Wallowa Union Railroad Authority
Encyclopedia
The Wallowa Union Railroad Authority is a short-line railroad owned by Wallowa County and Union Counties in the U.S. state
of Oregon
. It operates freight
and tourist trains over a 62.58 miles (100.7 km) ex-Union Pacific Railroad
line from the end of an Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad
branch at Elgin to Joseph, generally paralleling Oregon Route 82.
The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
, a predecessor of the Union Pacific Railroad
(UP), completed a branch from the main line at La Grande through Elgin to Joseph in late 1908. The Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad
(INPR) leased (from La Grande to Elgin) and bought (from Elgin to Joseph) the line, among others, from the UP in November 1993. The Surface Transportation Board
authorized abandonment beyond Elgin in 1997, but this was not consummated, and in 2002 Wallowa County purchased the line, still operated by the INPR. The new Wallowa Union Railroad Authority took over ownership from Wallowa County and operations from the INPR in 2003.
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...
. It operates freight
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
and tourist trains over a 62.58 miles (100.7 km) ex-Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
line from the end of an Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad
Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad
The Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad is a small railroad that runs in Southwest Idaho and Eastern Oregon in the United States. It operates about 210 miles of former Union Pacific branch lines and is currently a subsidiary of the Rio Grande Pacific Company...
branch at Elgin to Joseph, generally paralleling Oregon Route 82.
The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company was a railroad that operated a rail network of of track running east from Portland, Oregon, United States to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho...
, a predecessor of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
(UP), completed a branch from the main line at La Grande through Elgin to Joseph in late 1908. The Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad
Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad
The Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad is a small railroad that runs in Southwest Idaho and Eastern Oregon in the United States. It operates about 210 miles of former Union Pacific branch lines and is currently a subsidiary of the Rio Grande Pacific Company...
(INPR) leased (from La Grande to Elgin) and bought (from Elgin to Joseph) the line, among others, from the UP in November 1993. The Surface Transportation Board
Surface Transportation Board
The Surface Transportation Board of the United States is a bipartisan, decisionally-independent adjudicatory body organizationally housed within the U.S. Department of Transportation. The STB was established in 1996 to assume some of the regulatory functions that had been administered by the...
authorized abandonment beyond Elgin in 1997, but this was not consummated, and in 2002 Wallowa County purchased the line, still operated by the INPR. The new Wallowa Union Railroad Authority took over ownership from Wallowa County and operations from the INPR in 2003.