Portland and Western Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Portland and Western Railroad is a 520 miles (837 km) Class II railroad
serving the U.S. state
of Oregon
, and is a wholly owned subsidiary
of shortline and regional railroad holding company Genesee & Wyoming Inc. The PNWR includes a subsidiary, the Willamette and Pacific Railroad .
PNWR's tracks lie entirely within Oregon, extending from Astoria
to Portland
along the Columbia River
, from Portland to Eugene
through the Willamette Valley
, and along several spurs through the Northern Oregon Coast Range
.
, a class one
railroad. These branches included the Toledo Branch from Albany
to Toledo
and the Westside Branch from Monroe to St. Joseph (near McMinnville
), plus the Bailey Branch west from Monroe to a sawmill, the Dallas Branch from Gerlinger to Dallas
, the Willamina Branch from Whiteson (near Amity
) to Willamina
, and the southern portion of the Newberg Branch from St. Joseph to Springbrook (north of Newberg
). Lumber products and paper were the predominate commodity on these branches, along with some agricultural products from various shippers. The Cascade Steel Rolling Mill in McMinnville was an important shipper as well, and propane shipments were handled to several distributors.
PNWR was created in 1995 to take over operations of the remainder of the SP's branchlines in the state consisting of the former Southern Pacific Tillamook Branch between Willsburg Junction (near Milwaukie) and Hillsboro, the Westside-Seghers Branch from Hillsboro to Seghers (near Gaston), and the remaining segment of the Newberg Branch between Cook (near Tualatin) and Springbrook (near Newberg), connecting to the existing Willamette & Pacific network to McMinnville and Corvallis. The W&P had trackage rights on the Newberg Branch and the portion of the Tillamook Branch between Cook and Willsburg Junction, along with trackage rights on a short portion of SP's mainline to Brooklyn Yard to facilitate interchange with SP, however in the year prior to the P&W's formation the W&P had been interchanging with SP exclusively through the Eugene Yard gateway.
Shortly after startup in fall of 1995, class one railroad Burlington Northern "spun off" part of its Oregon Electric Railway
branchlines north of Salem to the new carrier.
According to former WPRR/PNWR General Manager Robert I. Melbo, the Portland & Western was created to take over the new lines, rather than just extending the WPRR, due to regulatory issues then in force.
Most of the former SP branches are operated via a lease agreement, which in the wake of the 1996 Union Pacific-Southern Pacific merger, are now held by UP. The operations on the former BN branches are mixed between leases and outright ownership.
The late 1990s brought changes to the relationship. System additions which brought with them more operations in Portland led the company to move its headquarters north from Albany to Salem, Oregon
. With an increasing profile in the metro area, the Portland & Western became the predominant corporate image in December 2000. Everything from locomotives to letterheads began to bear the brand Portland & Western. In effect, the situation of 1995 has been reversed, and WPRR is now the paper corporation.
PNWR has a diverse traffic base based on carload commodities. Woodchips, paper, agricultural goods, and aggregates are all major sources of traffic. Primary amongst the road's over 135 customers are Georgia Pacific, Stimpson/Forrestex, Cascade Steel Rolling Mills, and Hampton Lumber Sales. PNWR handles over 90,000 carloads annually.
Two other shortlines which interchange with PNWR are of note. The first is the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad
, which interchanges with PNWR solely. This line carries a significant number of carloads, primarily lumber, from Tillamook, Oregon
, over the coast range via 100 miles of winding mountain railway. The POTB line was severely damaged by a major storm
in 2007, and is out of service indefinitely.
The other is the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad
, a subsidiary of GWI's competitor holding company, RailAmerica
. Although CORP and PNWR cross each other in Eugene, Oregon
, operating agreements with Union Pacific prevented the two railroads from interchanging traffic directly. Congestion problems experienced by UP in 2004 resulted in a new agreement allowing direct interchange, creating a new traffic flow on PNWR. Today, PNWR handles a great deal of log traffic from a log import-export firm on its lines in Rainier, Oregon
, clear across the entire system to an interchange with CORP at Eugene.
, Tigard
, McMinnville
, and Eugene
. Executive offices are maintained in Salem. As of November 29, 2008 P&W is operating with an interim President and General Manager. A. Bruce Carswell resigned from the post in November 2008, replacing Larry Phipps, who retired in November 2005, who had replaced Robert I. Melbo who was WPRR/PNWR's first President and General Manager, having previously been the Superintendent of the Southern Pacific's Oregon Division which operated many of the lines before the WPRR was formed.
