Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad

Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad
Overview
LocaleWashington and Tillamook counties, Oregon, United States
Dates of operation1952 (1952)–Present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge[1]
Length101 miles (163 km)

The Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad (reporting mark POTB) is a shortline railroad in northwestern Oregon in the United States. It was established in 1952 to handle switching in Tillamook, Oregon, and came to greater prominence in 1986 when it leased 94 miles (151 km) of the Southern Pacific Railroad's Tillamook Branch.

Purchased from the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1990 by the Port of Tillamook Bay, the railroad was used to transport lumber and agricultural products over the Northern Oregon Coast Range between the Oregon Coast and the Portland area until heavily damaged in a 2007 storm.[2][1][3][4] The Port of Tillamook Bay began operating the unincorporated railroad on March 27, 1986,[1] but the tracks were originally constructed by Oregon judge George R. Bagley and others in 1906.[5] The railroad's main line, no longer in use due to storm damage, runs between Hillsboro and Tillamook.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Robertson, Donald B. (1995). Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History. Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers, Ltd. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-87004-366-6.
  2. ^ "Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad". Port of Tillamook Bay. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  3. ^ "Railroads operating in Oregon" (PDF). Oregon Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  4. ^ "Worst is over for storm victims in Oregon". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. January 12, 1990. p. A4. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  5. ^ Lockley, Fred (1928). History of the Columbia River Valley From the Dalles to the Sea. Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Publishing. pp. 709–710.