across the Columbia River, connecting the SP&S (north) with the Oregon Trunk line (south). The southern end of the bridge touches the Oregon shore downstream of Celilo Park, Oregon, and the northern end of this bridge is located just downstream of Wishram, Washington. Lewis and Clark camped in the vicinity of this Washington side of this bridge on October 22-23, 1805, as they portaged around the Celilo Falls.
[More]

Image, 2005, Celilo area and Mount Hood, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Celilo area and Mount Hood, Oregon. From Washington State Highway 14, near Haystack Butte, looking down on the Oregon Trunk Line Railroad, Celilo area. Mount Hood, Oregon, shows in the notch of the Fairbanks Water Gap. Image taken May 24, 2005.
Image, 2005, Oregon Trunk Line Railroad Bridge, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Oregon Trunk Line Railroad Bridge as seen from upstream from Washington State Highway 14. Image taken May 24, 2005.
Image, 2005, Oregon Trunk Line Railroad Bridge, Washington side, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Oregon Trunk Line Railroad Bridge, Washington side, approximate location of Lewis and Clark's campsite. The Oregon Trunk Bridge connects the area which once was Celilo Falls with Wishram Washington. Lewis and Clark's camp of October 22 and 23 was on the downstream side of the bridge, in the foreground in this image. View from Washington State Highway 14. Image taken May 24, 2005.


Pasco-Kennewick Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge ...
By 1883 the Northern Pacific Railroad had completed a transcontinental line from Minnesota to Eastern Washington. They needed to cross the Columbia River and the spot they chose was near the mouth of the Snake River. The line would then follow the Yakima Valley and cross the Cascades at Stampede Pass.

"... Northern Pacific construction engineer J.T. Kingsbury concluded that the best place to cross the Columbia was four miles upriver from the Northern Pacific town of Ainsworth at the mouth of the Snake River. Since the existing track and town were four miles below the proposed crossing, the Northern Pacific built a new section of track to the crossing site, where it established the town of Pasco. Trains were ferried by steamer across the Columbia to Kennewick on the west bank until the bridge could be constructed. Doing so was a major engineering challenge. At high water, the river at the crossing point was almost a half mile wide and 45 feet deep, with a current of up to seven miles per hour. The Northern Pacific’s finances were not strong, and the company opted against building a bridge with solid masonry piers and an all-iron superstructure. Instead, utilizing the timber that was abundant along its Cascade Branch line, the company designed a timber-and-iron superstructure resting on stone-filled crib piers of timber with nested-pile foundations. The bridge would consist of nine through-truss spans, five on the Pasco side and four on the Kennewick side, with a drawspan in the middle. The total length of the bridge was 2,587 feet. ..." [HistoryLink.com website, 2006]

A temporary bridge was first built, which opened to trains on December 3, 1887. The permanent bridge was completed on July 14, 1888 and opened soon afterwards. A much-improved bridge remains in use today.
[More]


Image, 2005, Snake River from Sacajawea State Park, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Kennewick's Cable Bridge, as seen from Sacajawea State Park. In the foreground is an old railroad bridge, still in use. Image taken September 25, 2005.
Image, 2006, Pasco-Kennewick Railroad Bridge from Clover Island, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Pasco-Kennewick Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge, as seen from Clover Island. The Pasco-Kennewick "Cable Bridge" is in the foreground. Image taken September 29, 2006.


Portland & Seattle ...
The Portland & Seattle Railway was incorporated in 1905 with the purpose of connecting Spokane, Seattle and Portland by railroad. In early 1908 the company name was changed to the "Spokane, Portland, & Seattle" (SP&S) after the railroad started construction of a line from Portland to Spokane along the north bank of the Columbia River. See more on the Spokane, Portland & Seattle below.


Portland & Western ...
According to the "trainweb.org", the "up.com", and the "gwrr.com" websites (2018), the Portland & Western Railroad was created in 1995 and is a conglomeration of former Southern Pacific lines, Burlington Northern Santa Fe lines, and Willamette & Pacific lines.

One line of the P&W system is the "Astoria District", a 97.3-mile line which ran from Willbridge (just southeast of the St. Johns Bridge to Astoria.