Primary trains on the system are the "Harbor Turn/Albany Turn" pair, which runs from Portland through to Albany; the "Toledo Hauler", running from Albany over the Coast Range
to Toledo; the "Eugene Hauler", from Albany to a Eugene interchange with UP over UP trackage rights
; the "Westsider" running from Albany to McMinnville; and the Albany Hauler from Albany to a CORP interchange at Eugene, via the PNWR's leased BN trackage. In 2006, PNWR took over operation of the 663/664 train pair from BNSF Railway. These trains run between Vancouver, WA and Albany (663 is the southbound train, 664 goes north) and are PNWR's first to regularly operate outside of Oregon. They alternately use the Oregon Electric District out of Portland and a nearby Union Pacific line between Portland and Salem under an inherited trackage rights agreement. As of September 2008, PNWR was operating run-through unit grain trains from the BNSF to and from Port Westward on the Astoria Line west of Rainier. These trains currently run with BNSF locomotives.
locomotives which are now 50 years old and still in regular service. PNWR also operates a few unique locomotives, including one of the last remaining SDP40F
s, DLMX 644, and an SD40-3MR, PNWR 3300.
Locomotive fleet (as of February 2008)
program. In 2007, WPRR added 200 log flats that were purchased from BCOL, and are now marked WPRR 62001 through 62200.
In late 2008, some of the WPRR woodchip gondola fleet leases expired and the reporting marks changed from WPRR to AOK on cars 74503 to 74510. Also, due to the economic contraction in the U.S., virtually all of the WPRR centerbeam fleet has returned to the railroad for long-term storage. The centerbeam cars are stored primarily on the Bailey District, south of Corvallis, Oregon, and at the old Valley & Siletz Railway yard, north of Independence, Oregon.
and Wilsonville, Oregon
was purchased by Washington County, Oregon
and TriMet
, and subsequently upgraded for use by commuter trains to be operated under the Westside Express Service, or WES, operating moniker.
Upgrades to the route included a new roadbed, ballast, ties and rail to accommodate passenger train speeds of 60 MPH and freight train speeds of 40 MPH, Centralized Traffic Control
signaling, Automatic Train Stop
at control points, new sidings, station platforms at the end points along with in Tigard, Oregon
and Tualatin, Oregon
, as well as a station in the Progress/Washington Square area near the Beaverton/Tigard city line, and a maintenance shop located in Wilsonville (staffed by TriMet employees). PNWR will be responsible for train operations, including staffing the trains with an Engineer and Conductor, dispatching, and maintenance. TriMet will have a Manager to oversee the service and will handle basic maintenance of the fleet.
The service had been expected to launch as early as August 2008 but due to delays by the car manufacturer, Colorado Railcar
, the actual start of service date was February 2, 2009. Four Colorado Railcar DMUs will be used, three of which are powered vehicles and can move on their own, and a fourth vehicle which is a trailer to be towed behind one of the three powered cars. The vehicles are of the Aero DMU design featuring a styled cab at one end, however the trains will operate in both directions without turning the vehicle around at the end of the route and thus will operate "backwards" much of the time. The vehicles are equipped with two doors per vehicle side, plush leather seats, four bicycle racks, air conditioning, and free wireless internet access. The vehicles are owned by TriMet and are painted in TriMet's scheme similar to its buses and MAX light rail vehicles.
Fares will be handled off-board using ticket-vending machines at each stop, which will not allow for cash fares but only the use of a credit or debit card. Cash passengers will have the option in Tigard and Beaverton to first board a bus at the transit center to pay for cash and obtain a transfer which will be valid on the train; in Tualatin, Hall/Nimbus bus service will be infrequent to accommodate this, and TriMet does not serve Wilsonville and thus a passenger in Wilsonville wanting to pay a cash fare will simply not be permitted to board.
, Hillsboro
, Salem
, Albany
, Harrisburg
, Junction City
and Independence
the line has street running
through the town. Corvallis
had significant street running in the past but the majority of the street, 6th Avenue, has been curb-separated from the railroad tracks.
