LATEST NEWS & EVENTS on the OREGON PACIFIC RR  2014
Copyright © 2004-2014 All Rights Reserved
Last Update: Feb 23, 2014
Another Busy Day for OPR Passenger Train
Update: January 26,  2014

A few weeks ago we were questioning the wisdom of operating a passenger train in the dead of winter, when most excursion
railroads don’t start up again until late spring. But as it turned out, our passenger count the last two weekends has been
higher than ever before including last summer. Part of it is the word is getting out more about our excursions and people love
to ride trains, whether it be in the winter or the summer. The OPR is the only passenger excursion train in the entire metro
area and we expect this plays a role in the number of people coming out as well as the nice weather we’ve had and the
Portland Tribune’s recent article. Not to mention, $5 a person is a price hard to beat for a real train ride.

To try to meet the demand, the OPR brought out every available passenger car on its roster. That includes the Santa Rosa
business car, No. 11 caboose, No. 900 caboose and open air car. For our first three runs of the day, every single car and
seat was occupied and more. The last run was close to capacity as well. From what we understand, the Oregon Rail Heritage
Center is seeing record visitor traffic on the days that we operate and we’re hoping this will translate into increased public
support and donations to help with their museum funding.

Thank you to everyone for coming out and riding our trains and to all of our volunteers for their hard work.

Once again, if you do come out and ride, please remember that our ticket prices go to fund our passenger train operation
exclusively, covering diesel fuel and operations costs. While the museum is free to the public, donations are welcome and
much needed. Portland’s only full size railroad museum needs your help to continue to move forward and eventually expand.

We’ll be back next Saturday, same place, same day, same time. See you there!
Richard Samuels a Few Years Ago
Update: January 24,  2014

Our company founder and owner, Richard Samuels, preparing for his future at a very young age!
OPR in the Portland Tribune Newspaper today
Update: January 23,  2014

Today’s issue of the Portland Tribune Newspaper features the OPR and our Saturday train rides out of the Oregon Rail
Heritage Center. The article is also featured online on their website at this link:

http://portlandtribune.com/pt/9-news/208235-63865-railroad-toots-horn-with-5-train-rides

Below photo featured in the newspaper, taken by Tribune photographer Jaime Valdez.

Train rides resume this Saturday at 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30pm. We are hoping to have our open air car, No. 900 caboose,
No. 11 caboose and Santa Rosa car as part of our train this Saturday to avoid any lack of capacity issues.
OPR Mixed Train
Update: January 21,  2014

Last Saturday the OPR operated a true mixed train at dusk. After operating the passenger train for the day, the OPR crew
picked up 4 loaded reefers to take back with them. Photo taken by Kevin Novak at the East Portland Yards, near the ORHC
vehicle access gate.
OPR Train Rides Has High Turn Out
Update: January 19,  2014

This past Saturday was the 2nd weekend of the 2014 season for public passenger train rides on the OPR. After a stormy
Saturday the prior weekend and moderate passenger count, the OPR was overwhelmed with passengers this past weekend.
We’re very happy and appreciative of the turn out and apologize to a few passengers who were turned away as our train filled
up beyond capacity on each run.

The wonderful January sunny weather probably played a major role in encouraging the hundreds of passengers and families
to come out and ride. Our intention for future weekends is to bring out at least our open air car as an additional option for
passengers, hopefully starting this next weekend.

The Portland Tribune is doing a story about our train rides that should be coming out in this Thursday’s edition.

The OPR wants to thank ORHF and the Oregon Rail Heritage Center volunteers for handling the extra museum traffic and
assisting with our trains. If you come out to ride the train, please be sure to visit the museum and if you can, think about giving
a donation to help preserve and maintain the museum and its locomotives. The museum operates exclusively from donations,
so every bit helps. The museum also has a fully stocked gift shop available to visitors.

For more information about the museum, please visit their website:
http://orhf.org/

Thank you to everyone that rode and we’ll be back again this coming Saturday, same place, same time.
Last of the First Interurban Video
Update: January 12,  2014

LAST OF THE FIRST INTERURBAN Video

This video just recently came out and was produced by David Haij from video and photos taken by his late father Al Haij. Most
photos and video were taken from the early to late 1950s and chronicles the Portland Traction Company interurban trolley
operation during its final years. What’s most incredible is that almost everything is in high quality color.

As most know, the Oregon Pacific Railroad operates the last 5 minutes of the former Portland Traction Co. interurban and
freight railroad, so many scenes included in this video show parts of our railroad as it looked over 50 years ago. Some really
interesting scenes show our No. 100 locomotive as it looked in the 1950s, complete with trolley poles to shunt the vehicle
crossings in those days.

The OPR is not associated with the video or its authors, but we highly recommended it. To my knowledge it can be purchased
at one of two places. Whistle Stop Trains in Portland, Oregon and the Oregon Rail Heritage Center gift shop, also in Portland.
OPR Completes Shake Down Run for the 2014 Season
Update: January 12,  2014

The OPR completed its first passenger train run of the 2014 season yesterday. Things went well given the very stormy
weather and early part of the year. The Portland Tribune was on hand to do a story about our operations and should come
out for the Thursday January 23rd issue.

The OPR thanks all of our passengers and customers and ORHF volunteers for their patronage and assistance. We will be
back next Saturday to do it again!
2013, Year in Review
Update: January 3,  2014

Another year has gone by on the OPR. It’s been an interesting one as always.

2012 ended with the East Portland Yard reconstruction essentially completed. By January of 2013, the new Trimet diamond
crossings had arrived on property and that phase of the project would begin.

