| Last Update: June 19, 2009 |
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| LATEST NEWS & EVENTS on the OREGON PACIFIC RR |
| East Portland Branch temporarily out of service due to mud slide Update: January 5, 2009 On January 2, 2008, heavy rains and melting snow fall combined to cause a slide on the East Portland Branch that temporarily cut off access to the East Portland Yard. The slide is located south of the Ross Island Bridge. These pictures were taken on January 3rd as the OPR conducted an initial daytime inspection of the slide. The OPR hopes to have the line reopened by early in the week of January 5th. |
| East Portland Branch back in service, slide cleared out of the way Update: January 22, 2009 On January 5, 2008, the small slide that had closed the East Portland branch for several days, was cleared by the OPR crew and the track was returned to service. This is one of many examples that show that nearly all aspects of running, operating and repairing this railroad are done almost exclusively by the Samuels family railroad crew. Working here are Tim and Craig Samuels, who also run most trains on the Molalla Branch as well as some on the East Portland Branch. |
| OPR completes two more charter runs Update: January 18, 2009 The OPR provides charters and specials on an occasional basis and over the last several years has run charter specials for birthday parties, retirement parties and other events. In the last week, the OPR ran two seperate specials for two birthday parties on Saturday January 10th and Friday, January 16th. See our charters and specials page for more information on how to charter a train on the OPR. |
| For older news and updates, such from the rest of 2008, visit our 2008 Archive News and Updates Page. |
| Using OPR equipment, the Samuels brothers work to clear away the slides. |
| With the tracks almost clear, the No. 100 waits with a load of empties to take into East Portland before bringing loads back to Milwuakie. |
| Pictures from the December Snow Storm on the OPR Update: February 5, 2009 These are pictures of the OPR back in the December 2008, when the Portland area was inundated with one of the largest and longest snow storms in decades. Pictures were taken by Kelly Anable on a day when railroad owner Richard Samuels and Kelly Anable took the No. 100 on a test run from the Milwaukie shops to the East Portland Yards, through fresh deep snow. To see the sights pictured here, without the snow, check out the East Portland Branch Page. |
| Construction continues on the new Canby storage siding Update: February 4, 2009 Work continues on the new 800 foot long storage spur just south of the Canby wye on the Molalla Branch. This is one of several new spurs and sidings that the OPR has constructed and plans to construct on the Molalla Branch. The switch for the siding was placed on the mainline about 1/4 mile south of the Canby wye back in October 2008. Other projects and events have taken precedence in the last several months, but work now continues on this project. The siding, when completed, will run north on the west side of the mainline and will be used to store American Steel and other cars during the daily switching operations. Below pictures are from October, 2008. Updated pictures will be added once available. |
| Left 3 photos show the siding construction and new spur looking north. Right photo show the construction equipment at the wye, looking south. |
| Unique Views for this Page, Since March, 2008 |
| Photos of the OPR Milwaukie shops, with the No. 100 being warmed up and prepared for the run, Mr. Samuels grabs a broom to sweep out any switches if needed and to clear off snow to get to the cab of the No. 100. In the far right picture, as viewed from the cab of the No. 100, the engine has backed down the shop track and is getting ready to head up the steep hill on the track to the left which is still completely buried in snow. |
| These photos were taken from the fireman side of the No. 100 inside the cab as it backs up along the East Portland Branch. Ahead is fresh snow and buried track. Pictures from left to right are: Looking over the hood at the Milwuakie Shops -- Backing up the steep grade onto the mainline -- Going over 17th street crossing -- Passing Golf Junction and the No. 187 in storage -- Passing Golf Junction and the Tamper on a siding -- Approaching the Sellwood Overpass -- Crossing Spokane Street. |
| Pictures from left to right are: North of Spokane Street. Kids playing in the snow, probably never expected to see a train on this day -- Curve south of Oaks Park Station -- Approaching Oaks Park Station -- Viewing Oaks Amusement Park from near Oaks Park Station -- Entering the East Portland Yard |