Although a young railroad, the Portland & Western operates over some of the oldest trackage in Oregon. Segments of PNWR include portions of railroads of the following heritages:
Class II railroad
A Class II railroad in the United States is a mid-sized freight-hauling railroad, in terms of its operating revenue. , a railroad with revenues greater than $20.5 million but less than $277.7 million for at least three consecutive years is considered a Class II railroad...
serving the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and is a wholly owned subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of shortline and regional railroad holding company Genesee & Wyoming Inc. The PNWR includes a subsidiary, the Willamette and Pacific Railroad .
PNWR's tracks lie entirely within Oregon, extending from Astoria
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
along the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
, from Portland to Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
through the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
, and along several spurs through the Northern Oregon Coast Range
Northern Oregon Coast Range
The Northern Oregon Coast Range is the northern section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, located in the northwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States. This section of the mountain range, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, contains peaks as high...
.
Founding
The Portland & Western's roots are in sister company Willamette and Pacific Railroad, founded in 1993. This company was created to take over operations on many branchlines of the Southern PacificSouthern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
, a class one
Class I railroad
A Class I railroad in the United States and Mexico, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue.Smaller railroads are classified as Class II and Class III...
railroad. These branches included the Toledo Branch from Albany
Albany, Oregon
Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...
to Toledo
Toledo, Oregon
Toledo is a city located on the Yaquina River and along U.S. Route 20 in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 3,472...
and the Westside Branch from Monroe to St. Joseph (near McMinnville
McMinnville, Oregon
McMinnville is the county seat and largest city of Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, it was named by its founder, William T. Newby , an early immigrant on the Oregon Trail, for his hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee...
), plus the Bailey Branch west from Monroe to a sawmill, the Dallas Branch from Gerlinger to Dallas
Dallas, Oregon
The city of Dallas is the county seat of Polk County, Oregon, United States. The population was 14,583 at the 2010 census.Dallas is located on Rickreall Creek, approximately 15 miles west of Salem, at an altitude of 325 feet above sea level...
, the Willamina Branch from Whiteson (near Amity
Amity, Oregon
Amity is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 1,614.-History:The town was established between 1848 and 1849 by Joseph and Ahio S. Watt, two brothers who had immigrated to Oregon over the Oregon Trail. Part of Joseph’s land claim became the...
) to Willamina
Willamina, Oregon
Willamina is a city in Polk and Yamhill Counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 1,844 at the 2000 census, with an unofficial estimated population of 1,885 in 2006....
, and the southern portion of the Newberg Branch from St. Joseph to Springbrook (north of Newberg
Newberg, Oregon
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 18,064 people, 6,099 households, and 4,348 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,599.4 people per square mile . There were 6,435 housing units at an average density of 1,282.2 per square mile...
). Lumber products and paper were the predominate commodity on these branches, along with some agricultural products from various shippers. The Cascade Steel Rolling Mill in McMinnville was an important shipper as well, and propane shipments were handled to several distributors.
PNWR was created in 1995 to take over operations of the remainder of the SP's branchlines in the state consisting of the former Southern Pacific Tillamook Branch between Willsburg Junction (near Milwaukie) and Hillsboro, the Westside-Seghers Branch from Hillsboro to Seghers (near Gaston), and the remaining segment of the Newberg Branch between Cook (near Tualatin) and Springbrook (near Newberg), connecting to the existing Willamette & Pacific network to McMinnville and Corvallis. The W&P had trackage rights on the Newberg Branch and the portion of the Tillamook Branch between Cook and Willsburg Junction, along with trackage rights on a short portion of SP's mainline to Brooklyn Yard to facilitate interchange with SP, however in the year prior to the P&W's formation the W&P had been interchanging with SP exclusively through the Eugene Yard gateway.
Shortly after startup in fall of 1995, class one railroad Burlington Northern "spun off" part of its Oregon Electric Railway
Oregon Electric Railway
The Oregon Electric Railway was an interurban railroad line in the U.S. state of Oregon that linked Portland to Eugene. Service from Portland to Salem, Oregon, began in 1907. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway purchased the system in 1910, and extended service to Eugene in 1912...
branchlines north of Salem to the new carrier.
According to former WPRR/PNWR General Manager Robert I. Melbo, the Portland & Western was created to take over the new lines, rather than just extending the WPRR, due to regulatory issues then in force.
