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Introduction
The Oregon Pacific Railroad is owned by Dick Samuels
and is operated by him and his family. It consists of two separate
branches in the Portland area. The first is the East Portland Branch,
which is the last remaining section of the once extensive Portland
Traction Company streetcar and interurban line. The interurban lines
were known as the Portland Railroad and Terminal Division of the
Portland Traction Company. The electric interurbans stopped running in January of 1958.
Replaced by two EMD SW1 diesel locomotives which were
purchased in the early 1950s. In 1962, the Portland Traction Company was purchased
jointly by the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads. Portions of
the line would be abandoned over the next 30 years, until 1991, when all
that remained was the four miles from East Portland to Milwaukie, which
were sold to Dick Samuels to become the East
Portland Traction Company. In 1993, Samuels purchased the Southern
Pacific Railroad's branch line from Canby to Molalla, naming it the
Molalla Western Railroad. In 1997, Samuels combined the East Portland
Traction Company and the Molalla Western into the Oregon Pacific
Railroad. See
The Rise and Fall of the Portland Traction Company by Craig Bass for
more history, and Brian McCamish's
Oregon Pacific for more information.
The Oregon Pacific has a large roster for a railroad
of its size, due to the collection of eclectic locomotives acquired by
owner Dick Samuels over the years. It is this collection of equipment
that gives the Oregon Pacific much of its charm.
In July 2007, the Oregon Pacific Railroad and the
Pacific Railroad Preservation Association
hosted a weekend of excursions from Oaks Park to East Portland using
SP&S #700 and some of the diesels of the Oregon Pacific Railroad. This
was the same route as on the
Farewell to Steam
50th Anniversary weekend. SP&S #700 and the diesels ran public trips
on July 13-14 to raise money for the PRPA. On the 15th, the diesels
pulled private excursions for the PRPA members. There were speeders
there as well.
    Here
is SP&S #700 at Oaks Park between runs on the afternoon of July 13.
    Here
are some of the railroad speeders at Oaks Park. These speeders gave
rides from Oaks Park to the Milwaukie shops, or to East Portland
Junction.
  
Here are SW1 #100 and 70-tonner #5100 pulling the
excursion train at Oaks Park and Portland on the afternoon of July 13.
     On
July 15, I got these photos of SW1200RS #1202 and GP7U #1810 at Oaks
Park. Dick Samuels was at the controls of #1810.
  After
this event, I realized that I had photographs of nearly the entire
Oregon Pacific Railroad locomotive roster. I even had earlier pictures
of some of the locomotives on the Molalla branch, but I was missing one.
So I went out to Liberal one day after work and found the four SW8s:
#602, #801, #802 & #803.
After the trip to Liberal I had photographs of all
the active locomotives, but there was one more I still
wanted...the diminutive 25-tonner that was donated to the Oregon
Electric Railway Historical Society in Brooks, Oregon in 2005. In August
I went to the Great Oregon Steam-Up at Antique Powerland in Brooks and
got that picture as well. That gave me all the pictures I needed...until
September when I discovered that the Oregon Pacific had purchased a new
locomotive. I photographed it as it had arrived, but it wasn't until
Thanksgiving that I found the new locomotive in shiny Oregon Pacific red
and white, finally completing my photo collection.
Now, I present the Diesels of the Oregon Pacific
Railroad.
Locomotives
#45
 Locomotive
#45 is a General Electric
45-Tonner. It has had one of its two engines removed, and in its place
is a tie crane. This locomotive is lettered for Samuels Pacific
Industries, an earlier Samuels business name. With only one
150-horsepower engine, #45 is now more a piece of maintenance
 equipment
than a locomotive, and is stored near the Milwaukie shops.
#100
 Locomotive #100
is a 600-horsepower SW1 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General
Motors in February 1952. It was originally owned by the Portland
Railroad & Terminal Division of the Portland Traction Company and has
worked on the East Portland branch for nearly its entire existence. It
was
 joined
in March 1953 by another SW1: #200. In the mid-1980s, #100 was sold to
Watco Companies and used at a paper mill in Wallua, Washington, while
#200 was sold and ended up serving a grain elevator in Superior, WI.
#100 was purchased by Dick Samuels in 1987 for use on its original line,
which would
 become
the East Portland Traction Company, and was repainted back to its
original orange paint scheme, which it retains today. #100 was also used
for a time on the Molalla Western in 1993 just after Dick Samuels took
over that line, but is typically used
 on
the East Portland line and calls the Milwaukie shops home.
