Nearly all of todays excursion and museum railroads operate on abandoned rightsofway. Weve ridden it during the christmas train and during the moonlight express in the summer. Discover local and regional history at the dewitt museum in the historic sumpter valley railway depot building in prairie city, oregon. This book is largely a pictorial history and if you are looking for a broad selection of photographs from the entire history of the sumpter valley, not just during its declining years when the famed uintah mallets ran there, this is. The scenery is of a stark mining area but with many ponds and wildlife present. In addition, the sumpter valley carried an ever increasing operation of passengers and general freight. As a result, number 3 now spends much of the peak season in the new 4 stall engine house. Sumpter valley railway images of rail 9780738571256.
Sumpter valley logging railroads by alfred mullett and leanard merrit, arcadia publishing, charleston, sc, 2011. Willamette valley while traveling to oregon be sure and stop by corvallis in the very heart of the willamette valley, near great outdoor recreation and within 90 miles of portland and the oregon coast. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. The sumpter valley railway, located 22 miles southwest of baker city oregon, on u. Complete details about sumpter valley railway in sumpter, or. When planning a summer visit to northeast oregon, be sure to add the sumpter valley railroad to your travel itinerary. Oregon \ sumpter valley railway sumpter valley railway. Sumpter valley logging railroads is a pictorial history of the oregon operations, focusing on the operations along the sumpter valley railway. Come enjoy great cuisine and fine local wine, listen to some live music, browse the farmers market, or stroll one of our many. Sumpter valley railway 11 photos local flavor baker. Most of the information included on this page was drawn from steaming toward sumpter 18902002, published by the sumpter valley railway co. Rails, sagebrush, and pine by mallory hope ferrell, golden west books, san.
Sumpter valley railway by alfred mullett and leanard merrit, arcadia publishing, charleston, sc, 2009. The sumpter valley railroad and the several affiliated and associated lumber. This is the first book done just on these two locomotives. Essentially a ship sitting in the middle of dry ground, the dredge was able to travel in a pond it created for itself with its 72 massive dredging buckets processed 9 cubic feet of.
Although the road bed and track is mostly on original sumpter valley railway rightofway, the original track was scrapped in 1947, and nearly all of the. As a result, we researched it all and wrote up a detailed description on how best to enjoy the sumpter valley railroad for one of our oregon road trip books. Sumpter valley railway passenger station wikipedia. Sumpter valley railway, oregon images of rail series by alfred. In july of 1897, at the height of the gold mining boom in the camps scattered across the elkhorn mountains of eastern oregon, a group of individuals led by thomas mcewen incorporated the sumpter and bourne railway company, for the purpose of building a narrow gauge branch line off the sumpter valley railway co. Sumpter valley prepares diesel for 2018 season trains. Read the history of the sumpter valley railway between baker city and prairie. Sumpter valley railway by leonard merritt and alfred. Please consult government travel advisories before booking. The sumpter valley railway, or sumpter valley railroad, is a 3 ft 914 mm narrow gauge.
It shows them inside and out and in operation on the sumpter valley railway in baker, oregon. The sumpter valley was founded by a group of businessmen from utah who where interested in the ressources of the oregon blue mountains and had just established the oregon lumber company in baker city. The 3ft 914mm gauge svr dates from 18901 and was built primarily to serve the logging industry in eastern oregon and also the shortlived gold boom in the sumpter valley which is a flat, lavafilled valley in the elkhorn mountains to the west of baker city, the railways eastern terminus where it joined one of the union pacifics main lines. Narrow gauge railroads oregon, eastern history pictorial works. Since 1984, the renovated station has housed the collections of the dewitt museum, including. The railroad has two steam locomotives and several other pieces of rolling. They also ran under the control of the us armys 770th railway operating battalion in ww2. The sumpter valley railway, or sumpter valley railroad, is a 3 ft 914 mm narrow gauge heritage railroad located in baker county, in the u.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Truck logging by pacific logging conference, self published, portland, or, 1941. Pope, old forest publishing company, hood river, or, 1992. The sumpter valley railway and its parent company, the oregon lumber company, became an economic engine that shaped the lives of generations of eastern oregonians. Sumpter valley railway website information on sumpter dredge. W hen planning a summer visit to northeast oregon, be sure to add the sumpter valley railroad to your travel itinerary. The rails stretched from baker to prairie city, sumpter to susanville, and laced ribbons of steel through the. However, the current fire marshal of the sumpter area now deems the locomotive to be unsafe during the peak fire season.
