Western Railroad Discussion > OPR Celebrates 24th Anniversary Today

On April Fools day 1991 Portland Traction Company sold its remaining freight operation in the Portland area to the new East Portland Traction Company. All of the former operations had been abandoned except for the 5 1/2 mile segment between the SP (now UP) interchange at East Portland and the Milwaukie Industrial Park where it served several cold storage warehouses. Two years later the former EssPee Molalla Branch was added under the name of Molalla Western Railway and in 1997 both properties became the Oregon Pacific.

OPR hosts the annual "Holiday Express" featuring the SP&S 700 or SP 4449 operated by the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF) as their major annual fundraiser during the Christmas holiday season..

Freight traffic continues to flourish and the Saturday afternoon sightseeing excursions between the Oregon Rail Heritage Center and Oaks Park is experiencing sold out trains.

To accommodate the public, OPR has recently purchased a ex-BN caboose converted to passenger car formerly on the Sierra Railway at Oakdale, California to supplant the existing equipment which should arrive in Portland next week.

The OPR shortline is a completely family operated business consisting of myself and sons Tim, Brian and Craig which strives to continue to  be "Oregon's Progressive shortline Railroad".

Twenty-four years........where has the time gone???

Dick Samuels
Oregon Pacific Rail 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/15 20:46 by EMDSW-1.

Will you be offering us complimentary cab rides to celebrate?

EMDSW-1 Wrote:
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> On April Fools day 1991 Portland Traction Company
> sold its remaining freight operation in the
> Portland area to the new East Portland Traction
> Company. All of the former operations had been
> abandoned except for the 5 1/2 mile segment
> between the SP (now UP) interchange at East
> Portland and the Milwaukie Industrial Park where
> it served several cold storage warehouses. Two
> years later the former EssPee Molalla Branch was
> added under the name of Molalla Western Railway
> and in 1997 both properties became the Oregon
> Pacific.
>
> OPR hosts the annual "Holiday Express" featuring
> the SP&S 700 or SP 4449 operated by the Oregon
> Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF) as their major
> annual fundraiser during the Christmas holiday
> season..
>
> Freight traffic continues to flourish and the
> Saturday afternoon sightseeing excursions between
> the Oregon Rail Heritage Center and Oaks Park is
> experiencing sold out trains.
>
> To accommodate the public, OPR has recently
> purchased a ex-BN caboose converted to passenger
> car formerly on the Sierra Railway at Oakdale,
> California to supplant the existing equipment
> which should arrive in Portland next week.
>
> The OPR shortline is a completely family
> operated business consisting of myself and sons
> Tim, Brian and Craig which strives to continue to
>  be "Oregon's Progressive shortline Railroad".
>
> Twenty-four years........where has the time
> gone???
>
> Dick Samuels
> Oregon Pacific Rail 

Dick,

Congrats on the anniversary! Hope for many more to come.

J.

Congrats. I would sing Happy Birthday like Marilyn Monroe did for JFK, but I can not fit in the dress anymore....

Posted from iPhone

boesrailfan Wrote:
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> Will you be offering us complimentary cab rides to
> celebrate?

Cab rides in the GMD1 1413 are always just $10 during the Saturday afternoon excursions! Heck of a deal.

Dick Samuels

Congratulations Dick and thanks for all your support.   Arlen

It's wonderful to know that a person (or family) can be successful if they're willing to work hard. I bet you'll keep on being successful for many more years.

Congratulations on your success!  It's a tough go for the "little guys" in the rail industry, so 24 years means you've worked smart.  Having family in the business is an advantage!

mapboy

Congratulations on the last 24 years and here's to many more.

Posted from Android

Oh the nerve, you clean up the street yet? Congrats and hope for 24 more!

Out