Western Railroad Discussion > Chelatchie Prairie Scenic RR question

Who can tell me what is going on (or not) at Battle Ground as far as tourist trains are concerned? Weren't there 2 different tourist outfits at one point? What unit is the one pictured, and is it still around?

Thanks.

Barry Stone

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As far as I know, the Chelatchie Prarie is running tourists this season. Check out www.bycx.com for more info.

The 45-tonner in the photo was their 007; was sold to Dick Samuels and used to pull the SAMTRAK excursion trains for several years; it is now Oregon Pacific 4501 and is remote controlled. It is used occasionally for switching in the Milwaukie industrial area near the OPR shops and also has been seen parked at the yards by OMSI. It is now in the OPR's red/white paint scheme.

Thanks for the photo of that locomotive. I'd heard of it, but never had actually seen a picture of it. I rode that line twice- once behind the ex-LP&N Alco (before the GE came around) and then once behind a Lewis & Clark SW-8.

Here is the scoop...when the Longview Portland & Northern pulled out of that line the Chelatchie Prairie took over. The Chelatchie Prairie ran both freight and passenger service until 1985/1986, when the company folded and received permission to abandon the line. Clark County purchased the line in 1987, and they hired the Lewis & Clark Railroad to run it for them.

Lewis & Clark continued the freight and passenger business through the early to mid- 1990's, when they dropped the passenger business. The Battle Ground, Yacolt, & Chelatchie Prairie Railroad Association took over the passenger business.

Towards the end of 2004 the operating contract for the railroad came up for bid, and the Temple Family outbid the Lewis & Clark Railroad. The Temple Family (former owners of the Washington Central, current owner of the Columbia Basin) set up the Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad to handle the day-to-day operations. Their plans include some sort of tourist business, possibly a dinner train, in addition to the freight. They do have a stipulation in their contract that they have to work with BYCX.

Things came to a head between the two organizations last spring. The Portland Vancouver Junction ordered BYCX off of the property over some safety issues they had- of course, there are two sides to the story, and things kind of broke down to some fingerpointing between the two. Things did work out, however, and BYCX resumed their excursions not too long ago.

There have never been more than one outfit offering passenger service at the same time on this line, but that could change once the Temples are ready to launch their passenger operations in whatever form they may be.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

I was in Vancouver this weekend, and caught a couple of shots around Vancouver Junction (Sign says Rye Junction).

It appears to be a beautiful area, and the track appears to be in decent condition, other than a few rotten ties. It would be great to see a dinner train for the longer run from Vancouver to Battle Ground, and to also keep the smaller excursions around Yacolt, if politics don't get in the way of things.

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Nice photos, and it is a pretty area. I get down to Portland every once-in-a-while, and always have fun trying to remember where the line passes under I-5 or I-205, depending upon which way I go.

BLS