When did SP/UP quit running trains through Grant’s Pass/Medford from Weed to Eugene? - I was up there last weekend and drove 97 to Bend and noticed AMTRAK runs through Chelmut and onto Eugene through Klamath Falls and it’s BNSF trackage right?
According to the American Shortline Railway Guide, 5th Edition, SP sold its Siskiyou Line and Coos Bay Branch to CORP on December 31, 1994.
Chuck,
Eric (above) gave you the prime history on the Siskiyou Line (Weed-Ashland-Medford-Grants Pass-Roseburg-Eugene). That line was relegated to secondary status upon completion of the SP Natron Cutoff in 1926. Just “secondary” passenger trains on the Siskiyou thereafter and all gone by the mid-1950’s. The Natron Cutoff (Weed-Klamatyh Falls-Chemult-Oakridge-Springfield-Eugene) became the Main Line with all the premier passenger trains and most of the through freight traffic. By the time of AMTRAK, only the Cascade remained. Today’s Amtrak #11 & 14 is the successor to the Cascade, though now it extends Los Angeles-San Luis-San Jose-Oakland-Davis-Redding-Dunsmuir-Weed-Klamath Falls-Chemult-Oakridge-Springfield-Eugene-Portland-Seattle, combining pre-AMTRAK train service provided by the (Coast) Daylight-Cascade-Pool Train (Portland-Seattle Pool, of NP, GN and UP).
BNSF operates most of their traffic via the Inside Gateway: Vancouver, WA-Wishram to Bend (former Oregon Trunk)-Chemult-Kalamth Falls (via historic GN trackage rights oveer the historic SP)-Bieber (now via former WP)-Keddie- Oroville-Sacramento-Stockton (trackage rights on former WP–now UP).
Hope this helps put it in historic context!
BB
Chuck–
Hwy 97 follows the old SP ‘Cascade Line’ from Black Butte junction (near Weed) to Klamath Falls. At K-falls, the BNSF (ex-Great Northern) joins the Cascade line with trackage rights north to Chemult, where the Cascade Line takes off to the west. BNSF trackage then continues north to Bend, and eventually Washington. Oregon Hwy 58 (I think I’ve got the number right) roughly parallels the Cascade line west over the mountains into Eugene. It’s all ex-SP trackage and now UP’s main north-south line into Oregon. The route over Cascade Summit is absolutely spectacular.
The ex-Siskiyou line from Black Butte to Eugene, parallelling Interstate 5 is privately owned by CORP. SP sold it in the early 1990’s. It had been SP’s secondary main into Oregon since about 1926 with the completion of the Cascade line. The Siskiyou line had two main obstacles to being a really competitive ‘through’ route between California and Oregon, the first of which was the stiff 3 percent ruling grade over almost impossibly rugged Siskiyou Summit, and the other being an equally stiff and very circutous climb over Rice Hill in central Oregon.
Tom