#101
 Locomotive
#101 is an 80-ton centercab built by General Electric in 1956 for the
Pacific Lumber Company of Scotia, California. It was originally powered
by a pair of 275-horsepower engines. It was retired in 1992 and was
purchased by Dick Samuels in 1996
 along
with identical sister #102. This locomotive now sits on shop trucks near
the Milwaukie shops and has been cannibalized as a parts source for
#102, which is leased to the Columbia Business Park in Vancouver,
Washington.
#187
 Locomotive
#187 is an NW5, one of only 13 built by the Electro-Motive Division of
General Motors. It was built in December 1946 as Great Northern #187. It
became Burlington Northern #987 after the 1970 merger. It was retired in
April 1982 and was sold in July to Pacific Transportation Services as
 #1001.
It was later sold to Pete Replinger. It was purchased by Dick Samuels in
the early 1990s for use on the Molalla Western, but was never put into
service. The original 1000-horsepower engine has been replaced with an
800-horsepower one, giving the locomotive a single- stack
exhaust instead of the original twin-stacks. It has spent most of its
time stored near the Milwaukie shops, but was moved to Sellwood in late
2007.
GN
#187 in Spokane, WA in April 1970
BN #987 in Seattle, WA in September 1972
BN #987 in New Westminster, BC in 1973
#500
 Locomotive
#500 is a General Electric 80-Tonner. It is an earlier model than #101
and judging from its paint scheme, it was previously owned by the United
States Army Transportation Corps, which was probably the original owner.
Dick Samuels purchased it
 around
1994. It is not operational and may be a parts locomotive. It sits next
to #101 near the Milwaukie shops.
#602
 Locomotive #602
is an 800-hoursepower SW8, built by the Electro-Motive Division of
General Motors in July 1952 as Bamberger Railroad #602. After the
Bamberger shut down it was sold to the Yreka Western in 1958. It was
transferred in 1978 to t he
Oregon Pacific & Eastern, which was under the same ownership as the
Yreka Western. It was purchased by Dick Samuels after the Oregon Pacific
& Eastern shut down in 1994. It may have been intended to be painted in
Molalla Western/Oregon Pacific colors as #802, but that never happened
and eventually
 another
locomotive was acquired and given that number. #602 still wears its OP&E
paint and herald on the cab and appears to have been cannibalized for
parts for the other SW8s on the Molalla branch. It is located in
Liberal, Oregon.
 Yreka
Western #602 in Montague, CA in August 1963
OP&E #602 in August 1986
#801
 Locomotive
#801 is an SW8 built by EMD in June 1951 as Great Northern #99. It
became Burlington Northern #99 after 1970. It was retired in April 1982
and was sold to General Metals in May. In January 1984 it was sold to
Pacific Transportation Services as #81. It was later sold to the Mt.
Rainier
 Scenic
Railroad. It was purchased from Pete Replinger by Dick Samuels in 1993
and repainted as Mollala Western #801, in a paint scheme similar to the
one it now wears. When repainted for Oregon Pacific it was named "Myron A. Satrum."
It is assigned to the Molalla
 branch
and can be found in Liberal, where as of 2007 it appears to be stored.
BN #99 in Portland, OR in July 1979
BN #99 in April 1982
#802
 Locomotive #802
is a dynamic-brake-equipped SW8 built by EMD in January 1954 as Southern
Pacific #4622. It was renumbered to #1127 after 1965. It was sold to
become Lewis & Clark Railway (LINC) #81 in 1984. The locomotive was sold
to Livingston Mountain Locomotive Works (LMLX) in 2003 a nd
the LINC leased it back. It was purchased by Dick Samuels in 2004. It
still wears the remains of the Lewis & Clark Railway's Northern Pacific
inspired paint scheme. It was initially assigned to the East Portland
Branch, but by 2007 was transferred to the Molalla Branch where it
became the primary l ocomotive,
and could be found in either Liberal or Canby. With the newly acquired
#901 and/or #1202 destined to come to the Molalla Branch, #802 may come
back to Milwaukie and get a new paint scheme in the near future.
 SP
#1127 in Santa Clara, CA in 1980
LINC #81 in February, 2002
LMLX #81 in Battle Ground, WA in October 2003
#803
 Locomotive #803,
"Spirit of Canby," was built in March 1953 as Texas &
New Orleans (a Southern Pacific subsidiary) #13. It was later renumbered
to Southern Pacific #1105. It was sold to the Lewis & Clark Railway as
#80 and was purchased
 by
Dick Samuels in 1996. This locomotive may have briefly been numbered
#802, but was given #803 when painted in Oregon Pacific colors. This may
have led to the current confusion with the current #802. It is assigned
to the Molalla division and as of 2007 appears to be a backup
locomotive. As such, it can
 usually
be found in Liberal.
