Mount Hood Railroad

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Mount Hood Railroad
The Mount Hood Railroad in spring, with Mount Hood in the background.
Terminus	Hood River, Oregon - Parkdale
Commercial operations
Original gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Commercial history
Opened	1906 / 1909
Closed	1987
Preservation history
1987	Bought by private investors
2008	Sold to Permian Basin Railways (Iowa Pacific Holdings)
2022	Sold to Mount Hood Capital Investments LLC
Mt. Hood Railroad Linear Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Railroad depot in Hood River
Location	Mt. Hood RR right-of-way from Hood River to Parkdale, Hood River, Oregon
Area	165 acres (67 ha)
Built	1906 (1906)
Architect	Joseph A. West (design/construction)
NRHP reference No.	93001507[1]
Added to NRHP	January 24, 1994
Website
mthoodrr.com

The Mount Hood Railroad (reporting mark MHRR) is a heritage and shortline freight railroad located in Hood River, Oregon, 60 miles (97 km) east of Portland, Oregon, United States.

The majority of the railroad's revenue is generated from passenger excursions although a few small freight shippers remain that generate several carloads of traffic per week.

The northern terminus of the Mount Hood Railroad is at Hood River, Oregon, where the line interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad. The line starts out parallel to the Hood River for the first three miles (4.8 km) until it reaches a switchback. Switchbacks used to be common, but this is now only one of five remaining railroad switchbacks in use in the United States. After the trains reverse direction at the switchback, the line continues south through the communities of Pine Grove, Odell, and Dee before reaching the southern end of the line at Parkdale. The total length of the line is approximately 22 miles.

The Mount Hood Railroad currently has two locomotives on its roster:

• MHRR 02 - EMD GP38-2 (ex-CR/PC 7796, ex-PCN 16) Main Locomotive (Built 1969)
• MHRR 88 - EMD GP9 (ex-SP 3885) Backup Locomotive (Built 1959)

• MHRR 89 - EMD GP9 (built 9/59, ex-MILW 306, ex-MNVA 306) Sold to SLRG in 2019
• MHRR 18 - Alco 2-8-0 steam locomotive (built 1910, ex-Lake Superior & Ishpeming 11, renumbered 18, ex-Ishpeming Steel Co, ex-Lake States Steam Association, ex-Grand Canyon Railway, then Rio Grande Scenic Railroad 18, now Colebrookdale). Shipped from Grand Canyon to Mt Hood only to be sent to Rio Grande Scenic six months later.

The line south out of Hood River was first built in 1906, extending as far as Dee, Oregon. In 1909 the line was extended to the present-day end of track at Parkdale, Oregon. The Union Pacific acquired the line in 1968 and operated it with the primary customers being fruit shippers and the lumber operation at Dee. As local industries switched to truck-based transportation for their goods, carloads on the line dwindled and the Union Pacific proposed abandoning the line. In 1987 a group of local investors purchased the railroad from Union Pacific and began to offer passenger excursions to augment the freight business. Brian Fleming sold the line again in 2008 to Permian Basin Railways,^[2] a subsidiary of Chicago-based Iowa Pacific Holdings.

Oregon’s Mount Hood Railroad was sold in January 2022 to a local investment firm. The tourist railroad and freight operator had been placed into receivership back in 2019 when its previous owner, Iowa Pacific Holdings, defaulted on a $5 million loan. The new owner, Mount Hood Capital Investments LLC, plans on keeping the railroad’s current local management. They also plan on acquiring another locomotive in hopes of increasing freight business. The railroad can operate on all 22 miles of track from Hood River to Parkdale. L. Scott Webster, the head of the investment firm is excited about the potential of Mt. Hood Railroad and what it means for the region. The railroad envisions great value by enhancing local agritourism, growing the freight business and providing solutions for the community.^[3]

Today the railroad offers scenic tours through the Hood River Valley and narrated historic excursion train tours, as well as special events. They also offer motor-assisted railbike tours on the line. There are views of Mount Hood and Mount Adams along with the surrounding orchards and farmland of the Hood River Valley.^[4]

• On December 2, 2017, a passenger train derailed 3 miles (4.8 km) from Hood River. There were no injuries amongst the 214 people on board the train. The line was closed until December 8.^[5]

• List of heritage railroads in the United States

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mount Hood Railroad.

• Mount Hood Railroad
• Information on the Mount Hood Railroad from Union Pacific