The Oregon Slough Railroad Bridge, also known as the BNSF Railway Bridge 8.8, is a swing-span, through

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, United States. Currently owned and operated by BNSF Railway, it crosses an anabranch of the Columbia River known as North Portland Harbor and historically as the Oregon Slough. The bridge's northern end is on

Hayden Island Hayden Island is an island in the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The wide main channel of the Columbia (and the Washington–Oregon state line) passes north of the island. To the south, sheltered by the islan ...

, which, along with Tomahawk Island, forms the north shore of the channel. Completed in 1908, the two-track bridge is one of only two swing bridges surviving in Portland, which once had several bridges of that type, both for road and rail traffic. The only other remaining swing bridge in the Portland area is another rail-only bridge on the same line, BNSF's nearby Bridge 9.6, spanning the Columbia River. The bridge is used regularly by

freight trains Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers. A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons (International Union of Railways) hauled ...

of both BNSF and

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 ...

, as well as by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

passenger trains on routes connecting Portland with

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

and with

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

via

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

. The 8.8 in the name is the distance, in miles, from Portland's

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

, the same as for Bridge 5.1 (across the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

) and Bridge 9.6 on the same line.

History

The Oregon Slough Railroad Bridge was built in 1906–1908 by the Northern Pacific Railway (NP) for use by the

Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S) was a railroad in the northwest United States. Incorporated in 1905, it was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of ...

(SP&S), as part of construction of a new line between

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

and Portland. SP&S was formed jointly by NP and Great Northern Railway,"Two Roads Come On North Bank: Northern Pacific and Great Northern"
(September 17, 1905). ''

The Sunday Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'', p. 1. Retrieved 2014-06-21. originally as the Portland & Seattle Railway, to build and ultimately operate new railroad lines from Portland to

and Portland to

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...

. It was renamed ''Spokane'', Portland & Seattle Railway in early 1908[from Portland & Seattle Railway Company to Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Company">"Important Articles Filed: North Bank Changes Name [from Portland & Seattle Railway Company to Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway Company
/nowiki>, Increases Capital and Will Extend"]. (January 30, 1908). ''The Morning Oregonian'', p. 11. Retrieved 2014-06-21. (before opening any track sections) after construction of the Portland–Spokane line got under way before the Seattle line."History of North Bank Road"
(November 6, 1908). ''The Morning Oregonian'', p. 12. The planned new railroad was commonly referred to as the "North Bank road" (road being short for railroad or railroad line), or North Bank line, because the Seattle line would follow the Columbia River's north bank as far as Kelso and the Spokane line would also follow the north bank, running east from Vancouver. East from Portland, the south bank of the Columbia already had a rail line, owned by the

Oregon 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 ...

(later absorbed by

). As with the other two opening bridges built concurrently on the same Portland–Vancouver line, the span was designed by bridge engineer

Ralph Modjeski Ralph Modjeski (born Rudolf Modrzejewski; January 27, 1861 – June 26, 1940) was a Polish-American civil engineer who achieved prominence as "America's greatest bridge builder." Life He was born in Bochnia, called Galicia at the time, on Janu ...

Oregon Slough Railroad Bridge with Amtrak train

Construction started in 1906, and most of the bridge structural work was completed by mid-1908. "Finish_Bridge_Over_Columbia;_Steel_Structure_of_the_Spokane,_Portland_&_Seattle_Railroad_[sic
/nowiki>_Completed—Last_Bolt_In_Yesterday".html" ;"title="ic">"Finish Bridge Over Columbia; Steel Structure of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad

ic">"Finish_Bridge_Over_Columbia;_Steel_Structure_of_the_Spokane,_Portland_&_Seattle_Railroad_[sic
/nowiki>_Completed—Last_Bolt_In_Yesterday"(article_mainly_about_Columbia_River_bridge_but_also_includes_information_on_the_Oregon_Slough_bridge)._(June_26,_1908)._''The_Oregonian">The_Morning_Oregonian__ ''The_Oregonian''_is_a_daily_newspaper_based_in_Portland,_Oregon,_United_States,_owned_by_Advance_Publications._It_is_the_oldest_continuously_published_newspaper_on_the_U.S._west_coast,_founded_as_a_weekly_by_Thomas_J._Dryer_on_December_4,_1850_...

'',_p._11._Retrieved_2014-06-21._The_first_train_crossed_the_span_on_October_23,_1908,"First_Train_Crosses_Bridges"._(October_24,_1908)._''The_Morning_Oregonian'',_p._4._and_the_bridge_opened_for_regular_use_in_November_1908."Begin_New_Service:__North_Bank_Road_Schedule_to_Go_Into_Effect_Tuesday"
_(November_11,_1908)._''The_Oregonian.html" "title="The_Oregonian.html" "title="ic
/nowiki> Completed—Last Bolt In Yesterday"">ic">"Finish Bridge Over Columbia; Steel Structure of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad [sic
/nowiki> Completed—Last Bolt In Yesterday"(article mainly about Columbia River bridge but also includes information on the Oregon Slough bridge). (June 26, 1908). ''The Oregonian">The Morning Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850 ...

'', p. 11. Retrieved 2014-06-21. The first train crossed the span on October 23, 1908,"First Train Crosses Bridges". (October 24, 1908). ''The Morning Oregonian'', p. 4. and the bridge opened for regular use in November 1908."Begin New Service: North Bank Road Schedule to Go Into Effect Tuesday"
(November 11, 1908). ''The Oregonian">The Morning Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850 ...

History

Operation

See also

References

External links