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cent ramp down to North Plains. The route at United Junction goes right to


the grade out of the small yard, so there is not much of a chance to get a run at the grade. Matt remembers a particularly interesting trip up the hill a few years back. “It’s a crazy story, but we stalled with empties,” says Ad- ams. “It was a doomed effort from the get-go. It was in the winter of 2012, when the North- west was getting fairly hammered with snow.” The wet, sticky kind the locals call “Cascade Cement.” “As we made the trip north across the United with our two GP39-2s and a short train, we did battle with snow-laden tree limbs, and we started to worry about the trip back south. I remember expressing my con- cern about the trip back because two GP39- 2s aren’t rated for much going up the hill out of United Junction, and there were a good 55 empties waiting for us.” The first mile of the grade is the ruling 1.65 percent and then it lessens a little from MP 11 on. “We took off out of Harbor at the whopping ten m.p.h. we were allowed by our orders, and as soon as I cleared the slow order, I went for it, but with the length of train involved, it was fairly fu- tile.” There was several inches of snow back on the rail, and the train was losing traction, and speed, fast. “We started to slip our way to a stall, and I added to independent brake pressure as needed — a technique used to try to ‘catch’ the wheels when they want to slip.” As the train came around the last curve be- fore the Fleming bridge at MP 11.3, the rear


44 MARCH 2015 • RAILFAN.COM


motor decided it had enough. “I have never seen so many sparks come from the wheels of an engine in my life, and with such force! All four axles gave out at once, and we were done.” Adams applied the brakes so the train wouldn’t roll backwards, and called the Linn- ton switcher. “The switcher had an SD40-2 for power. They assisted us in getting back down the hill by protecting our rear, and then we tried again, with much better success!”


Following the P&W At the top, the Cornelius Pass Tunnel No.


1 at 4103 feet had the distinction of being the longest tunnel on an electrified interurban line when built in 1911. The electrification lasted until 1923. Originally built with tim- ber supports, in later years the bore was lined with concrete. The south side of the Pass is beset with large deep valleys that the railroad either filled or used wood trestles to cross. The large timber pile Dick Road Trestle, also known as the Holcomb Creek bridge, is set on a 1 percent grade and crosses the valley at nearly 100 feet above the ground. At just over 1100 feet long, the bridge is an imposing structure to see, even more so when a loaded train is growling upgrade across it. From North Plains towards Banks the ter-


rain turns to rolling farm fields with sporadic stands of trees, and the tracks are on a near tangent for a few miles. After they turn to join the former SP Tillamook District, the country- side transitions from farm fields to the resi-


dential areas as it approaches north Hillsboro. In Hillsboro, the railroad shares several


blocks of SW Adams Avenue with street run- ning in the core downtown area. In this cor- ridor the west end of the TriMet MAX light rail terminates right next to the P&W at the Hatfield Government Center Station on an alignment that follows the original Oregon Electric Route from Beaverton. Leaving the Hillsboro street running, the tracks turn east and parallel the Tualatin Valley Highway all the way to Beaverton. Access to this area is very easy with paved


streets or roads closely following the line. In the agricultural areas north of Hillsboro the road grid provides fewer access points, but one is no more than a mile from the tracks at any given time. Oregon Highway 26 can be used to quickly access the Beaverton, Hills- boro, North Plains, and Banks areas from downtown Portland, which is 20 miles to the east over the Portland Hills. Beyond North Plains, county roads follow the tracks up to the top of the pass and intersect Cornelius Pass Road. From there it’s a short drive down to Highway 30 and United Junction. The Harbor Turn used to be a day-time op-


eration but as of late it has been an overnight job. It sometimes is moved back to days de- pending on maintenance or other projects. Be- tween Hillsboro and Wilsonville, TriMet com- muter rail is in place on the P&W line, and so on weekdays there is limited opportunity for track time during the morning and evening


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