The Oregon Trunk Line is a railway line in Oregon and Washington operated by the BNSF Railway. It is a remnant of the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, running from Wishram, Washington in the north to a connection with the Union Pacific at Chemult at its south end.[1] Connections to the Gateway Subdivision are facilitated by trackage rights over the Union Pacific Cascade Subdivision to Klamath Falls.
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History
editThe Oregon Trunk Line railroad surveyed the route in 1906,[2] with the golden spike driven at Bend on October 5, 1911.[3] It was built with competition from the Deschutes Railroad Company, which laid their tracks on the eastern bank of the Deschutes River.[3] The competing companies' workers became embroiled in a Railroad War during construction, with attacks involving dynamite, guns, and general brawls.[3][4][5][6] A truce was called in 1909 to allow the two to build a joint track through the narrow Deschutes River Valley.[6][4] Northern Pacific Railway and Great Northern Railway agreed to extend the line south of Bend to Klamath Falls in 1927.[7][8] The order was finalized the following year with Great Northern additionally acquiring trackage rights on the Southern Pacific line between Chemult and Klamath Falls.[9]
Passenger services along the line ended in 1971 with the formation of Amtrak.
References
edit- ^ BNSF Network Map (PDF) (Map). BNSF. January 2024.
- ^ "Federated Authorities and Railway Men Clash on Deschutes". The Oregon Daily Journal. November 7, 1906. p. 16.
- ^ a b c Fagan, Dick (October 3, 1961). "mill ends...". The Oregon Daily Journal. Portland, Oregon. p. 2-2.
- ^ a b Sawyer 2016, p. 191.
- ^ Krantz 1912, p. 28.
- ^ a b Krantz 1912, p. 34.
- ^ "G. N. To Build Line Alone: N. P. Board Gives Budd Free Rein". The Evening Herald. Klamath Falls, Oregon. June 1, 1927. p. 1.
- ^ "OFFERS RAIL FACILITIES TO OREGON TRUNK LINE; Southern Pacific States Terms in Negotiations for Joint Use of Mid-Oregon Sector". New York Times. March 27, 1927. p. E-18. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ^ "G. N. Given Order For Bend Plans". The Oregon Daily Journal. Portland, Oregon. January 27, 1928. p. 1.
Bibliography
edit- Krantz, Shad O. (September 1912). "Railroad War In The Mountains". Technical World Magazine. Vol. XVIII, no. 1. pp. 27–34 – via Google Books.
- Sawyer, Adam (2016). Best Outdoor Adventures Near Portland, Oregon: A Guide to the City's Greatest Hiking, Paddling, and Cycling. Falcon Guides. ISBN 9781493017119.