By mid January, the OPR 1202, which had at one point served as the primary switching engine for the East Portland Division,
was moved to the Molalla Division for the first time to augment the 801, which would undergoing a prime mover change.

By the end of January, OPR crews had finished installing the new cross over track and switches near Golf Junction.

The early months of 2013 would also mark major milestones in the Sellwood bridge project, all of which directly impacted the
OPR, which travels under the bridge.

By February, the No. 187 NW5 locomotive would be prepped for scrapping and the salvaging of its engine for use in the No.
801. While many parts were removed from the 187 over the last year, its hulk still remains on the property awaiting final
scrapping.

Several charters were operated during the spring months and in April, but soon charters would give way to a regular Saturday
excursion operation for the first time.

On April 1st, the OPR celebrated 22 years of Common Carrier service.

In May the OPR would mark a major milestone as regular Saturday passenger train service began for the first time. This
service originally started out operating two Saturdays per month but was soon expanded to every Saturday and continued to
operate with that schedule all the way through October. The OPR will restart Saturday passenger service in just a few weeks
on January 11th.

Chris McLarney’s caboose, which was normally stored on the OPR, was relocated for public display at the ORHC in August
and will remain there through the rest of this winter for everyone to see and enjoy.

OPR crews began a major reconstruction and rerail, retie project in the “pass” on the East Portland Branch between 13th
streets and 17th streets, essentially upgrading the OPR to class 1 track from 17th street north to East Portland.

In August, the construction of the new home of OPR owner Richard Samuels began on OPR property located right next to the
East Portland Branch near 9th and Linn Streets.

On September 13th, the OPR’s Molalla Division, celebrated its 100th anniversary of operation since its construction was
completed on September 13, 1913.

Also in September, the OPR launched this Facebook page for the first time and it’s proven to be more popular than expected.
Thank you all for your support.

In the spring, the OPR sold off a burned out business car to a private owner who set about restoring the car for personal use.
The car is currently stored on the OPR’s Oregon City spur and during the fall months, the car was sand blasted and painted
and cleaned out. It’s being prepped for a massive new interior project and will likely become a private clubhouse on rails.

On October 26th the OPR concluded its first Saturday excursion season. The season started out with moderate passenger
count, but soon expanded by the final months to impressive numbers as the word got out. We were so encouraged by the
popularity of the train rides, we decided to begin the 2014 extremely early…January 11th. The OPR passenger train is the
only regularly operated full size railroad passenger excursion train in the Portland metro area.

By the end of November, Portland Parks contracted crews had repaired a slide on the fill that the OPR and Springwater trail
shares. The slide began several years ago, but never progressed far enough to threaten the OPR. However it did impact trail
use but is now fixed.

December marked the near completion of a new highway overpass over the Molalla Division, near American Steel.

And finally, the year ended with another very successful ORHF Holiday Express.

Of course not every event on the OPR is covered here as there were many other highlights, but we’re looking forward to
2014…a year where old projects will be completed, new projects begun and the expansion of our new passenger operations
and the continued success of our freight operations.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us, whether you’re our customers, railroad partners, suppliers, passengers or rail
fans! Here’s looking to 2014!
Another Busy Day for OPR Passenger Train
Update: Feb 3,  2014

This past Saturday, the OPR operated another extremely busy day of passenger train rides from the ORHC.   The last three
Saturdays have had nicer than usual weather for this time of year, which may account for most of the heavy traffic.   We
anticipate things may settle down for the next few weeks as weather patterns return to a normal winter.   But we also anticipate
a much busier spring and summer than last year.   As a result, the OPR is preparing for the busier demand and looking into
options to add capacity to existing equipment or possibly additional passenger cars.

That all said, we are continuing our winter schedule as planned, so we'll be out again next Saturday same place, same time.
OPR Crew Prepares to Shift Maintenance Focus on the Molalla Division
Update: Feb 3,  2014

While OPR crews consistantly work on both divisions as needed, the crew has spent significant amounts of time and money
continuing to restore the East Portland Division.   Countless hundreds of ties of have been replaced late last year and this
year, along with new ballast and tamping.    Most major tie replacement and tamping projects for the East Portland Division
are now nearing an end.    This will allow the OPR crew to focus almost exclusively on some much needed TLC on the Molalla
Branch.    This will include replacing ties, ballast, rail and extensive work on several bridges on the branch, including the
Molalla River bridge.
OPR 1413 Operates During the Feb 2014 Snowstorm
Update: Feb 10,  2014

The OPR Operated the 1413 last Saturday during the snowstorm of that weekend.
Here are a few photos.
New OPR Full Feature HD Video on YouTube - GMD-1 in the Snow
Update: Feb 15,  2014

We just completed a huge 30 minute long HD video of the OPR's GMD-1 operating in the snow last weekend.  Lots of cab ride
and exterior shots.   The video can be
seen directly here on Youtube.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ro8u61gF2SI

Below are a few HD screen shots taken directly from the video:
OPR 501 is Sold to Former Leaser, CLD Pacific Grain Terminal, OPR 500 to be Scrapped.
Update: Feb 23,  2014

For a number of years, the OPR has leased a locomotive to CLD Pacific Grain Terminal in Portland, Oregon.   CLD recently
exercised an option to buy the OPR 501 outright, which had been leased to CLD since 1999.  The OPR no longer owns or
maintains this locomotive and its now struck from the OPR roster.   The No. 501 is a 1950s GE 80 tonner.
The OPR No. 500, which is still on OPR property and had served as a parts locomotive for 501 has been heavily cannibalized
by scrap thieves and will likely be entirely scrapped out in the near future.