Most of the former SP branches are operated via a lease agreement, which in the wake of the 1996 Union Pacific-Southern Pacific merger, are now held by UP. The operations on the former BN branches are mixed between leases and outright ownership.
Routes of the PNWR and WPRR
| Route Name | Originating Station | Starting Milepost | Terminating Station | Ending Milepost | Acquired from | Acquisition Date | Total Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astoria Line ("A-Line") | Linnton | Astoria | BNSF Railway | 1996 | |||
| Bailey District | Corvallis | 688.9 | Dawson | 679.9 | Southern Pacific | 1993 | 24.1 (includes 1.3 mile spur from Alpine Junction to Monroe) |
| Dallas District | Gerlinger | 728.9 | Dallas | 733.8 | Southern Pacific | 1993 | 4.9 |
| Forest Grove District | Hillsboro | 0.0 | Forest Grove | 10.0 | BNSF Railway | 1996 | 10 |
| Oregon Electric District ("OE Line") | Tigard | Eugene | BNSF Railway | 1996 (North of Quinaby), (South of Quinaby) | |||
| Tillamook District | Willsburg Junction | 740.7 | Banks | 774.7 | Southern Pacific | 1995 | 34 |
| Toledo District | Albany | 690.9 | Toledo | 765.6 | Southern Pacific | 1993 | 74.7 |
| United Railways District | United Junction | Banks | BNSF Railway | ||||
| Westside District | Corvallis Junction | 689.9 | Cook | 764.0 | Southern Pacific | 1993 (South of Springbrook), 1995 (North of Springbrook) | 74.1 |
| Willamina District | Whiteson | 730.6 | Willamina | 749.3 | Southern Pacific | 1993 | 18.7 (does not include 5.2 mile spur to Fort Hill operated as-needed) |
| Hampton Railway District | Willamina | 0.0 | Fort Hill | 5.2 | (This line is now used for car storage only. The mill has been dismantled.) | ||
Relationship with WPRR
Originally, the Portland & Western has been operated as a "paper corporation". Its officers were the same as those of the sister WPRR, with which its lines are contiguous. WPRR locomotives and other equipment were used to operate the line, although two locomotives were painted and lettered for the PNWR as a publicity move. Operating crews were divided between the two companies, but in practice, crews of PNWR or WPRR would be used anywhere they were needed on the system.The late 1990s brought changes to the relationship. System additions which brought with them more operations in Portland led the company to move its headquarters north from Albany to Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. With an increasing profile in the metro area, the Portland & Western became the predominant corporate image in December 2000. Everything from locomotives to letterheads began to bear the brand Portland & Western. In effect, the situation of 1995 has been reversed, and WPRR is now the paper corporation.
System expansions
The combined PNWR/WPRR system has expanded rapidly. In 1997, PNWR acquired the "Astoria Line", running from Northwest Portland through to the deepwater Port of Astoria from Burlington Northern. At nearly 92 miles in length, the line brought a significant number of paper, lumber, and chemical customers onto the system. In 2002, PNWR acquired a long term lease of the remaining Burlington Northern branches in the state, giving the company access to Salem and Eugene via its own tracks. The acquisition of the former allowed PNWR to make through movements from its Portland area lines to its central yard at Albany without routing over the steep and curvy Rex Hill.Traffic base
Two other shortlines which interchange with PNWR are of note. The first is the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad
Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad
The Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad is a shortline railroad in northwestern Oregon, United States. 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 Coast Range between the...
, which interchanges with PNWR solely. This line carries a significant number of carloads, primarily lumber, from Tillamook, Oregon
Tillamook, Oregon
The city of Tillamook is the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The population was 4,352 at the 2000 census...
, over the coast range via 100 miles of winding mountain railway. The POTB line was severely damaged by a major storm
Great Coastal Gale of 2007
The Great Coastal Gale of 2007 was a series of powerful Pacific storms that affected the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia between December 1, 2007 and December 3, 2007....
in 2007, and is out of service indefinitely.
The other is the Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad
Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad
The Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad is a Class II railroad operating between Northern California and Eugene, Oregon, United States. It was previously a mainline owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad between Eugene and Weed, California via Medford, Oregon...
, a subsidiary of GWI's competitor holding company, RailAmerica
RailAmerica
RailAmerica, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a holding company of a number of short-line railroads and regional railroads in the United States and Canada....