| The No. 100 arrives at the East Portland Yard, with Mr. Samuels at the controls, Interstate 5 in the background. Last photo on the far right was taken with the No. 100 at the Milwaukie shops with Mr. Samuels on the rear deck of the engine. |
| Construction continues on the new Canby storage siding Update: February 23, 2009 Work continues on the new 800 foot long storage spur just south of the Canby wye on the Molalla Branch. This is one of several new spurs and sidings that the OPR has constructed and plans to construct on the Molalla Branch. The switch for the siding was placed on the mainline about 1/4 mile south of the Canby wye back in October 2008. Worked continued on this project in February. Currently the siding is about half complete, with all new rails, ties and ballast in place. |
| The first five pictures are looking south at the newly completely siding. The far right picture is looking north from the new siding switch. |
| Rare interchange meet between the Union Pacific and OPR Update: March 3, 2009 In the early morning of February 27, 2009, the UP and OPR met and interchanged a car at the East Portland Yard. Because the UP usually interchanges traffic overnight and the OPR usually operates during the daytime, the two rarely meet. But an accident the prior night on the UP caused the UP to interchange traffic later than normal and the two railroads met up at East Portland at the same time. |
| OPR 1202 with Dick Samuels at the controls, arrives at the East Portland Yard and meets up with the Union Pacific early in the morning to interchange a single car for Pacific Foods Distribution. |
| OPR Hosts Another Charter Update: March 16, 2009 On March 16th, the OPR hosted another birthday party charter. This time, the charter was for Ed Baum (of the Friends of the 4449 group) and his family for his son's birthday party. The OPR used two cabooses, one open air car and engine 1202 for the consist. Below are some pictures from this birthday charter. If you are interested in chartering a train for a birthday or any other event, check out our OPR Charters page. |
| Chris McLarney's Caboose now on the OPR Update: March 16, 2009 In early March, 2009, a new caboose arrived on the OPR. This is Chris McLarney's caboose, UP 25198. Chris is famous as the person who helped begin the restoration of the SP&S 700 and formed the PRPA. Some of Chris's history with the SP&S 700 can be found here. Chris and the OPR go back to at least the 1980s when Dick Samuels used his newly acquired PTC No. 100 to pull the SP&S 700 from Oaks Park to begin its restoration. UP 25198 is a class CA-4 caboose of the Union Pacific Railroad, built in November 1944, it was the 2nd to last CA-4 class caboose built for the UP. It was retired from the UP on July 11, 1985. More information can be found on this page. The caboose has been restored by Chris McLarney and is in excellent condition. The caboose is on loan to the OPR for use in future excursions and is owned by Chris McLarney. It is currently stored, ready for service, near the OPR's shops. Stay tuned for more details and an addition on the OPR Roster Page. |
| Richard Samuels Gives Talk to the Canby Historical Society Update: March 18, 2009 On March 17th, Mr. Samuels was invited to give a talk to the Canby Historical Society in Canby, Oregon. The Oregon Pacific Railroad's Molalla Branch interchanges with the UP in Canby and the society was interested in hearing about the history of the OPR. For more information on the society, click on the Canby Historical Society Website. |
| Track work continues on both branch lines Update: April 22, 2009 The OPR crews have spent much of March and April working on repairing track and replacing ties where needed, in between running normal trains on both branch lines. Most recently, a number of ties were replaced on the McBrod Spur in the Milwaukie Industrial Park, just south of the OPR shops. The below photos show some of the newer ties in place and of the McBrod spur, which is typically used to store cars, engines and to set up empty and loaded trains prior to taking them to the East Portland interchange. |
| OPR's latest hy-railer almost finished Update: May 1, 2009 The OPR's latest hy-rail project is a brand new Jeep Wrangler. Probably the only Jeep Wrangler hy-railer in existence. The hy-rail gear has just been custom fitted and is almost finished and ready for service. Soon the hy-rail gear will be wired and aligned and certified and the stock bumpers reinstalled. Stay tuned for completed pictures and the hy-railer in service. |