"Founded by G&W in 1995." [Genesee and Wyoming website, 2018]

"The Astoria Line between Willbridge and Goble--35 miles--is of historic significance, having been first operated by Northern Pacific Railroad Company, October 1884, as part of its route between Portland and Tacoma. A ferry carried cars and locomotives across the Columbia River between Goble and Kalama until June 25, 1908, when massive new bridges opened across the Columbia and Willamette Rivers to link Vancouver, Washington and Portland. Trackage along the Washington side of the Columbia then became the main rail route between Portland and Puget Sound, and the Goble-Willbridge line, which had been extended to Astoria in 1898, was relegated to branch line status." [Genesee and Wyoming website, 2018]

"The PNWR operates a 520-mile regional system of former BNSF and UP lines in Western Oregon. In 2000, PNWR adopted all the stations of the Willamette & Pacific (WPRR). ... PNWR operates freight service from ... from Portland to Astoria (Astoria District, 97 miles); and from ... Traffic is primarily forest and paper products, scrap, steel, salt, agriculture products and general commondities." [Union Pacific website, 2018]

Image, 2018, Columbia County, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Portland & Western 3004, Columbia County, Oregon. View of two engines and cars as seen from Oregon Highway 30. Image taken July 16, 2018.
Image, 2018, Columbia County, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Portland & Western 3004, Columbia County, Oregon. View of two engines and cars as seen from Oregon Highway 30. Image taken July 16, 2018.


Portland-Vancouver Bridge ...
In 1906 the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S) began construction of the railroad bridge (the "North Bank Bridge") connecting Vancouver, Washington with Portland, Oregon, bringing to an end the rail-car ferry which went between Kalama, Washington and Goble, Oregon (see more below). These bridges carried the SP&S trains as well as the Northern Pacific, the Great Northern, and the Union Pacific, on their routes between Seattle and Portland. This bridge is now part of the Burlington Northern Sante Fe system and seves Union Pacific and Amtrak as well.
[More]

Image, 2005, Hayden Island, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Hayden Island, Oregon, as seen from Vancouver Landing, Washington. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Bridge crossing the Columbia River connecting Vancouver, Washington, with Portland, Oregon. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2005, Railroad Bridge crossing the Columbia at Vancouver, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Open for traffic, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Bridge crossing the Columbia River connecting Vancouver, Washington, with Portland, Oregon. View from Public Boat Dock, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2005, Railroad Bridge crossing the Columbia at Vancouver, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Bridge crossing the Columbia River connecting Vancouver, Washington, with Portland, Oregon. View from Vancouver Station, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2005, Railroad Bridge crossing the Columbia at Vancouver, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Bridge crossing the Columbia River connecting Vancouver, Washington, with Portland, Oregon. View from Vancouver Station, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.


Santa Fe ...

Image, 2012, Santa Fe engine, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Santa Fe 608, red warbonnet, heading north, as seen from near Longview, Washington. Image taken January 27, 2012.
Image, 2007, Santa Fe engine, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Santa Fe 633, red warbonnet, heading south, as seen from the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Ridgefield, Washington. Image taken May 6, 2007.
Image, 2006, Santa Fe engine, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe engine 2959, as seen from Highway 30, Oregon, upstream of the St. Johns Bridge. Image taken October 31, 2006.
Image, 2007, Santa Fe engine, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Santa Fe engin 6309, Burlington Northern Santa Fe 2726, heading west, seen at Tidewater Cove, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken April 5, 2007.
Image, 2005, Santa Fe engine, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Burlington Northern Santa Fe 6852, heading eastbound, near Skamania Landing, Washington. Viewed from Washington State Highway 14. Image taken June 29, 2005.
Image, 2011, Santa Fe car, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Santa Fe car near Columbia Shores, Washington. Image taken December 31, 2011.


"Six Spot" ...
The Crown Zwellerback #6 engine (also called "Six Spot") is one of 33 engines built of its kind (Six Spot was number 13). Six Spot was built in 1923 and spent half its career hauling logs for Crown Zellerback. It was retired in 1958 and today is on display at Strong Park, Cathlamet, Washington.

SIX SPOT

"This 70 ton locomotive, one of 33 built by Willamette Iron and Steel Company of Portland, Oreogn, first saw service at Crown Willamette Paper Co. near Astoria, Oregon in December 1923. Geared locomotives were familiar sights in the woods from Maine to Washington in the first half of the 20th century. These locomotives were sent to work where other engines could not venture - up steep grades, around short radius curves, and across trestles spanning deep ravines in the forests.

