Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad
For the safety of the safety of others there is no trespassing on the railroad property.
In case of Railroad Emergency, please call (855) 842-7972.
Current Operations
The Port still owns extensive rail rights of way varying in width from 50 to 200 feet. The rail line is 101 miles in length, of which roughly 88 miles are main line, and the other 13 miles are spurs and sidings.
Port facilities in Banks, Oregon, serve a lumber mill in the Banks yard.
The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (OCSR), through an agreement with the Port, maintains the coastal track and operates it as a scenic tourist train operation.
History
When the Port of Tillamook Bay acquired the Tillamook Naval Air Station, it also acquired the Navy’s 5.5-mile railroad spur which connected with the Southern Pacific Railroad in downtown Tillamook.
The Southern Pacific line over the coast range had been built between 1906 and 1911. As Southern Pacific Railroad began to step away from that line in later years, the Port began operating it from Tillamook to Batterson in 1983. When Southern Pacific decided to abandon the operation in 1990 the Port purchased the entire line to Schefflin with help from state lottery funds.
The line stretches from Tillamook up the coast to Wheeler, then east through the coast range to the Portland area. It hugs the mountainside along the Salmonberry River and includes river crossings and wooden trestles – some 200 feet high.
The Port continued operating the railroad until December 2007 when flood waters from a major storm destroyed large sections of the roadbed in the mountainous area of the Salmonberry River Canyon. Prior to the storm, the railroad had hauled freight six days a week, carrying lumber and feed grains.
Due to the extraordinary expense to rebuild the damaged rail bed, the Port decided to use Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to expand and enhance its industrial park and airport facilities.
