Valley and Siletz Railroad explained

Railroad Name:Valley and Siletz Railroad
Locale:Polk County and Benton County, Oregon, United States
Start Year:1917
End Year:1978
Length:40.6miles
Hq City:Hoskins, Oregon

The Valley and Siletz Railroad (VS) is a 40.6miles defunct railroad located in Polk and Benton counties in the U.S. state of Oregon.

The railroad began construction in 1912. It was 12miles long by 1915, 34miles long by 1917, and was extended to 40.6miles and completed later that year.[1] [2] [3] In order to supply the Willamette Valley with wood products from forests in the Northern Oregon Coast Range, the railroad followed the Luckiamute River to connect Independence, a city along the Willamette River, to Valsetz, a logging community in the Coast Range whose name is a portmanteau of the railroad's name.[4] In 1957, the railroad retired its last steam locomotive.[5] In September 1978, when it became no longer profitable for the logging industry, most of the railroad was abandoned.

In 1985, brothers Dave and Mike Root bought the intact remnant of the Valley and Siletz line and combined it with the former Longview Portland & Northern Grand Ronde Division line to form a company called the Willamette Valley Railroad. The Valley and Siletz line was separated from the Willamette Valley Railroad in 1988. It operated until May 1992, serving the Mountain Fir Lumber Company.[6] [7]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Eighth Annual Report of the Railroad Commission of Oregon to the Governor. 1915. Oregon State Printing Department. Salem, Oregon. 28.
  2. Web site: Fort Hoskins Historic Park. Benton County, Oregon. https://web.archive.org/web/20120329031928/http://www.co.benton.or.us/parks/documents/fh_brochure.pdf. 9. March 29, 2012.
  3. Book: Tenth Annual Report of the Public Service Commission of Oregon to the Governor. 1917. Oregon State Printing Department. Salem, Oregon. 131.
  4. Web site: Oregon Railroad History. The Pacific Northwest Chapter. National Railway Historical Society. August 17, 2011.
  5. Web site: Valley & Siletz GE 70-tonners.
  6. Web site: The Valley and Siletz Railroad . Independence to Siletz . Abandoned Rails . Edwards, Brian . February 25, 2013.
  7. Web site: McCamish, Brian . Willamette Valley Railway . Active Short Lines of the Pacific Northwest . Oregon Pacific Railroad Company . February 25, 2013.