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COLUMNISTS FIRST TRAIN ON THE COOS BAY RAIL LINK ROLLS PAST THE AMERICAN LAMINATORS MILL AT SWISSHOME, ORE., ON OCTOBER 11, 2011. Never say never...


THERE ARE TIMES WHEN IT SEEMS LIKE the sto- ry of railroads for the last century is a story of constant loss. Rail mileage has shrunk from a peak around 250,000 miles in 1916 to about 138,000 miles today. The reasons are many: increased competition from trucks and air freight; change in the location, size, and types of customers; and industry dereg- ulation. Yet rail line closures are not always un- avoidable and permanent. In the area around my home here in the Pacific North- west, the best example of this may be the Coos Bay Branch. This line was built at the turn of the last century to connect the Pa- cific Coast port town of Coos Bay to the Southern Pacific main line, 111 miles away. Like most branch lines, it declined during the 20th century, eventually being “spun off” to a shortline conglomerate. Then came the final blow — In 2007, oper- ator Central Oregon & Pacific abruptly shut it down, citing severe damage to the route’s nine tunnels.


So far this could be the story of any North American secondary — slow decline, spinoff, damage, closure. Yet for the Coos Bay branch, the story took an odd turn. Instead of dying, the line was reborn. How did such an unlikely thing happen?


First and most importantly, the local com- munities and the shippers along the line fought to save it. The branch travels through some of the most rural Oregon tim- ber country, places where unemployment rates are high and economic options limited. The port fought the closure at the Surface Transportation Board, and in 2009 bought the line for $16.6 million. Next came mil- lions of dollars in repairs. Finally, in Octo- ber 2011, the line reopened for service. Too often, we railfans commemorate end-


ings — the last of a particular locomotive, the last run of a line. Think for a moment about almost every photograph you’ve seen of the Milwaukee Road’s Pacific Extension, or Pacific Electric commuter trains, or even carfloat operations in New York harbor. The


4 APRIL 2013 • RAILFAN.COM


vast majority of the photos were made when they were on the cusp of oblivion. It is as if we railfans cannot find anything precious unless it is almost gone.


It might be precisely because of this that


I knew I had to be there to witness the re- opening of the Coos Bay Branch. My reward was an unconventional sight, for the first train of 12 cars made the run out the 111 miles from Eugene to the bay not behind a road locomotive, but with a lowly SW1200. A two-shift journey at ten miles per hour in a traditional end-cab switcher, possibly one of the longest and least comfortable hauls in modern short line railroading.


Yet this oddball little train with its empty center-beam flatcars stood for something larger — hope, renewal, and opportunity. This was a story much bigger than just an interesting train to photograph, this was the lifeblood of commerce returning to a region in need. More importantly, it was a positive story that bucked the larger trend of rail- road mileage retreat.


Maybe this is evidence of the world chang- ing. Fuel prices, as a general rule, climb year to year, while rail remains the most ef- ficient form of land-based transportation ever invented. Highways are approaching or exceeding capacity in most major cities. We have also lost — especially in the West — about as many rail lines as we can without withdrawing from entire regions wholesale. Across the country, regional planners are now taking a second look at rail lines as an asset to development, instead of an obstacle to success. You can’t help but feel that maybe that larger trend of contraction is it- self coming to a close. When you hear of an- other branch line shutting down, perhaps it is the beginning of an opportunity for growth. Never say never...


Alexander B. Craghead is a writer, photog- rapher,


watercolorist, and self-described “transportation geek” from Portland, Ore. You can reach out to Alex on our web site at www.railfan.com/departures.


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