Sumpter valley railway by alfred mullett english hardcover book free shipping. See more like this rds2 sumpter valley oregon railroad 1 troy oz. Sumpter valley railway by alfred mullett and leonard. Sumpter valley railway baker city 2020 all you need to. A popular historical destination in eastern oregon. The line is probably best remembered for operating the two largest locomotives ever to run on a threefoot gauge railway in north america. Steaming toward sumpter 18902002 by sumpter valley railroad restoration, inc.
The sumpter area is a very interesting trip into when ecological concerns didnt exist and the valley is a strong testament to that. Sumpter valley railway sumpter valley railway images of rail paperback may 18, 2009 book condition. This is the first book done just on this locomotives. Pdf sumpter valley logging railroads download full pdf. It explores the rails, mills, and people, as well as the logging practices of a bygone era. The sumpter valley railroad is the only steam powered narrowgauge heritage railway in oregon, and. Piles of stones line the area where the old dredge tore up the entire countryside in search for gold. Sumpter valley railway locomotives 19 and 20 quick pic. Sumpter valley railway by alfred mullett, leonard merritt.
One of these was the sumpter valley railway of eastern oregon, closely associated with the oregon lumber company. The history alone is worth the trip, and family members of all ages will have fun. The president of the sumpter valley railway was david eccles, a utah mormon of scottish origin. Sumpter valley logging railroads by alfred mullett and leanard merrit. Sumpter valley logging railroads by alfred mullett and leonard. Gold mines were numerous and the sumpter smelter flourished in sumpter to reduce the precious ore into bars of bullion. This is one of the few 3 gauge heisler type locomotives in operation in the us today and it is riding the rails it did when. These are some miscellaneous videos shot of the sumpter valley railway in eastern oregon. Join the mailing list, send a comment or query, report a broken link or suggest a new one. Buy sumpter valley railway by alfred mullett, leonard merritt isbn. Highway 7, has a unique characteristic over all of these railroads.
Trains magazine offers railroad news, railroad industry insight, commentary on todays freight railroads, passenger service amtrak, locomotive technology, railroad preservation and history, railfan opportunities tourist railroads, fan trips, and great railroad photography. It is seen inside and out and in operation on the sumpter valley railway in baker, oregon. Rails, sagebrush, and pine by mallory hope ferrell, golden west books, san marino, ca, 1967. Visit sumpter valley railway on your trip to baker city. Dec 10, 2016 the sumpter valley railway was a narrow gauge railroad built by david eccles. Plan your visit to sumpter valley railway and a wealth of other attractions, wellknown and undiscovered, using our baker city vacation builder website.
The sumpter valley railway was unique in that it was a common carrier that supported shortline logging railroads. The sumpter valley gold dredge is an impressive piece of mining equipment that wound its way through the neighboring sumpter valley, digging up the earth as it went. Built on a rightofway used by the original railway of the same name, it carries excursion trains on a roughly 5mile 8. Running between mcewen and the historic mining town of sumpter, its a guarantee that the whole family will enjoy this relaxing trip back in time. The rails stretched from baker to prairie city, sumpter to susanville, and laced ribbons of steel through the powder river valley and elkhorns. The sumpter valley railway, located 26 miles southwest of baker city oregon, on u. The sumpter valley railroad is the only steam powered narrowgauge heritage railway in oregon, and can boast that it is one of a very few lines run by volunteers.
They incorporated the sumpter valley railway on august 15, 1890 to connect baker city with. He started his first sawmill in oregon city and struggled to make a living before returning to ogden in 1869 shortly after the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Sumpter valley railway passenger station was the westernmost station on the sumpter valley railway, which ran 80 miles km from baker city to prairie city in the u. Railway preservation news view topic operable plymouth. Sumpter valley logging railroads by alfred mullett and. The line reached prairie city in 1910 but was abandoned in 1933, and the station became a private dwelling. Look for the books rails sagebrush and pine by mallory hope ferrell, golden. History comes to life aboard the vintage trains as you travel through the heart of gold country in the scenic sumpter valley. A section of it has been rebuilt as a tourist railroad.
What wonderful comfortable easy ride either inside or in an open car or both. Eccles first came to oregon in 1867 searching for opportunity in the far west. In 1889, david eccles chartered the oregon lumber company, an organization that produced many mills and railways and whose influence. Sumpter valley railway depot prairie city 2020 all you need to.
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