Western Railroad Discussion > Coos Bay Rail Link south end?

Google Earth shows a well maintained ROW south of Coos Bay, but no apparent customers.  Since restoration of service from Eugene, has there been any freight south of Coos Bay?  

From some videos I've seen and the number of cars on sidings, it looks like a decent traffic base still, but it is obvious there are many former rail customers that are now long gone.  

Looks are deceiving. While Google might make it appear to be a well maintained right of way, in reality it is getting quite over grown with weeds. 

The swing span bridge at North Bend has been out of service for quite some time so there have been no trains to, or beyond, Coos Bay in quite some time. All outbound traffic comes from a reload on the North Spit north of the bridge. I understand the bridge should be, or may already be, back in service soon.

Once south of the bridge, on the North Bend / Coos Bay side, there is little traffic base. There used to be propane distributor in North Brnd and at the south end of the yard at Coos Bay is a large Georgia Pacific Mill. The only customer south of Coos Bay is a Roseboro mill in Cooquille, and I'm not sure it's even operating any longer.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/18 16:44 by Railbaron.

Considering the Roseburg FP website lists several current job openings they are looking to fill at Coquille, I think they are operating.

Lots of freights cars look to be trapped beyond that trestle.  Even looks like some are sitting for loading at the mill in Coos Bay.

Z

I just went through there a couple weeks ago. Maybe a dozen freight cars stranded south of the bridge, along with a blue GP38 or 40 ( can’t remember which). 

Just as a heads-up, it's no longer Coos Bay Rail Link, or rather it's no longer the operator who did business as CBRL. That operator was thrown out over what I understand were "financial issues" and the Port of Coos Bay now operates the railroad. I do not know if the name changed or if the Coos Bay line is now operated under a different name.

Railbaron Wrote:
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> I do not know if the name changed or if the Coos Bay
> line is now operated under a different name.

The reporting mark remains CBRL.  The name was changed from Coos Bay Rail Link to "Line."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/17/18 17:20 by MP555.

P Wrote:
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> Since restoration of service from Eugene, has there been
> any freight south of Coos Bay?  
>

According to the Coos Bay Port website and some other sources, rail service was reestablished south of the Coos Bay trestle in 2013 and customers included the GP mill in Coos Bay and the Roseburg mill in Coquille.

Swing bridge went out of service April 2018 when it failed to reopen properly and blocked the channel.  Former CBRL operator accussed Port of diverting grant received in 2008 to fix the bridge to other projects and causing the issue.  Port is estimating repair would take 90 days if they start it.  Right now, mills are trucking product to and from the reload just north of the bridge.

Z

zephyrus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> P Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Since restoration of service from Eugene, has
> there been
> > any freight south of Coos Bay?  
> >
>
> According to the Coos Bay Port website and some
> other sources, rail service was reestablished
> south of the Coos Bay trestle in 2013 and
> customers included the GP mill in Coos Bay and the
> Roseburg mill in Coquille.
>
> Swing bridge went out of service April 2018 when
> it failed to reopen properly and blocked the
> channel.  Former CBRL operator accussed Port of
> diverting grant received in 2008 to fix the bridge
> to other projects and causing the issue.  Port is
> estimating repair would take 90 days if they start
> it.  Right now, mills are trucking product to and
> from the reload just north of the bridge.
>
> Z

“Lucy, you have some ‘splaining to do.....”

Posted from iPhone

There’s a picture on the CBRL Facebook Group of a construction crane on a barge moored next to the swing span, indicating work has begun.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Posted from iPhone

Boy, a lot of drama here in the last year or two.   When I was there 2 years ago, there were a LOT of freight cars south of that bridge.  I'm talking dozens.  

Just curious, have they done any speeder tours on that line?

No speeder runs last year or this year.

That's really sad and disappointing for a line that's had such a tough survival in recent decades.  It had seemed (ok, my knowledge comes for here (LOL)) that maybe the CBRL was doing pretty good at getting rail service restarted on that line.  Sad if all this drama is true.

spwolfmtn Wrote:
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> ... It had seemed (ok, my knowledge comes for here (LOL)) that maybe the CBRL was doing
> pretty good at getting rail service restarted on that line.  Sad if all this drama is true.

Unfortunately, the fact is there is very little business to go after. When SP sold the line in 1996 (?) there was still quite a bit of business available. Whether SP had inside information about what might happen is hard to say but the fact is mills have closed left and right. Additional, the "tree huggers" are opposed to anything that might generate traffic; NUCOR Steel wanted to build a mill on the North Spit. Another deal was to build an LNG terminal that would ship with tank-cars. While I don't remember the name there was talk of a major steel bridge manufacturer building at Gardiner. And it's not just the "tree huggers" but also the Longshoreman's union fights any attempts to expand the port because they want to protect jobs in Portland. CBRL is held hostage to the few shippers left and they need to hope those mills don't shut down. The real hope is to get enough political backing to overrule the "tree huggers" and Longshoremen and expand the port. The downside is that millions would have to be spent enlarging tunnels, rebuilding bridges, and basically rebuilding the railroad.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/18 19:00 by Railbaron.