Willamina and Grand Ronde Railway
The Willamina and Grand Ronde Railway ( AAR reporting mark: WGR) was an American Class 3 railroad company based in Oregon .
history
The Willamina and Grand Ronde Railway was founded in 1922 by the Spaulding-Miami Lumber Company. The company built a railway line from Willamina to Grand Ronde . In Willamina there was a transition to a branch line of the Southern Pacific Railroad . The most important transport goods were forest products. In the following years the owner of the railway company changed several times. In 1955, Longview, Portland and Northern Railroad (LP&N) acquired the company and operated the route as the Grand Ronde Division. With the cessation of timber mining in 1959, the volume of transport decreased. Only transports to the adjacent sawmills and for agriculture were carried out.
In March 1980 the Root brothers bought the line and founded the Willamina and Grand Ronde Railroad. In the following years, the section between Willamina and Fort Hill was extensively renewed with government subsidies. The rest of the route to Grand Ronde was closed in 1985. In 1986 the company merged with the remains of the Valley and Siletz Railroad, which also belonged to the Root brothers, to form the Willamette Valley Railroad . Just two years later, the company was split up again and on March 1, 1988 the Willamina and Grand Ronde Railway was re-established. The operation continued through the Willamette Valley Railroad. In 1995 the Willamina – Fort Hill line was sold to the Hampton Railway . The remainder of the company was merged in 1996 into the Willamette Valley Railway .
vehicles
From 1922 the company owned a used 1'D steam locomotive from Baldwin Locomotive Works . The locomotive was likely in service until the mid-1950s. The locomotive was sold to the Virginia and Truckee Railroad in 1970 and was given the number 29 there. From 1952 a GE 45-ton switcher was also in use.
An ALCO S-2 was taken over from LP&N in 1980 . Later an EMD GP9 and an EMD SW1200 were used on the track .
literature
- Edward A. Lewis: American Shortline Railway Guide . 5th edition. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Waukesha, WI 1996, ISBN 0-89024-290-9 .