Article about the Salmonberry Trail

[justpeachy]

Leaders of proposed Salmonberry Trail between Tillamook and Banks hash out implementation plans
http://www.oregonlive.com/forest-grove/ ... nberr.html


This is great! Since those tracks washed out in 2006 I thought this would make a great rails-to-trails project. Glad to hear that they're working on it.

[BrianEdwards]

I would LOVE to see this become a reality. That canyon is so scenic and remote feeling. The railroad history just adds to it. Only once did I ever get to see a train running on the line, and I'm glad I did, now that the line's destroyed.

[justpeachy]

When my sis and I hiked the tracks in 2007 we saw two trains.

First train, which we only knew was coming because of the ground rumbling:






Second train, which was actually just three locomotives:

[source]

Can this route still be hiked? I have seen reports of people that did it but I have also heard there are no trespassing signs. It looks like it would be fun to explore, even in its washed out condition. Thanks-

[RobFromRedland]

I hiked it with a friend last spring, and it was definitely still hikeable. We did a shuttle from Cochran to Salmonberry - it was a very long day, with all the driving for the shuttle, but it was a lot of fun. If you are adventurous, it is highly recommended. There are some difficult spots to get through, however, so it isn't a walk in the park.

I don't recall ever seeing any "no trespassing" signs.

[retired jerry]

There are some washouts you have to negotiate

You may reach a place where you decide you've gone far enough

[BrianEdwards]

This route is legal to hike. The line has been 'rail banked'. Meaning the right of way will be left in tact for potential future re-installment of rail service. But in the mean time, the general public is allowed to hike on it.

From Enright to Tillamook, the line is leased to the Oregon Coast Scenic railroad. They are actively restoring passenger/tourist rail service from Garibaldi to Salmonberry. This week they're clearing mud over the rails at a slide west of Enright. They're a very friendly bunch, but I have no idea their take on hiking the rails where they've fixed. It'll be a bit til they are able to run trains to Salmonberry due to a major washout nearby.

They do not have immidiate plans to run trains east of Salmonberry.

[RobFromRedland]

This route is legal to hike. The line has been 'rail banked'. Meaning the right of way will be left in tact for potential future re-installment of rail service. But in the mean time, the general public is allowed to hike on it.

From Salmonberry to Tillamook, the line is leased to the Oregon Coast Scenic railroad. They are actively restoring passenger/tourist rail service from Garibaldi to Salmonberry. This week they're clearing mud over the rails at a slide west of Enright. They're a very friendly bunch, but I have no idea their take on hiking the rails where they've fixed. They're not quite to Enright in the repair process. It'll be a bit til they get to Salmonberry due to a major washout nearby.

They are not going to run trains east of Salmonberry. They leased 48 miles of track from Salmonberry to Tillamook

That is kind of cool.....But I have a question - if they aren't going to run east of Salmonberry, why are they fixing tracks at Enright? Isn't that east of Salmonberry? Maybe I'm just mixed up again? (wouldn't be the first time).

To me, the really interesting stuff is between Cochran and a little past Belding, although Enright was rather interesting too. It is a very cool hike, regardless.....

[retired jerry]

Yeah - Salmonberry is at the West end of the Salmonberry River where it meets the Nehalem River.

The East end is Timber that you can get to from highway 26 - actually, the Salmonberry River doesn't go that far.

About 1/4 of the way from Salmonberry to Timber is Enright.

If the East end of the railroad is going to be Salmonberry, no reason to work at Enright.

As I remember, the railroad to Enright wasn't too bad - easily walked - a couple minor washouts

East of Enright are some major washouts that would be more difficult to restore

[BrianEdwards]

Alright, I went back to the three other forums that have Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad members or fans on em and went over their plan. Theres several different groups doing various tasks on the right of way. And sometimes the info gets crossed. Everyone is excited and anxious to get a train rolling on this section of track. I see now why things were confusing in my post, so I've edited it.

In the coming years, they'd like to run a train to Enright. But their immediate goal is Batterson to Salmonberry. In general, they would like all 48 miles of the rail line to be clean and in good shape. It's a rail thing, a well maintained right of way shows pride and attracts fans and potential donations. Seeing a train crawling through the weeds doesn't inspire railfolks like a train running at 10-25 mph on a clean, straight, cleanly-spiked pair of rails. Getting a reputation for being a clean classy tourist train outfit goes a long way with people, and helps ensure the longevity of the operation. The best is yet to come on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad

Here's a quote:

"The leased section of track is from the former Navy Blimp base south of Tillamook to Enright. The section of track between Batterson and Salmonberry is mostly brush. There are a couple of small slides and minor washouts that can be repaired with an excavator. It's just a matter of time. The biggest single section for us will be repairs at the mouth of the Salmonberry River. This is where the river washed out the north end of the county road bridge and removed two to three hundred feet of road bed. With the county road bridge repaired we will need to bring in a bunch of rock to fill in some of the missing roadbed and realign the track slightly north of its original alignment to accommodate the longer road bridge. The last five miles to Enright should be small slides, washouts and brush.

Aaron Zorko
Oregon Coast Scenic RR"