. Although CORP and PNWR cross each other in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, operating agreements with Union Pacific prevented the two railroads from interchanging traffic directly. Congestion problems experienced by UP in 2004 resulted in a new agreement allowing direct interchange, creating a new traffic flow on PNWR. Today, PNWR handles a great deal of log traffic from a log import-export firm on its lines in Rainier, Oregon
Rainier, Oregon
Rainier is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,687 at the 2000 census. Rainier is located on the south bank of the Columbia River across from Kelso and Longview, Washington-History:...
, clear across the entire system to an interchange with CORP at Eugene.
Operations
PNWR operates between 20 and 30 trains per day over its system. PNWR's main yard, shops complex, and dispatcher are all located at Albany. Additional crew bases in St. HelensSt. Helens, Oregon
St. Helens is the county seat of Columbia County, Oregon. It was founded by Captain H. M. Knighton, a native of New England, in 1845 as "Plymouth". The name was changed to St. Helens in the latter part of 1850 for its view of Mount St. Helens some away in Washington. The population was 10,019 at...
, Tigard
Tigard, Oregon
Tigard is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 48,035 at the 2010 census. As of 2007, Tigard was the state's 12th largest city. Incorporated in 1961, the city is located south of Beaverton and north of Tualatin, and is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, McMinnville
McMinnville, Oregon
McMinnville is the county seat and largest city of Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. According to Oregon Geographic Names, it was named by its founder, William T. Newby , an early immigrant on the Oregon Trail, for his hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee...
, and Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
. Executive offices are maintained in Salem. As of November 29, 2008 P&W is operating with an interim President and General Manager. A. Bruce Carswell resigned from the post in November 2008, replacing Larry Phipps, who retired in November 2005, who had replaced Robert I. Melbo who was WPRR/PNWR's first President and General Manager, having previously been the Superintendent of the Southern Pacific's Oregon Division which operated many of the lines before the WPRR was formed.
Primary trains on the system are the "Harbor Turn/Albany Turn" pair, which runs from Portland through to Albany; the "Toledo Hauler", running from Albany over the Coast Range
Oregon Coast Range
The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean...
to Toledo; the "Eugene Hauler", from Albany to a Eugene interchange with UP over UP trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
; the "Westsider" running from Albany to McMinnville; and the Albany Hauler from Albany to a CORP interchange at Eugene, via the PNWR's leased BN trackage. In 2006, PNWR took over operation of the 663/664 train pair from BNSF Railway. These trains run between Vancouver, WA and Albany (663 is the southbound train, 664 goes north) and are PNWR's first to regularly operate outside of Oregon. They alternately use the Oregon Electric District out of Portland and a nearby Union Pacific line between Portland and Salem under an inherited trackage rights agreement. As of September 2008, PNWR was operating run-through unit grain trains from the BNSF to and from Port Westward on the Astoria Line west of Rainier. These trains currently run with BNSF locomotives.
Locomotive fleet
The locomotive fleet of the PNWR/WPRR primarily consists of used "second generation" products of General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. Notable exceptions in the fleet include a handful of GP/SD9EMD SD9
An EMD SD9 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1954 and June 1959. Power was provided by an EMD 567C 16-cylinder engine which generated . This model is, externally, similar to its predecessor, the SD7. The principal spotting feature are the...
locomotives which are now 50 years old and still in regular service. PNWR also operates a few unique locomotives, including one of the last remaining SDP40F
EMD SDP40F
The EMD SDP40F was a 6-axle Diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division from 1973 for Amtrak service. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder turbocharged Diesel engine, which generated 3000 tractive horsepower .-Origins:The SDP40F was the first locomotive...
s, DLMX 644, and an SD40-3MR, PNWR 3300.
Locomotive fleet (as of February 2008)
- 101, 102 RP-4ED Slugs (used with 3001, 3002)
- 1201 EMD SW9EMD SW9An EMD SW9 is a diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between December 1950 and December 1953. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 12-cylinder engine, producing ....
- 1501 EMD SD7EMD SD7An EMD SD7 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between February 1952 and November 1953. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 16-cylinder engine which generated ....
- 1801, 1803-1805 EMD GP9EMD GP9An EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in the United States, and General Motors Diesel in Canada between January, 1954, and August, 1963. US production ended in December, 1959, while an additional thirteen units were built in Canada, including...
