This is really all that remains of the Oregon Electric (later BN) Orenco Cutoff. This line last saw a train on December 31, 1994 and from what people who remember it tell me, the ones that came through here were LONG!
I found the abandonment requests and approval on the STB website. This line will never come back.
This is the former Evergreen Parkway crossing. Locals like to joke this is the crossing that refuses to die. Despite falling out of service in late 1994, the signals remained until 2005. And they never removed everything at once. They would come, take a light or two. Then a year later a bell would go missing. Finally in 2005, the signals were completely removed and 'TRACKS OUT OF SERVICE' signs were put in place. Funny...people still won't stop on the tracks. Pesky ghost trains...
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 99987,,0,5
Looking the other way...a truck blocks this view in the above photo.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 71777,,0,5
And here it crosses Cornelius Pass Road. The tracks were in the pavement along with the gate mechanisms (no gates, though) up until this road was widened in 2002.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 61024,,0,5You think your car gets bad mileage? SP 4449 consumes 10 gallons of bunker oil and 100 gallons of water every mile.