After several years service in the Astoria-Seaside area, the Six Spot was sent to the Crown Zellerbach Corp., Cathlamet Tree Farm in 1940. Here it remained in service until 1958 when log trucks replaced the company's last railway operation. In 1985 Cavenham Industries assumed ownership of Crown Zellerbach. Cavenham Ind. donated the Six Spot to the Wahkiakum Historical Society in 1987."


Image, 2009, Six Spot, Cathlamet, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		"Six Spot" locomotive, Strong Park, Cathlamet, Washington. Image taken May 8, 2009.
Image, 2009, Six Spot, Cathlamet, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Nose, "Six Spot" locomotive, Strong Park, Cathlamet, Washington. Image taken May 8, 2009.
Image, 2009, Six Spot, Cathlamet, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Sign, "Six Spot" locomotive, Strong Park, Cathlamet, Washington. Image taken May 8, 2009.


Southern Pacific ...

Image, 2011, Southern Pacific engine, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Southern Pacific, near Corbett, Oregon. Seen along the south side of the Columbia Gorge and photographed through moving car on Interstate 84 (sorry, missed the engine cab). Image taken June 4, 2011.
Image, 2011, Southern Pacific boxcar, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Southern Pacific car seen near Cascade Locks, Oregon. Image taken July 2, 2011.


Southern Pacific 4449 ...
The Southern Pacific's 4449 is the only remaining example of twenty-eight GS-4 Daylight Class steam engines constructed in 1941, designed to pull the Southern Pacific's famous "Daylight" trains between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The SP 4449 escaped the scrap pile and became famous as it pulled the Bicentennial American Freedom Train around the United States in 1975 and 1976. During its two-year tour of duty it was seen by an estimated 30 million people and traveled through 41 states on 28 different railroads from Washington State to Florida, making it arguably the country's most famous locomotive. Today, 4449 is the only operating streamlined steam locomotive in the country. In September 1999, the Southern Pacific "Daylight," the train 4449 was built to pull, was commemorated on a U.S. Postage Stamp.
[More]

Image, 2006, SP4449 Steam Engine, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP 4449 Steam Engine on the Wind River Bridge, Washington, Columbia Gorge. Image taken September 16, 2006.
Image, 2006, SP4449 Steam Engine, Wind River Bridge, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP 4449 Steam Engine, at Wind River, Washington, Columbia Gorge. Image taken September 16, 2006.
Image, 2006, SP4449 Steam Engine, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP 4449 Steam Engine, Wind River, Washington, Columbia Gorge. Image taken September 16, 2006.


Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway ...
The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S) was chartered in Washington state on August 23, 1905, (as the Portland & Seattle, the name was changed in 1908 when a line to Spokane was introduced) and was the creation of James (Jim) Hill, who also controlled the Great Northern (GN) and the Northern Pacific (NP) Railroads. Hill built the SP&S line (see more about the "North Bank Railroad" above) to answer the competing Union Pacific line on the Oregon side of the Columbia. The Northern Pacific and Great Northern shared construction costs and a 50/50 ownership of the SP&S line. The SP&S line officially opened on March 11, 1908, with an inaugural run to Bingen/White Salmon, and a celebration held at Sheridan Point.

"... In a driving rain on March 11, 1908, delighted locals joined dignitaries here at Sheridan's Point to celebrate completion of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway between Pasco and Vancouver. ..." [Information sign, 2005, Fort Rains location, Washington State Highway 14]

The main line between Spokane and Portland became operational in May 1909, white the line to Seattle was handled by the "parent" companies, Great Northern and Northern Pacific. The SP&S existed until it merged with the Burlington Northern line in 1970.


Image, 2005, Spokane, Portland, and Seattle railway car, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway Car 12270. From the 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.

According to "RR Picture Archives" website (2016), the other side of this car is identified as NP 17231, and painted with NP logo. Most likely Northern Pacific is the original owner.
Image, 2005, Spokane, Portland, and Seattle railway logo, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway Logo, SP&S 12270. From the 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.


Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 ...
The Spokane, Portland & Seattle's 700 (SP&S 700) steam engine is one of the few remaining steam locomotives still operating in North America. The SP&S 700 was built in 1938 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works and was delivered to the SP&S on June 21, 1938. The 700 originally pulled passenger trains between Portland, Oregon, and Spokane, Washington, including the famous "Empire Builder", In 1947 the "Empire Builder" went to diesel. Once diesel took over the SP&S 700 hauled freight. In 1955 the SP&S 700 was mothballed and in 1956 she was retired. In 1958, sparing the scrapheap, the SP&S 700 was donated to the City of Portland for a porposed rail museum. The engine was displayed at Portland's "Oaks Park" for nearly 20 years, along with two other stream engines, the Southern Pacific 4449 (SP 4449), and the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company's 197 (OR&N 197). For many years the three engines resided at Portland's Brooklyn Roundhouse, a four-stall roundhouse built in the 1940s to accommodate the larger size of the newer more powerful steam locomotives, located in the former Southern Pacific Brooklyn Yard. In 2012 the Oregon Rail Heritage Center opened along the Willamette River and on June 26th, the three engines were moved to their new home.
[More]

Image, 2005, SP&S 700 Excursion Train, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S 700 followed by the SP 4449. Spokane, Portland & Seattle Excursion Train, Columbia Gorge, July 2005. View from Dog Creek, Washington. Image taken July 6, 2005.
Image, 2005, SP&S 700 Excursion Train, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Rounding the Bend, SP&S 700 Steam Engine. Spokane, Portland & Seattle Excursion Train, Columbia Gorge, July 2005. View from Dog Creek, Columbia River Gorge, Washington. Image taken July 6, 2005.
Image, 2005, SP&S 700 Excursion Train, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S 700 Steam Engine. Spokane, Portland & Seattle Excursion Train, Columbia Gorge, July 2005. View from Dog Creek, Columbia River Gorge, Washington. Image taken July 6, 2005.


SP&S Caboose 701 and SP&S Engine 802 ...
The Spokane, Portland, and Seattle (SP&S) Caboose 701 and Engine 802 can be seen outside of the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center museum building.
[More]

Image, 2004, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington. SP&S Engine 802 and SP&S Caboose 701 can be seen outside of the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center museum building. View from Washington State Highway 14. Image taken June 19, 2005.
Image, 2011, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S Engine 802 and SP&S Caboose 701, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington. Image taken July 15, 2011.


Image, 2011, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, click to enlarge
Information sign,
Click image to enlarge
Image, 2011, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S Engine 802, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington. Image taken July 15, 2011.
Image, 2011, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S Engine 802, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington. Image taken July 15, 2011.
Image, 2011, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S Engine 802, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington. Image taken July 15, 2011.
Image, 2011, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S Caboose 701, Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center, Stevenson, Washington. Image taken July 15, 2011.


SP&S Caboose 703 and 795 ...
(to come)

Image, 2016, SP&S Caboose near Heissen, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S Caboose 703, near Heissen, Washington. Image taken February 25, 2016.
Image, 2016, SP&S Caboose near Heissen, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S Caboose 703, near Heissen, Washington. Image taken February 25, 2016.
Image, 2016, SP&S Caboose near Lucia Falls, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S Caboose 795, near Lucia Falls, Washington. Image taken February 25, 2016.
Image, 2016, SP&S Caboose near Lucia Falls, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP&S Caboose 795, near Lucia Falls, Washington. Image taken February 25, 2016.


Steam Engine Excursions ... (date)
GoTo ... Excursion Trains
  • 2011, SP4449, eastbound, Vancouver Trout Hatchery, Washington
  • 2011, SP4449, eastbound, Vancouver Railroad Bridge, Washington
  • 2011, SP4449, northbound, Ridgefield NWR, Washington
  • 2009, SP4449, westbound, Fisher's Landing, Washington
  • 2009, SP4449, eastbound, Cape Horn, Washington
  • 2007, SP4449 and UP844, northbound, Lewis River Bridge, Washington
  • 2006, SP4449, eastbound, Wind River Bridge, Washington
  • 2005, SPS700 and SP4449, eastbound, Dog Creek, Washington

Image, 2005, SP&S Excursion Train, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SPS 700 Steam Engine, Columbia Gorge, July 6, 2005. View from Dog Creek, Columbia River Gorge, Washington. Image taken July 6, 2005.
Image, 2006, SP4449 Steam Engine, Wind River Bridge, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		SP 4449 Steam Engine, at Wind River, Washington, Columbia Gorge. Image taken September 16, 2006.


