Tigard and the North Tigard is home to the newest major
facility on the railroad, a four-track yard opened in 2007 to free up space on the mainline for Westside Express Service (WES) commuter trains. WES began running between Wilsonville and Beaverton, including stops in Tualatin and Tigard, in 2008. State lottery funds from the Connect Oregon program paid for the majority of the yard. Road jobs based out of Tigard include
the OE Express, Harbor Turn, and 663/664. The OE Express gets its name from the Oregon Electric, since it runs primarily over the OE’s former tracks. Currently a daytime job, the train makes a turn south from Tigard to Albany and back, Mondays through Fridays. The Harbor Turn is essentially
a continuation of the same train, making a turn north from Tigard to United Junction (Linnton) and back, Monday through Friday nights. The Harbor Turn runs via Hillsboro, Banks, and Cornelius Pass, crossing the spectacular wood trestle over Holcomb Creek. From time to time the railroad flips the day/night status of the OE Express and Harbor Turn. The other major pair of trains out of
Tigard is the 663/664, whose numbers come from predecessor Burlington Northern. Together these trains make a round-trip between Albany and Vancouver, Wash., where they interchange with BNSF Railway. Currently the 664 job makes a night run, Mondays through Fridays, from Tigard to Albany and back over the OE District tracks. The 663 makes a daytime turn from Tigard to Vancouver
RIGHT: Chop-nose GP9R No. 1804 (originally built for Minneapolis & St. Louis in 1958) leads a short work train near Ashahr siding under a brilliant sky on March 3, 2009.
BELOW: The northbound American Turn glides over the rolling waters of the Willamette River between Junction City and Harrisburg on July 31, 2008. Built in 1910 by Waddell & Harrington, the vertical lift was used only briefly and the river has since changed course to flow under a fixed span.
30 MARCH 2016 •
RAILFAN.COM
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