| OPR runs a Caboose Special Update: May 3, 2009 On May 2nd, the OPR ran a caboose special on the East Portland Branch using Chris McLarney's UP caboose and OPR rolling stock. Riders included Chris McLarney and friends and celebrations included Chris's birthday. Chris's caboose is now stored on the OPR and will be used for future events such as this one, on the OPR. During the run, a major and un expected thunderstorm swept through the area, causing a large tree and power lines to fall on the tracks just seconds after the train passed by. The line was out of service for the rest of the day as crews repaired the lines and removed the tree and power pole. This occurred near end of the run and everyone seemed to have a great time! |
| The consist for the caboose special. The yellow caboose is Chris's caboose. Check out our roster page in the next few days for a write up and more pictures of this caboose. |
| LIterally a few minutes after passing Oaks Park Station southbound, a freak thunderstorm came up an downed a tree just north of Oaks Park. The tree took out a power pole and power lines and everything fell across both the spring water trail and the OPR tracks. The fire department was called and the trail and railroad were closed until repairs could made. |
| A Day on the Molalla Branch Update: May 19, 2009 The following are a few photos from a typical day of switching and running on the Molalla Branch. On this day, May 15th, the crew, using engine 801, switched out loads and empties from both the RSG Forest Products mill and the Willamette Egg Feed mill. Craig Samuels was the engineer and Brian Samuels was the conductor. Tim Samuels, who is normally the engineer on most runs, was on vacation on this day. More photos can be seen on the Molalla Branch Page. |
| The 801 and OPR crew swtich out loads and empties at RSG Forest products (left photos) and Willamette Egg Feed Mill (right photos) |
| The trip from the mills to the interchange is almost 8 miles and involves crossing three major trestles and numerous road crossings, including a major highway crossing. Speed is kept down to about 5 to 7 mph to minimize risk to the loads and track and well over an hour. To learn more about the Molalla Branch history and operations, check out our Molalla Branch Page. |
| Birthday Charter Run on May 30th Update: June 4, 2009 On Saturday, May 30th, the OPR ran another private birthday charter. Consist on this day was the OPR 1202, open air car and Samtrak caboose. About 60-70 people enjoyed a perfect sunny day on the OPR's East Portland Branch, between Oaks Park Station and the East Portland Interchange. The train stopped at a new OPR station, tentatively called Riverside Park Station, located south of the Ross Island Bridge. This station allows for clear views of the river, Ross Island Bridge and the South Waterfront area as well as the west hills of Portland and is a great location to host a birthday party or any other event on and near the OPR train. If you are interested in chartering an OPR train for a birthday party or any other event, check out our charter's page for more information. |
| Repairs Made on the Molalla River Railroad Bridge Update: June 14, 2009 The OPR crew conducted repairs on the Molalla River Bridge on the Molalla Branch of the OPR. While the bridge is scheduled to undergo a major rebuild in the future, some immediate repairs needed to be made, which included replacing a wood piling cap with a steel replacement and shimming steel bent. More pictures and information about this repair and the Molalla River Bridge can be found on our Molalla River Bridge Repair Page. Pictures are courtesy of Tim Samuels. |
| Birthday Charter Run on June 13th Update: June 14, 2009 On Saturday June 14th, another private birthday charter was run on the OPR. Consist was engine 1202, the open air car and Samtrak caboose. Another great charter run on a nice summer day. Approximately 40 people rode the train between Oaks Park Station and East Portland and stopped at Riverside Station, just south of the Ross Island Bridge to have lunch. If you want to charter a train for a birthday party or any other private event, check out our Charters Page for more info. |
| N Scale Modelers National Convention Tour at the OPR Shops Update: June 19, 2009 On Thursday June 18, the N scale modeler's convention, 2009, hosted a tour group on the OPR. Two separate groups of approximately 200 visitors, stopped by the OPR Milwaukie Shops. Visitors were given a tour of all of the equipment and the shops and learned about the history of the OPR from Mr. Samuels. Several historical locomotives were lined on McBrod Ave, just south of the Milwaukie shops, including Engines 1202, 5100, 187 and 100, along with the Samtrak caboose and open air car and the Kelly Sue passenger car, which is due to be restored. Also on site and open for tours, was Chris McLarney's Union Pacific caboose. The Convention included visitors from all over the world! http://www.nationalnscaleconvention.com/Portland/comingevents.html |
