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Engine, Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
Engine 5515.
Train photographed near Rock Cove, Stevenson, Washington.
Image taken June 19, 2005.
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Railroads and the Columbia River ...
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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. |
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Early History ... (in the Gorge)
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First Railroad in the Columbia Gorge ...
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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.
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"...
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]
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"...
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:
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"... 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]
In History Of The Pacific Northwest Oregon and Washington, published in 1889:
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"... 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).
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Oregon Portage around the Cascade Rapids ...
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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.
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Cascade Portage Railroad ...
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The Cascade 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.
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Cascade Portage Railroad, Fort Cascades Historic Site.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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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]
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Oregon Pony, South Support, Bridge of the Gods Mural, Cascade Locks, Oregon.
Image taken May 13, 2005.
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Glass enclosure, Oregon Pony, at Cascade Locks Marine Park, Oregon.
Image taken September 16, 2006.
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Passage through the Gorge, 1888 ...
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Excerpt from:
The Deseret News, July 11, 1888, article written by C.R. Savage for the newspaper, courtesy Harold B. Lee Library online archives, Brigham Young University. The Deseret News was the first newspaper published in the Utah Territory, just three years after the Mormon pioneers settled the Great Salt Lake valley, with the first issue being June 15, 1850.
DOING THE WEST FOR THE PICTURESQUE.
A Photographer's Ramble on the Oregon Short Line. -- Oregon Railway and
navigation Co. -- Northern Pacific. -- Oregon and California Railway. --
And Home by the Central.
"...
Night closes in upon us as we cross the stretch of country between
Pendleton and the lower part of the Columbia River. We first reach this
western wonder at Umatilla, and skirt it down to Portland. But many
objects of surpassing beauty are passed while you are sleeping. If the
object of the tourist is to see the true grandeur of the mightly Columbia,
I would earnestly advise stopping off at Dalles and taking a ride down to
Portland on the steamboat. You can go direct to the boat from the track.
Having travelled both routes I give mypreference to the river route, and
will endeavor to detail the objects of interest on the down trip.
The steamer leaves at the tick of the clock in the morning.
THE "HARVEST QUEEN" is a beautiful boat with superb appointments, roomy,
clean and commodious. As we leave the wharf we seem to
glide without effort at a high rate of speed, passing in rapid succession
the lava bluffs on each side of the river, (it is high water in June).
The whole volume of drainage from the plains of western Washington
Territory and British Columbia pass down and form the boundary line of
Oregon, and Washington Territory. Oregon is on our left and Washington on
our right.
...
At Hood River on a clear day a grand view of Mount Hood can be obtained.
Mount Adams is also seen from this point; the former is in Oregon, the
latter in Washington.
At different points the line of the railroad can be seen. Miles upon
miles of trestle work has been constructed to get a road through by the
Oregon Railway and navigation Company. The trains of the Northern Pacific
and the Union Pacific all pass over this line.
...
At Cascade Locks we leave our harvest queen. A little narrow guage
railroad makes the portage of the cascades of the Columbia. An old block
house still stands with port holes that was once the defensive fort of the
volunteers -- and here our General Sheridan gained laurels as an energetic
fighter in his youth.
...
The steamer for Portland is taken at the end of the little road. Here we
got on the Multnomah, not so fine a vessel as the Harvest
Queen, but a snug boat all the same. ..."
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Trains ... (alphabetical)
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Amtrak ...
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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 Vancouver, Washington.
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Amtrak arriving at Vancouver Station.
Train on the left is a Burlington Northern Santa Fe heading south.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Amtrak, at Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Amtrak, at Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Amtrak Cascades, at Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Amtrak baggage car, at Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Burlington Northern ...
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Engine, Burlington Northern.
View from Dog Creek, Washington.
Image taken July 6, 2005.
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Burlington Northern Santa Fe ...
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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.
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Engine, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, crossing Rock Cove Bridge heading east.
Engine 5515.
View from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken June 19, 2005.
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Engine, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, heading east.
Engine 4432.
View from near Rock Cove, Stevenson, Washington, from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken June 19, 2005.
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Two cars, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, heading east.
Photographed near Rock Cove, Stevenson, Washington, from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken June 19, 2005.
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Engine, Burlington Northern Santa Fe heading south, at Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Engine 4878.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Burlington Northern Santa Fe passing crossing at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.
Image taken March 29, 2007.
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Burlington Northern Santa Fe 7785 passing crossing at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.
Image taken March 29, 2007.
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CEFX ...
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CEFX 106 passing through Wallula Gap at Port Kelley.
Image taken September 24, 2005.
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Great Northern ...
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Boxcar, Great Northern.
Union Pacific train passing Mosier, Oregon.
Image taken May 13, 2007.
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Boxcar, Great Northern.
Union Pacific train passing Mosier, Oregon.
Image taken May 13, 2007.
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Goat logo, Boxcar, Great Northern.
Union Pacific train passing Mosier, Oregon.
Image taken May 13, 2007.
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Northern Pacific ...
Click image to enlarge
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Caboose, Northern Pacific.
From the 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Logo, Northern Pacific.
From the 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Passenger Car "Green River", Northern Pacific.
From the 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Passenger Car "Green River", Northern Pacific.
From the 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Boxcar, Northern Pacific.
Union Pacific train passing Mosier, Oregon. Blue boxcar behind is a Great Northern boxcar (see above).
Image taken May 13, 2007.
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Portland & Seattle ...
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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.
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Santa Fe ...
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Engine, Santa Fe 6852.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe 6852, heading eastbound, as viewed from Washington State Highway 14 near Skamania Landing.
Image taken June 29, 2005.