- 1851, 1852, EMD SD9EMD SD9An EMD SD9 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1954 and June 1959. Power was provided by an EMD 567C 16-cylinder engine which generated . This model is, externally, similar to its predecessor, the SD7. The principal spotting feature are the...
- 1853 EMD SD9M Chopped nose SD7 - Scrapped December, 2009
- 1854 EMD SD9EMD SD9An EMD SD9 is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1954 and June 1959. Power was provided by an EMD 567C 16-cylinder engine which generated . This model is, externally, similar to its predecessor, the SD7. The principal spotting feature are the...
ex LLW - 2005 EMD GP38EMD GP38An EMD GP38 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and December 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645 16-cylinder engine which generated ....
- 2301-2317 EMD GP39-2EMD GP39-2An EMD GP39-2 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1974 and 1984. 239 examples of this locomotive were built for American railroads. Part of the EMD Dash 2 line, the GP39-2 was an upgraded GP39...
- 3001-3007 EMD GP40-2EMD GP40-2An EMD GP40-2 is a 4-axle diesel road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division as part of its Dash 2 line between April 1972 and December 1986. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder engine which generated 3000 horsepower .- Production :Standard GP40-2 production...
- 3051 EMD SD40-3
- 3300 EMD SD40-3MR
- 3603, 3604 EMD SD45EMD SD45The EMD SD45 is a six-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between December, 1965, and December, 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 twenty-cylinder engine which generated 3,600 HP. This locomotive shared the same common frame with the EMD SD38, EMD SD39, EMD...
Rolling stock
Most of the company's rolling stock is marked for WPRR, but some stock carries the PNWR mark. There are a number of WPRR woodchip gondolas for woodchip service and centerbeam flatcars for lumber. Three of the railroad's woodchip cars have special paint schemes. One is in green and yellow to honor the University of Oregon, and includes the school's "duck" logo. Another is in orange and black, honoring Oregon State University, and includes that school's "beaver" emblem. And the third is painted black with the red "DARE" logo to promote the Drug Abuse Resistance EducationDrug Abuse Resistance Education
Drug Abuse Resistance Education, better known as DARE, is an international education program that seeks to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. D.A.R.E., which has expanded globally since its founding in 1983, is a demand-side drug control strategy of the U.S....
program. In 2007, WPRR added 200 log flats that were purchased from BCOL, and are now marked WPRR 62001 through 62200.
In late 2008, some of the WPRR woodchip gondola fleet leases expired and the reporting marks changed from WPRR to AOK on cars 74503 to 74510. Also, due to the economic contraction in the U.S., virtually all of the WPRR centerbeam fleet has returned to the railroad for long-term storage. The centerbeam cars are stored primarily on the Bailey District, south of Corvallis, Oregon, and at the old Valley & Siletz Railway yard, north of Independence, Oregon.
Commuter rail
In 2007-2008, the PNWR line between Beaverton, OregonBeaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
and Wilsonville, Oregon
Wilsonville, Oregon
Wilsonville is a city primarily in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A portion of the northern section of the city is in Washington County. Originally founded as Boones Landing due to the Boones Ferry which crossed the Willamette River at the location, the community became Wilsonville in...
was purchased by Washington County, Oregon
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
and TriMet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
, and subsequently upgraded for use by commuter trains to be operated under the Westside Express Service, or WES, operating moniker.
Upgrades to the route included a new roadbed, ballast, ties and rail to accommodate passenger train speeds of 60 MPH and freight train speeds of 40 MPH, Centralized Traffic Control
Centralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America and centralizes train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher's office that...
signaling, Automatic Train Stop
Automatic Train Stop
An automatic train stop is a system on a train that will automatically stop a train if certain situations happened to prevent accidents from happening....
at control points, new sidings, station platforms at the end points along with in Tigard, Oregon
Tigard, Oregon
Tigard is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 48,035 at the 2010 census. As of 2007, Tigard was the state's 12th largest city. Incorporated in 1961, the city is located south of Beaverton and north of Tualatin, and is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
and Tualatin, Oregon
Tualatin, Oregon
Tualatin is a city located primarily in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A small portion of the city is also located in neighboring Clackamas County. It is a southwestern suburb in the Portland Metropolitan Area that is located south of Tigard...