SP #1105 in San Jose, CA in 1980
 "EPTC
#802" in Milwaukie in February 1996. The number on the locomotive is
not readable in this photograph. It could be numbered #802 or the
picture could be mislabeled. In either case, this would appear to be the
locomotive that is the current #803. It is a former LINC locomotive that
must be #80, as explained
 below.
A note about locomotives #802 and #803: There is a
lot of confusion among online roster sources about these two SW8
locomotives and which was LINC #80 and which was LINC/LMLX #81. Some
even list #802 and #803 as the same locomotive, with #802 being
renumbered to #803. The current #803 may have been briefly numbered as
#802 when first acquired, years before the current #802 was purchased.
The current #802 and #803 are definitely not the same locomotive,
as I have seen them sitting side by side. Also, #802 has a dynamic brake
housing while #803 does not. The current #802 is definitely the
former LINC/LMLX #81, as the remains of the old number can be seen
wearing through on one side of the cab. Roster sources are fairly
consistent in saying that #803 was formerly Southern Pacific #1105,
originally T&NO #13, and that it came from the Lewis & Clark Railway,
and its appearance in consistent with that. LINC had four SW8s, #80-83;
#81, #82 and #83 all had dynamic brake housings, and are all accounted
for (#82 & #83 are still on the former Lewis & Clark line), leaving #80
to be the only possibility for #803.
#901
  Locomotive
#901, "Richard C. Williams/E. Ruth Williams," was built
in October 1953 as an SW8. It was originally Cedar Rapids & Iowa City
#91. In 1989, #91 was rebuilt into an SW900, increasing its horsepower
from 800 to
 900
 horsepower.
The locomotive was
 purchased
in 2007 and arrived in Milwaukie by September. and was subsequently
painted in Oregon Pacific colors. It is the only Oregon Pacific
locomotive to have a different name on each side of the cab.
CIC #91 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in October 1986
#1010
 Locomotive
#1010 is actually a slug; it has no engine of its own, only traction
motors, and must get its power from another locomotive. It was
originally built by EMD in 1950 as Louisville & Nashville #2247, a
1,000-horsepower SW7. It was rebuilt by
 General
Electric in June 1979 as Southern Pacific SL-4B Slug #1010. Union
Pacific retired #1010 in 2000. Dick Samuels purchased it for use on the
Molalla branch, but it was never used and was kept stored near the
Milwaukie shops. In late 2007, it was sold to Archer Daniels Midland for
use at a grain elevator in Kansas.
   
Locomotive #1810 & Slug #1010 were painted in ADM's colors by OPR's shop
forces. Here is SFGX #1010 outside the Milwaukie Shops on February 16,
2008.
L&N SW7 #2247 in May 1968
L&N SW7 #2247 in Birmingham, Alabama in April 1973
SP #1010 at General Electric in Minneapolis, MN in June 1979
#1202
  Locomotive #1202, "Walter B. Beebe,"
was built by General Motors Diesel (EMD's Canadian subsidiary) in 1953
as Canadian Pacific #7403, a 1200 horsepower SW9 . It was rebuilt in
1982 as Canadian Pacific SW1200RSu #1202. It
 was
retired i n
2005 and sold to Larry's Truck & Electric, where Dick Samuels purchased
in 2006. It is identified as a Canadian switcher by the large
numberboard housing in front. It also features Flexicoil switcher trucks
in place of the rougher-riding standard AAR trucks
 under
the
 Oregon
Pacific's other switchers.
CP #7403 in Toronto, Ontario in October 1974
CP #1202 in Toronto, Ontario in August 1983
CP #1202 in Toronto, Ontario in April 1989
CP #1202 in Chicago, Illinois in January 1999
CP #1202 in Calgary, Alberta
#1810
  Locomotive #1810, "Eileen Samuels,"
was built by EMD in August 1951 as U.S. Army #1821, a 1500 horsepower
GP7. It was built with switcher trucks. It later went to the Alaska
Railroad in about 1960, where it was equipped with AAR trucks from a
retired Alco
  RS1
and given a low short hood, becoming a GP7L. It was rebuilt again in
1976, becoming GP7u #1810. It was retired in 1986 and ended up in a
scrap yard in Klamath Falls, Oregon with sister #1804. Both were
purchased by the McCloud River Railroad in
  1988
and were sold to Nevada Industrial Switch by 1993. They were used in the
filming of Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, starring Steven Seagal.
Dick Samuels purchased #1810 in 1999, while 1804 was sold to Pacific
Harbor Lines in Los Angeles. When
  acquired,
#1810 was still painted for its movie role. It stayed on the East
Portland Branch, often stored at the Milwaukie shops or at Sellwood. In
late 2007, #1810 was sold to Archer Daniels Midland with slug #1010 for
use at a grain elevator in Kansas.
