The Oregon Eastern Railroad (OERR) is a railroad going from Ontario to Celetom

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

(Halfway between Vale and Harper). The railroad is all that is left of the

Wyoming Colorado Railroad The Wyoming Colorado Railroad was a shortline railroad formerly operating three separate divisions in Colorado, Wyoming, and Oregon. Of the original system, only the Oregon division is still in operation as the Oregon Eastern Railroad. WYCO was o ...

which started out as the Malheur Valley Railway. The railroad promotes itself as a "safe, reliable and economical method of transportation" and is proud of the

fuel efficiency Fuel efficiency is a form of thermal efficiency, meaning the ratio of effort to result of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier (fuel) into kinetic energy or work. Overall fuel efficiency may vary per device, wh ...

of railroads.

History

Malheur Valley Railway

Malheur Valley Railway built a branch line of the Oregon Short Line Railroad (OSL), beginning at that company's main line south of Ontario, Oregon, U.S., and extending west through the valley of the Malheur River to

Vale A vale is a type of valley. Vale may also refer to: Places Georgia * Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region Norway * Våle, a historic municipality Portugal * Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municipali ...

, then northwest to

Brogan Brogan or O'Brogan, is a surname originating in Ireland, anglicized from the original Ó Brógáin. The form McBrogan, is also present sharing the meaning of O'Brogan, essentially "son of Brogan." The name can be traced back to ancient King Breo ...

. The company was incorporated on January 26, 1906, and opened its first section of road on January 15, 1907, under lease to the OSL, then an

operating subsidiary An operating subsidiary is a subsidiary of a corporation through which the parent company (which may or may not be a holding company) indirectly conducts some portion of its business. Usually, an operating subsidiary can be distinguished in that ...

of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

. Construction between Vale and Brogan was aided by the Willow River Land and Irrigation Company. On December 23, 1910, new UP subsidiary

Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) was a railroad that operated a rail network of running east from Portland, Oregon, United States, to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho. It operated from 1896 as a ...

(OWR&N) acquired the property of the Malheur Valley Railway, but the line continued to be operated under lease by the OSL. The OWR&N subsequently built a line west from Vale, eventually reaching

Burns Burns may refer to: * Burn, an injury (plural) People: * Burns (surname), includes list of people and characters Business: * Burns London, a British guitar maker Places: ;In the United States * Burns, Colorado, unincorporated community in Eagle ...

, and also leased this Ontario–Burns Branch to the OSL. (This became moot in 1936, when the UP leased the OSL and OWR&N.) The line eventually expanded north from Burns into what is now the Malheur National Forest, where it split up into several branches.

WYCO

In November 1989, the

bought the entire Ontario–Burns Branch, including the old Malheur Valley Railway east of Vale, and abandoned the portion east of Celatom in June 1992. In spring 1993 WYCO started removing the line and UP filed a lawsuit against them. The settlement allowed UP to salvage the line after milepost 78.

Current ownership

On November 1, 2020, the OERR was sold by The Western Group to

Jaguar Transport Holdings The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the thi ...

of Joplin, Missouri. OERR 2072

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malheur Valley Railway Predecessors of the Union Pacific Railroad Railway companies established in 1906 Railway companies disestablished in 1910 Vale, Oregon Transportation in Malheur County, Oregon 1906 establishments in Oregon

History

Malheur Valley Railway

WYCO

Current ownership

See also

References