Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Reporting marks | CORP |
| Locale | Weed, CA - Eugene, OR - Coos Bay, OR |
| Dates of operation | January 1, 1995–present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | Roseburg, Oregon |
The Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks CORP) is a short-line railroad operating between Northern California and Eugene, Oregon, United States. It was previously a mainline owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) between Eugene and Weed, California (north of Redding, California) via Medford, Oregon. SP sold the route on December 31, 1994, in favor of using its route to Eugene via Klamath Falls, Oregon and Cascade Summit.
The CORP also owns the former SP Coos Bay Branch.
The total length of the CORP is 439 miles, consisting of 303 miles of mainline and the 136 mile Coos Bay Branch.
Traffic (1996 figure) is estimated at 40,000 cars per year. CORP is a subsidiary of RailAmerica.
On May 17, 2007, CORP was awarded a Silver E. H. Harriman Award in Group C for the railroad's safety record in 2006. This award marked the first time a RailAmerica-owned railroad has earned a Harriman award.[1]
On September 21, 2007, CORP elected to shut down most of the Coos Bay branch. The track is currently closed between Vaughn (west of Noti) and Coquille (south of Coos Bay). This action was taken after it was revealed that the nine aging tunnels on the line required repairs that were internally estimated to cost up to $7 million.[2] The line from Eugene to Vaughn remains open, and continues to serve customers in west Eugene, Noti, and Vaughn.
On October 23, 2007, the Port of Coos Bay filed a $15 million lawsuit against CORP, in response to its closing of the Coos Bay Branch. The suit claims that CORP failed to provide the required 180 days' notice that it would shut down a leased spur to the bay's North Spit.[citation needed]
In December 2007, CORP announced it was cutting shipments over the Siskiyou Pass south of Ashland, Oregon beginning January 15, 2008. Shipments from Ashland and areas north of Ashland would be re-routed north to Eugene before heading south via Klamath Falls. Reduced shipments would continue over the Siskiyou Pass until April 15, 2008 on a bi-weekly basis.[3]
On March 20, 2008, CORP announced plans to keep its Siskiyou line open between Medford and Weed, and to spend nearly $5 million on improvements to the line.[4]
[edit] Further reading
- Robertson, Donald B. (1998). Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History - Volume IV - California. Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers. ISBN 0-87004-385-4.
- Stindt, Fred A. (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide - 5th Ed.. Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89024-290-9.
- Walker, Mike (1997). Steam Powered Video's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America - California and Nevada - Post Merger Ed.. Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom: Steam Powered Publishing. ISBN 1-874745-08-0.
[edit] References
- ^ RailAmerica (2007-05-18). "RailAmerica’s Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad Wins Harriman Award". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-05-18.
- ^ Associated Press Staff. "Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad shut downs operations", The Oregonian, 2007-09-21. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
- ^ Conrad, Chris. "Freight lines at crossroads", Mail Tribune, 2007-12-15. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
- ^ "Roseburg railroad offers to keep Siskiyou line open, but at a price", The News-Review, 2008-03-21.
[edit] External links
- Unofficial CORP website
- Official CORP System Map
- Active Short Lines of the Pacific Northwest: Central Oregon and Pacific from Abandoned & Active Historical Railroads of the Pacific Northwest
 |
This United States rail-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