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Engine, Santa Fe 2959.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe engine 2959, as seen from Highway 30 upstream of the St. Johns Bridge.
Image taken October 31, 2006.
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Engine, Santa Fe 633.
Santa Fe 633, red warbonnet, heading south, as seen from the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Ridgefield, Washington.
Image taken May 6, 2007.
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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]
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SP 4449 Steam Engine on the Wind River Bridge, Washington, Columbia Gorge.
Image taken September 16, 2006.
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SP 4449 Steam Engine, at Wind River, Washington, Columbia Gorge.
Image taken September 16, 2006.
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SP 4449 Steam Engine, Wind River, Washington, Columbia Gorge.
Image taken September 16, 2006.
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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 Road" below) 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.
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"...
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.
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Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway Car.
From the 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway Logo.
From the 7th Street Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 ...
The Spokane, Portland & Seattle's 700 steam engine is the largest steam locomotive 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 700 was displayed at Portland's "Oaks Park" for nearly 20 years, along with two other stream engines, the Southern Pacific 4449, and the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company's 197. Today the three engines reside at Portland's Brooklyn Roundhouse.
[More]
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Union Pacific ...
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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.
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Union Pacific at Eagle Creek, Oregon, heading west.
Engine 4241.
Image taken June 29, 2005.
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Union Pacific at Cascade Locks, heading east.
Engine 5224.
Image taken September 16, 2006.
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Union Pacific at Cascade Locks, heading east.
Engine 5224.
Image taken September 16, 2006.
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"Building America", Union Pacific at Cascade Locks, heading east.
Image taken September 16, 2006.
Engine 5224.
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Union Pacific heading east, with Haystack Butte in the background.
View from Interstate 84.
Image taken June 19, 2005.
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Basalt Flow and Union Pacific train, between The Dalles and Celilo, Oregon.
Image taken June 4, 2005.
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Union Pacific crossing Moffet Creek, Oregon, heading west.
Image taken April 2, 2005.
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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.
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Closeup, Union Pacific 3159 heading east, passing Starvation Creek.
View from the Starvation Creek Rest Area.
Image taken September 29, 2006.
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Union Pacific 4105 heading east, passing the John Day Dam.
View from driving Interstate 84.
Image taken September 29, 2006.
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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.
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More History ... (Gorge and elsewhere)
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Burlington Northern Santa Fe Tracks ...
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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.
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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.
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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]
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Train Ferry "Tacoma", Mural, Kalama, Washington.
Image taken April 19, 2006
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North Bank Road ...
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"The North Bank Railroad", "The North Bank Road", "Columbia River Scenic Route", and "The Northwests Own Railway" are all phrases used to refer to the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (see more above), which was completed in 1908, with a celebration being held at Sheridan Point upstream of the Fort Rains Blockhouse location.
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Information signs for Fort Rains and the North Bank Road.
Image taken February 26, 2005.
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Tracks, North Bank Road, at Fort Rains.
Image taken February 26, 2005.
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Information sign for the North Bank Road.
Image taken June 29, 2005.
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Information sign for the North Bank Road.
Caption for the left image reads: "Washington boasts the river's first railraod, 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."
Image taken June 29, 2005.
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Oregon Steam Navigation Company ...
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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: other 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.
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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]
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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.
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Oregon Trunk Line Railroad Bridge, Oregon side.
From Washington State Highway 14, near Haystack Butte, looking down on the Oregon Trunk Line Railroad, Celilo area.
Image taken May 24, 2005.
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Oregon Trunk Line Railroad Bridge, Washington side.
The railroad bridge connecting the area which once was Celilo Falls with Wishram Washington. Lewis and Clark's camp of October 22 and 23 was just on the downstream side of the bridge, in the foreground.
View from Washington State Highway 14.
Image taken May 24, 2005.
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Pasco-Kennewick Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge ...
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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.
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"...
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]
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Portland's Union Station.
View from car heading to the Broadway Bridge.
Image taken September 24, 2006.
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Portland's Union Station.
View from car heading to the Broadway Bridge.
Image taken September 24, 2006.
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Vancouver Station ...
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Vancouver Station, Vancouver, Washington.
Image taken July 3, 2005.
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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.
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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.
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Railroad Tunnel No.2, Drano Lake.
View of the west portal.
Image taken June 4, 2005.
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"Blum Tunnel", Railroad Tunnel No.3.
View from west looking east.
Image taken May 1, 2005.
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Railroad Tunnel at Chamberlain Lake.
West portal of the railroad tunnel at Chamberlain Lake.
View from the Chamberlain Lake Rest Area.
Image taken June 4, 2005.
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July 6, 2005 ...
On
July 6, 2005, two steam engines, the Spokane, Portland & Seattle's 700 and the Southern Pacific's 4449, pulled 17 vintage cars on an excursion up the Columbia River Gorge, from
Portland, Oregon, to
Wishram, Washington. Known as the "Western Star", the SP&S 700 pulled the outbound journey on the Washington side of the Columbia River, while the SP 4449 took the journey home.
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Spokane, Portland & Seattle, Excursion Train, Columbia Gorge, July 6, 2005.
View from Dog Creek, Columbia River Gorge, Washington.
Image taken July 6, 2005.
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September 16, 2006 ...
On the weekend of September 16 and 17, 2006, the Northwest Rail Museum sponsored a round-trip excursion train from Portland, Oregon, to Bend, Oregon, via the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, turning south on the Oregon Trunk Line, and then up the Deschutes Canyon. The engine pulling this train was the historic steam engine, the Southern Pacific 4449.
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SP 4449 Steam Engine, at Wind River, Washington, Columbia Gorge.
Image taken September 16, 2006.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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