This site features active and abandon railroads of the Pacific Northwest. There's a lot of history here. This is cool...

http://www.brian894x4.com/AbandonedRRmainpage.html

Here are two web sites that feature railroad pictures on the net.

http://www.railpictures.net/index.php

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/default.aspx

The most popular railroad pics from our area. Comes from the Columbia River Gorge and the Vancouver Wye.

While they may not be - I don't know - trains FEEL very, uh, American. Big. Bold. Industrial. Timeless. Artistic. Functional. I dig them.

I'm sure Nwokie will correct me and find a way to suck the fun out of it, but for now, I like them.

Good thread.

http://www.bycx.com/

This is a volunteer group that runs a Christmas Tree train from Battle Ground. This is so much fun. If you have kids, or are a train lover, I highly recommend it! Big steam engine puffing away, Santa, hot chocolate, the works! They have been doing this for years, and it was the highlight of the season for us.

Great find, Shane. Quite a bit of work to pull together the information, and even more to share it on the website. I'm going to find some time soon to digest all this info.

I dig them.
Same here.
I still remember my first ride on MAX shortly after it opened in 1986, right after I turned 6 years old... (I know, don't rub it in!)

I read an excellent book earlier this year called The White Cascade by Gary Krist.

It was about the Great Northern Railway and the avalanche that killed 100+ people in the Cascade Mountains east of Seattle.

Worth reading!

http://www.whitecascade.com/book1.html

Positively fantastic thread -- you folks are a goldmine! I am also a foamer.

One of my favorite pastimes is enjoying the railroads on the scanner. After exploring the local frequencies for quite a few years, I believe my favorite is still the Albina Tower. Not only are they busy, but the personalities of the dispatchers and crews are unique. Though few folks outside of the railroads know who he is, Fred is a "legendary radio star" in a whole other universe.

Curious? Listen.

For anyone not lucky enough to have stumbled into an impromptu tour of the roundhouse at Brooklyn, here is a peek. The ORHF is dedicated to preserving our local rail heritage.

A listener sent me this and thought I'd add it. Happy Locomotive Holidays!

http://www.oregonpacificrr.com/HolidayExpress2007.html

I am saddened by the news posted on the site though; large sections of several railroads were washed out in the recent storm, including the Port of Tillamook Bay.

Friday's "Portland Tribune" Front Page:

----Running Out of Steam? - 3 Locomotives Chug Toward Homelessness----
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=119879328577045600