Locomotive #1810 & Slug #1010 were painted in ADM's colors by OPR's shop
forces. Here is SFGX #1810 outside the Milwaukie Shops on February 16,
2008.
Picture of #1810 as Alaska #1821 in 1971
Picture of #1810 in service in Alaska in 1984
Pictures of #1810 in Klamath Falls, OR in 1988 and in McCloud, CA in
1991
Pictures of #1810 shortly after arriving in Milwaukie (scroll down)
Here are pictures of #1810 as seen in Under Siege
2: Dark Territory
#2501
 Locomotive #2501, "Little Toot,"
is a General Electric 25-tonner built in 1942 for the U.S. Army. It is
powered by a single 150-horsepower engine. It was purchased by Dick
Samuels in 1992 for use on the SamTrak tourist train on the East
Portland Branch. After SamTrak service ended, Samuels donated #2501 to
the
Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society in 2005 and it was moved
to Antique
Powerland in Brooks, Oregon where it is pictured here.
#4501
 Locomotive #4501, "Big Red,"
is a 45-tonner built by General Electric in 1943 as U.S. Army #7249 for
the Cornhusker Ordinance Plant in Ovina, Nebraska. It is powered by two
150 horsepower engines. It was later used on the Alaska Railway and was
sold to the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad in 1983 as #007. Dick Samuels
purchased it in 1994 to replace #2501, which was not powerful enough to
pull the SamTrak train with the caboose added. This locomotive is
equipped with remote control to allow it to be operated from the SamTrak
caboose.
#5100
 Locomotive #5100
is a General Electric 70-tonner, built in March 1949 as Southern Pacific
#5100. It was sold in 1977 to the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company as #2901
and used on their Springfield, Oregon division. The Springfield line was
abandoned in 1986. This locomotive was
 purchased
by Dick Samuels in 1989. Shortly after he acquired it, Samuels painted
the locomotive in its original Southern Pacific colors, but with
"Samuels Pacific Ind." in place of Southern Pacific. He has since had a
change of heart and given it its historic road name.
SP #5100 in Eugene, OR in 1971
SP #5100 in Eugene, OR in 1974
Cabooses/Passenger
Cars
Yes, they aren't diesels, but they are noteworthy
enough that I wanted to include them.
#11
  Caboose #11
is a former Union Pacific caboose. Dick Samuels has had possession of it
since the late 1980s. It was used with #100 during Samuels' early years
of operating the East Portland Traction
 Company,
but spent most of its time in use as an office at the Milwaukie shops.
It was restored to service in 2006. I think this caboose might be former
Union Pacific CA-5 #25240, which was built as #3940 in August 1952,
renumbered in March 1959 and donated to the
Northwest
Rail Museum in April 1989.
#900
  Caboose #900
was originally a logging caboose for the Simpson Timber Company of
Shelton, Washington. Dick Samuels acquired in the early 1990s and
rebuilt it for SamTrak service. It retains its basic shape from its
logging days, but is
 otherwise
 very
different. It is equipped with an air horn and light, to allow it to
"lead."
"Kelly Sue"
 This
steel-sheathed wood passenger car was originally built as an observation
car for the Great Northern Railway. It later became business car A-26
and was eventually transferred to maintenance of way service. The Great
Northern merged into Burlington Northern in 1970, and this car was part
of the merger. It
 remained
in service with Burlington Northern for a number of years until it was
retired. Somewhere along the line, it was lettered as NCBX #826, with
"STANDARD RAIL" on one side. It found its way to Portland and spent
years stored in various locations, including on a siding near
 Linnton,
Oregon, northwest of Portland. Vandals set fire to the car in 2006. The
car spent time near OMSI at East Portland Junction before being moved to
the Oregon Pacific shops in Milwaukie in early 2008, where it was be
restored for excursion service and given the name "Kelly Sue."
Oregon Pacific
Railroad Links
Spokane, Portland & Seattle #700
Pacific Railroad Preservation Association
Brian McCamish's
Oregon Pacific Railroad Page
Fallen Flag
Railroad Photos
RR Picture
Archives
Rob
Jacox's Western Rails
Western
Shortline Rosters
Also See:
Farewell is not Forever
4449 - 844 Doubleheader!
4449
and Friends from the Brooklyn Roundhouse
Northwest Short Lines
Northwest
Railroad Museums
No.
700
Motorcar Club Toots Through Rainier
PLACES: Antique Powerland
All website content, including graphics and
pictures are © Robert D. West unless otherwise noted. Content is not to
be used out of the context of this webpage without expressed
permission. Any opinions expressed herein are mine and are not
necessarily shared by the Milwaukee School of Engineering, or anyone
else.
Questions? Comments? Critiques? Corrections?
Concerns? Email me at westr@msoe.edu.
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