United Railways was a

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

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 ...

. Begun as an electric

interurban railway The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...

in 1911, passenger service was never effective and the road became a freight link to the

Tualatin Valley The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon in the United States. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, ...

. The company was dissolved in 1944, but the railroad line remains active.

History

Initially built as an

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...

electric railway, the main line opened on April 16, 1911 between Portland and Wilkesboro. Unusual for interurbans, the line featured a long tunnel beneath Cornelius Pass. The company had a close working relationship with the

Oregon Electric Railway The Oregon Electric Railway (OE) was an interurban railroad line in the U.S. state of Oregon that linked Portland to Eugene. Service from Portland to Salem began in January 1908. The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway purchased the system in ...

. As such, when the Oregon Electric changed their electrification voltage in 1912, United Railways implemented the same system. Service south of Linnton was suspended in 1915 amid a fare dispute, necessitating passengers wishing to continue to Portland to transfer to mainline

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 o ...

trains. As passenger traffic declined, the company looked to local lumber processors to support business. Additional branch railroads were built from Wilkesboro in 1920 which facilitated the increased freight business. The

Gales Creek and Wilson River Railroad Gales can refer to: Places *Wales, a country that is part of the United Kingdom, called "Gales" in Spanish, Galician, Basque and Guarani and "País de Gales" in Portuguese * Galeş, a village in Săliște town, Sibiu County, Romania * Gales Addit ...

built a line west to Glenwood and, after a failed attempt to purchase UR, interchanged freight. The Portland, Astoria and Pacific Railroad further built a route north to Keasey and began leasing the United Railways line. While the line was initially planned to extend to Tillamook, the only extension beyond Wilkesboro was in the 1920s when rails were run to Banks. Passenger service ceased after January 18, 1923. The railroad continued to operate as a freight line, but the electrification system was removed in favor of diesel locomotives. The company interchanged logs on disconnected trucks. The SP&S purchased and dissolved the company outright in 1944. The main line persisted as a freight line, eventually passing into the ownership of Portland and Western Railroad.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{cite book , last1=Kamholz , first1=Edward J. , last2=Blain , first2=Jim , last3=Kamholz , first3=Gregory , title=The Oregon-American Lumber Company: Ain’t No More , date=2003 , publisher=Stanford University Press , isbn=9780804744812 History of transportation in Oregon Defunct Oregon railroads Transportation in Portland, Oregon Predecessors of the Burlington Northern Railroad Railway companies established in 1906 Railway lines opened in 1911 Railway companies disestablished in 1944 Interurban railways in Oregon Electric railways in Oregon 1906 establishments in Oregon 600 V DC railway electrification 1200 V DC railway electrification

History

See also

References

Bibliography