, as well as a station in the Progress/Washington Square area near the Beaverton/Tigard city line, and a maintenance shop located in Wilsonville (staffed by TriMet employees). PNWR will be responsible for train operations, including staffing the trains with an Engineer and Conductor, dispatching, and maintenance. TriMet will have a Manager to oversee the service and will handle basic maintenance of the fleet.
The service had been expected to launch as early as August 2008 but due to delays by the car manufacturer, Colorado Railcar
Colorado Railcar
Colorado Railcar was a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock, railcars and diesel multiple unit commuter vehicles. Both products come in single- and double-level versions. It shut down in 2008, with its assets being purchased by US Railcar.-History:...
, the actual start of service date was February 2, 2009. Four Colorado Railcar DMUs will be used, three of which are powered vehicles and can move on their own, and a fourth vehicle which is a trailer to be towed behind one of the three powered cars. The vehicles are of the Aero DMU design featuring a styled cab at one end, however the trains will operate in both directions without turning the vehicle around at the end of the route and thus will operate "backwards" much of the time. The vehicles are equipped with two doors per vehicle side, plush leather seats, four bicycle racks, air conditioning, and free wireless internet access. The vehicles are owned by TriMet and are painted in TriMet's scheme similar to its buses and MAX light rail vehicles.
Fares will be handled off-board using ticket-vending machines at each stop, which will not allow for cash fares but only the use of a credit or debit card. Cash passengers will have the option in Tigard and Beaverton to first board a bus at the transit center to pay for cash and obtain a transfer which will be valid on the train; in Tualatin, Hall/Nimbus bus service will be infrequent to accommodate this, and TriMet does not serve Wilsonville and thus a passenger in Wilsonville wanting to pay a cash fare will simply not be permitted to board.
Trackage
In RainierRainier, Oregon
Rainier is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,687 at the 2000 census. Rainier is located on the south bank of the Columbia River across from Kelso and Longview, Washington-History:...
, Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
, Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, Albany
Albany, Oregon
Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...
, Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Oregon
Harrisburg is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,795 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, Junction City
Junction City, Oregon
Junction City is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. The population was 5,392 at the 2010 census.- History :In the 1870s, Junction City was named by railroad magnate Ben Holladay, who decided this would be where the rail line on the east side of the Willamette Valley would meet the rail...
and Independence
Independence, Oregon
Independence is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States, on the west bank of the Willamette River along Oregon Route 51, and east of nearby Monmouth. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area...
the line has street running
Street running
On-street running or street running is when a railroad track or tramway track runs directly along city streets, without any separation. The rails are embedded in the road....
through the town. Corvallis
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
had significant street running in the past but the majority of the street, 6th Avenue, has been curb-separated from the railroad tracks.
Although a young railroad, the Portland & Western operates over some of the oldest trackage in Oregon. Segments of PNWR include portions of railroads of the following heritages:
- The Oregon Central RailroadOregon Central RailroadThe Oregon Central Railroad was the name of two railroad companies in the U.S. state of Oregon, each of which claimed federal land grants that had been assigned to the state in 1866 to assist in building a line from Portland south into California...
, one of the first bids for a railroad to California, begun in 1867 - The narrow gauge granger railroads Dayton, Sheridan and Grand Ronde Railroad and Portland and Willamette Valley Railway, dating from the 1880s
- The original 1880s Northern Pacific Railroad transcontinental mainline
- The original Oregon Pacific Railroad, a failed transcontinental attempt to link YaquinaYaquina, OregonYaquina , at one time a thriving port called Yaquina City, is an unincorporated area in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It is located near the mouth of the Yaquina River, on the east side of Yaquina Bay, and is about a 3-mile drive from Newport...
to the Midwest - The Oregon Electric RailwayOregon Electric RailwayThe Oregon Electric Railway was an interurban railroad line in the U.S. state of Oregon that linked Portland to Eugene. Service from Portland to Salem, Oregon, began in 1907. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway purchased the system in 1910, and extended service to Eugene in 1912...
, an extensive electric interurbanInterurbanAn interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
railway that linked Portland and Eugene - The Southern Pacific's "Red ElectricRed ElectricThe Red Electric was an interurban passenger train service operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad in the Willamette Valley of the U.S. state of Oregon from 1914 to 1929. The service got its name from the bright red color of its cars. Despite its short history, among West Coast interurbans it was...
" interurban