Tanner Creek Viaduct ...
The Tanner Creek Railroad Viaduct is a 900-foot-long, double track, earth-filled, spandrel arch viaduct. Construction began in early October 1934. Construction of the viaduct forced the entrance of the Bonneville Fish Hatchery to be re-located 180 degrees and open off the Bonneville entrance road to the north.

Image, 2014, Tanner Creek Viaduct, Bonneville Dam, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Tanner Creek Railroad Viaduct, Bonneville Dam, Oregon. Image taken April 13, 2014.
Image, 2014, Tanner Creek Viaduct, Bonneville Dam, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Tanner Creek Railroad Viaduct, Bonneville Dam, Oregon. Image taken April 13, 2014.


Troutdale Depot Rail Museum ...
In 1882 a rail line was built through what is now Troutdale, Oregon, and continued east through the Columbia River Gorge. The depot is now a museum with the station agent's office containing railroad artifacts donated by local residents. A Union Pacific caboose was donated by the railroad and sits on the depot grounds.
[More]

Image, 2011, Troutdale, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		1907, Troutdale Depot, image taken of photograph on the wall at the Depot Museum, Troutdale, Oregon. Image taken September 13, 2011.
Image, 2011, Troutdale, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		2011, Depot building today, now the Depot Rail Museum, Troutdale, Oregon. Image taken September 13, 2011.
Image, 2011, Troutdale, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Inside, Depot Rail Museum, Troutdale, Oregon. Image taken September 13, 2011.
Image, 2011, Troutdale, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific Caboose UP 25748, Depot Rail Museum, Troutdale, Oregon. Image taken September 13, 2011.
Image, 2011, Troutdale, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific Caboose UP 25748, Depot Rail Museum, Troutdale, Oregon. Image taken September 13, 2011.
Image, 2011, Troutdale, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific Caboose UP 25748, Depot Rail Museum, Troutdale, Oregon. Image taken September 13, 2011.


Union Pacific ...
The Union Pacific tracks are on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. The winged shield logo of the Union Pacific was first introduced in 1939, and first appeared on an E3A locomotive. The logo was re-introduced in May 2000 and can be seen on Union Pacific engines today. For more information on the Union Pacific, see the "Oregon Railway & Navigation Company" information above.

Image, 2006, Union Pacific, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific. View from Smith and Bybee Wetlands, Portland, Oregon. Image taken February 4, 2006.
Image, 2005, Union Pacific at Eagle Creek, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific 4241 and 4448 at Eagle Creek, Oregon, heading west. Image taken June 29, 2005.
Image, 2006, Union Pacific at Cascade Locks, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific 5224 at Cascade Locks, heading east. Image taken September 16, 2006.
Image, 2006, Union Pacific at Cascade Locks, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific 5224 at Cascade Locks, heading east. Image taken September 16, 2006.
Image, 2006, Union Pacific at Cascade Locks, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		"Building America", Union Pacific 5224 at Cascade Locks, heading east. Image taken September 16, 2006.
Image, 2005, Union Pacific, with Haystack Butte, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific heading east, engines 2763 and 3677, with Haystack Butte in the background. View from Interstate 84. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Image, 2005, Basalt Flow, near Celilo, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Basalt Flow and Union Pacific train between The Dalles and Celilo, Oregon. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Image, 2005, Union Pacific at Moffet Creek, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific crossing Moffett Creek, Oregon, heading west. View from Hamilton Island. Image taken April 2, 2005.
Image, 2006, Union Pacific 3159, Starvation Creek, Oregon, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific 3159 heading east, passing Starvation Creek. View from the Starvation Creek Rest Area. Interstate 84 is in the foreground and Dog Mountain is in the background. Image taken September 29, 2006.
Image, 2006, Union Pacific 4105, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific 4105 heading east, passing the John Day Dam. View from driving Interstate 84. Image taken September 29, 2006.
Image, 2006, Lake River, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific 4230, at Lake River, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Washington. Looking east on bridge crossing Lake River, with Union Pacific train, River "S" Unit. Image taken, November 25, 2006.
Image, 2011, Union Pacific boxcar, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Boxcars, Union Pacific. Seen along the south side of the Columbia Gorge, near Corbett. Seen from moving car on Interstate 84. Image taken July 2, 2011.
Image, 2007, Union Pacific, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Pacific 3143, Mosier, Oregon. Union Pacific train passing Mosier, Oregon. Image taken May 13, 2007.


