User:Mackensen/Tillamook branch

The Tillamook branch is a partially-abandoned railway line in the state of Oregon, in the United States. At its fullest extent, it ran 114 mi from Milwaukie, Oregon, south of Portland, Oregon, to Tillamook, Oregon, on Tillamook Bay. It was built by the Pacific Railway and Navigation Company and for decades was part of the Southern Pacific Railroad system.

Construction
The eastern end of the branch began at Willsburg Junction in Milwaukie, on the Brooklyn Subdivision. The Beaverton and Willsburg Railroad, established in 1906, built west through Milwaukie to Lake Oswego. The Lake Oswego Railroad Bridge carries the line over the Willamette River. From Lake Oswego, the branch uses approximately 4 mi of the main line of the Portland and Willamette Valley Railway. This line was built as a narrow gauge railway in 1885–1888, and was subsequently rebuilt as a standard gauge line in 1893. From the point where the Portland and Willamette Valley Railway turns southwest, the Beaverton and Willsburg Railroad built a second connecting track, 7 mi long, which ran northwest to a connection with the original main line of the Oregon Central Railroad in Beaverton.

The oldest part of the Tillamook branch was the original main line of the "West Side" Oregon Central Railroad, which was completed between Portland and Saint Joseph in November 1872. The Tillamook branch used this line between Beaverton and Hillsboro, 9 mi to the west. From Hillsboro, the Pacific Railway and Navigation Company undertook the largest and most difficult part of the undertaking, building 91 mi through the Northern Oregon Coast Range to Tillamook Bay.

Divestiture
Given the difficult operating conditions and falling traffic, the Southern Pacific planned to abandon the western part of line in the 1980s. With financial support from the Oregon Economic Development Department, the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad began operating over the line between Tillamook and Batterson, Oregon, in 1983. This was extended to Hillsboro, Oregon, in 1986. At the same time, the Southern Pacific obtained approval from the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to abandon the line west of Schefflin in the future. The Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad formally leased the line west of Hillsboro at the end of 1986; the Southern Pacific retained the line between Hillsboro and Milwaukie. In February 1990, the Port of Tillamook Bay purchased its part of the line for $2.9 million.

On the eastern end, the new Portland and Western Railroad leased several Southern Pacific branches, including the Tillamook between Banks and Milwaukie, in 1995. Administratively, the Portland and Western has divided its portion of the Tillamook branch into three parts:


 * the Tillamook District between Banks and Beaverton.
 * the OE District from Beaverton to Bonita, south of Tigard Transit Center (and continuing further south).
 * the Willsburg District from Bonita to Willsburg Junction

Storms
Bad weather damaged the western end of the line repeatedly. Even while the Port of Tillamook was purchasing the line, a January 1990 storm caused $1.3 million in damage. In February 1996, a "Pineapple Express" damaged the Hillsboro–Tillamook line. About 7 mi of line was "nearly completely destroyed", two bridges washed out, and the flooding Salmonberry River washed "boulders the size of cars" through one of the line's tunnels. Restoring service cost $12 million.

The Great Coastal Gale on December 2–3, 2007, proved the final straw. Estimates of repair costs grew from an initial $20 million to $57.3 million. The Port of Tillamook Bay opted to not repair the damaged track over the mountains, but it still owns the right-of-way, including main line, spurs, and sidings. In 2011, the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad leased the line between Tillamook and Enright.