Oregon Pacific Railroad (1997)

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For the much earlier railroad of the same name, see Oregon Pacific Railroad (1880–1894).
Oregon Pacific Railroad
standard gauge

Oregon Pacific Railroad (

Southern Pacific Molalla Branch between Canby and Liberal, Oregon
.

History

Dick Samuels, a local businessman owning a scrap steel business, purchased the rights to salvage the remnants of the

Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads since the mid-1950s to handle the remaining freight business along the road. By the mid-1980s the remaining freight business east of Milwaukie was virtually gone as local land uses shifted from farming and industrial to housing. Some of the last shipments along the railroad were TriMet's first light rail cars, delivered to its Ruby Junction shops, which were located on a former Portland Traction Company branch line
that had been abandoned years before.

Despite the loss of most business, there was still a handful of shippers that continued to reliably ship by train from an industrial park located in the northern part of Milwaukie along the Portland city boundary. Mr. Samuels purchased the approximately five miles of track from Portland to Milwaukie and formed the East Portland Traction Company to continue rail service to those customers. The customers included

Oregon Liquor Control Commission
.

In 1993, the East Portland Traction Company began running an excursion train known as

Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 restored steam locomotives, as well as several speeder
(motorcar) runs every year.

Also in 1993, the Oregon Pacific leased the Southern Pacific's Molalla Branch connecting Canby with Molalla. This approximately 10-mile (16 km) route serves several shippers within Canby as well as in the small community of Liberal. However, several miles of track from Liberal into Molalla were abandoned after the loss of all shippers in the town. This operation was originally known as the Molalla Western Railway.

In 1996, both railroads were officially merged into the Oregon Pacific Railroad with the East Portland Traction Company becoming the East Portland Division and the Molalla Western Railway becoming the Molalla Branch Division.

As of 2012, the Oregon Pacific continues to operate its two railroads to provide freight service to its shippers. It also allows organizations or private individuals to charter a train, has operated trains featured in at least one movie and several television shows, and operates the popular Christmas time Holiday Express trains.

Roster

Number Builder Model Built Former Notes
45
GE
 45-ton unknown Unknown scrap yard Stored out of service. One engine was removed and replaced with a hydraulic boom for lifting rails and ties from the right-of-way.
100 EMD SW1 1952 Portland Traction Company 100 One of two locomotives purchased by the Portland Traction Company specifically for this route. Assigned to the East Portland Division. Only diesel locomotive preserved with trolley poles still intact.
101 GE 80-ton 1956 Pacific Lumber Company Scrapped in 2014.
187 EMD NW5 1946
Burlington Northern
 Scrapped in 2014.
500 GE 80-ton 1950s U.S. Army Scrapped.
501 GE 80-ton 1950s U.S. Army Sold to CDL Pacific Grain (Portland, OR) in 2014.
801 EMD SW8 1951 Great Northern/Burlington Northern Assigned to the Canby-Liberal line. Burned during the 2020 Western United States wildfire season[1]
802/1127 EMD SW8 1953 Southern Pacific Currently being overhauled on the East Portland Line.
803 EMD SW8 1953 Texas and New Orleans Was sold to Western Rail in 2010 and purchased back in 2020. Currently inoperable and assigned to the Canby-Liberal Line.
901 EMD SW900 1950s Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway Rebuilt from an SW8. Assigned to the Canby-Liberal Line.
1202 GMD SW1200RS 1953
Canadian Pacific
 Rebuilt from an SW9. Assigned to the Canby-Liberal Line.
1413 GMD GMD1 1959
Canadian National
 Purchased in 2010; Assigned to the East Portland Division. 2nd locomotive officially named Eileen Williams Samuels.
5100 GE 70-ton 1949
Southern Pacific
 Purchased in 1989. As of 2001, the unit is out of service. Painted in "as-delivered" Southern Pacific paint scheme. As of 2020, the unit was sitting at the OPR shops in Milwaukee.

See also

References

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External links

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