Union Pacific 844 (UP 844) ...
[More]

Image, 2007, SP4449 and UP844, Lewis River Bridge, Washington, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		UP 844 crossing the Lewis River Bridge. Image taken May 12, 2007.


Union Station ...
Portland's Union Station opened for service in February 1896, as the local hub for the Union Pacific Railroad (see more above). The station once had on display the Oregon Pony, the first steam engine in the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon Pony hauled passengers and freight at the portage at Cascade Locks on the Columbia River.
[More]

Image, 2006, Portland's Union Station, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Station, Portland, Oregon. View from car heading to the Broadway Bridge. Image taken September 24, 2006.
Image, 2006, Portland's Union Station, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Union Station, Portland, Oregon. View from car heading to the Broadway Bridge. Image taken September 24, 2006.


Vancouver Station ...
[More]

Image, 2005, at Vancouver station, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington. Image taken July 3, 2005.
Image, 2007, Amtrak at Vancouver Station, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Amtrak at Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington. Vancouver Station is visible on the left and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Bridge across the Columbia River is visible on the right. Image taken March 29, 2007.


Washington State Railroad Tunnels ...
In the early 1900s the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S) built eleven tunnels on the north side of the Columbia River between Washougal and North Dalles. The longest was Tunnel No.1, the Cape Horn Tunnel, at 2,382 feet. The shortest was the Drano Lake Tunnel at 122 feet.
[More]

Image, 2005, Railroad Tunnel No.2, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		Washington Highway 14 Tunnel No.1, BNSF Tunnel No.2, at Drano Lake. View of the west portal. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Image, 2005, Tunnel No.2, Washington State Highway 14, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		"Blum Tunnel", Railroad Tunnel No.3, at Drano Lake. View from west looking east. Image taken May 1, 2005.
Image, 2005, Railroad Tunnel at Chamberlain Lake, click to enlarge
Click image to enlarge 		"Woldson's Tunnel", Railroad Tunnel No.9, at Chamberlain Lake. West portal of the railroad tunnel at Chamberlain Lake. View from the Chamberlain Lake Rest Area. Image taken June 4, 2005.


From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, ...
 



Image IndexReturn to
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*River Miles [RM] are approximate, in statute miles, and were determined from USGS topo maps, obtained from NOAA nautical charts, or obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website, 2003

Sources:
    Amtrak Cascades website, 2005;
  • Amtrak Historical Society website, 2005;
  • Bonneville Dam Historic District, National Historic Landmark 1986 Nomination Form;
  • Brigham Young University, Harold B. Lee online archives website, 2007;
  • Burkhardt, D.C.J., 2004, Railroads of the Columbia River Gorge, Arcadia Publishing, San Francisco;
  • Burlington Northern Santa Fe website, 2005;
  • Clark County "public-works" website, 2018;
  • Great Northern Railway Historical Society website, 2016;
  • "gwrr.com" website, 2018;
  • "Hebners.net" website, 2016, "Amtrak Photo Archive";
  • "HistoryLink.com" website, 2006, "Washington State History";
  • Horner, J.B., 1919, Oregon: Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature:
  • National Railway Historical Society website, 2005, Pacific Northwest Chapter;
  • National Railway Historical Society, Pacific Northwest Chapter website, 2011, "The Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company", written by Glenn Laubaugh, edited by Ron McCoy;
  • National Railway Historical Society website, 2005, Philadelphia Chapter;
  • Oregon Bureau of Land Management website, 2005;
  • Oregon Historical Society website, 2005;
  • Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation website, 2005;
  • Oregon State "Blue Book" History website, 2005;
  • Press of the Gazette-Times, Corvallis, Oregon;
  • "Railfanning the Gorge" website, 2005;
  • "Rootweb.com" website, 2006;
  • "RRPictureArchives.net" website, 2016, 2017, 2018;
  • "Trainweb.org" website, 2018;
  • Union Pacific website, 2018;
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Brochure, 2004, "Fort Cascades Trail Guide, 1989 edition";
  • U.S. GenWeb Project website, 2005;


All Lewis and Clark quotations from Gary Moulton editions of the Lewis and Clark Journals, University of Nebraska Press, all attempts have been made to type the quotations exactly as in the Moulton editions, however typing errors introduced by this web author cannot be ruled out; location interpretation from variety of sources, including this website author.
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July 2018