Western Railroad Discussion > Salem OR Question

Not having time to railfan here, I was wondering if the main line runs next to the capitol building or is there another way around town for the freight trains. I know the passenger trains go through there. How busy is the north south line from Portland to Eugene.

The UPRR has only one north-south line through Salem which is a couple blocks east of the Capitol which can be seen from the trains just a few blocks north of the depot. The other north-south line is the ex-Oregon Electric, now Portland and Western, which is several blocks west of the Capitol on the west side of downtown Salem. The amount of traffic on the UPRR Portland to Eugene line varies greatly, from nearly empty to totally congested. I just arrived in Portland from Eugene less than two hours ago on Amtrak Cascades #500 and saw only two trains. Even as little traffic as there was, they still headed me into Gervais (with its 15 MPH temporary speed restriction, the only restriction on the entire run) for a southbound freight which should have been held at Hito which was empty. The UPRR just can't allow us an undelayed run; it's against their religion!

Interesting bit of history...when the Oregon & California was built through the Salem area, they asked the citizens of Salem for money and land to bring the railroad through town, and the city refused. The railroad responded by missing the town completely, staying in the flats to the east. However, in the 130 years since, Salem has since grown up to surround the tracks...hence the trains running through today's downtown.