Over the river and through the woods. With a gentle rain falling, the former McCloud River Railroad #25 hauls a mixed freight across the confluence of the Nehalem and Salmonberry Rivers, in the remote hamlet of Salmonberry, Oregon. This trackage is the former Southern Pacific Tillamook Branch, which was abandoned by the railroad in 1989. Since then, the line has been operated by short-line railroads such as the Port of Tillamook and now, the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (OCSR). Since abandonment by the SP, maintenance of this remote line has been a struggle. In the late 1990s, and 2000s floods and winter storms caused millions of dollars in damage to the infrastructure, taking the line out of service on numerous occasions. Fortunately, the current operators have persevered, and today, the OCSR operates a total of 46 miles of trackage, running all the way from old Tillamook Naval Air Station to a point just east of of the location seen here.
