Portland and Southwestern Railroad Tunnel

The Portland and Southwestern Railroad Tunnel, also known as the Nehalem Divide Railroad Tunnel, is an abandoned railroad tunnel near Scappoose, Oregon, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1] The tunnel was driven by the Portland and Southwestern Railroad, whose chief business was logging. Unusually for a logging railroad, the Portland and Southwestern built tunnels. In order to reach the far side of the Nehalem divide in the Northern Oregon Coast Range, the railroad undertook a 1,712-foot (522 m) tunnel. Some work was started in 1910, but most work began in 1918 and was completed in 1919. Since the tunnel was not through solid rock, the tunnel was lined with timber. The tunnel was used until 1945, when it was replaced by a truck road over the divide.[3]

Portland and Southwestern Railroad Tunnel
LocationColumbia County, Oregon, USA
Nearest cityScappoose, Oregon
Built1910
ArchitectChapman Timber Co.; Nehalem Timber & Logging Co.
NRHP reference No.81000481[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 17, 1981[1][2]

While portions of the tunnel roof have collapsed, the tunnel is still open from end to end.

The west portal is located at 45.83236°N 123.05044°W / 45.83236; -123.05044 (Portland and Southwestern Railroad Tunnel, west portal); the east portal is at 45.83243°N 123.04051°W / 45.83243; -123.04051 (Portland and Southwestern Railroad Tunnel, east portal).[4]

See also

References
  1. "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. June 6, 2011. p. 6. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. "Portland & Southwestern Railroad and the Nehalem Divide Tunnel". Abandoned Railroads of the Pacific Northwest. Brian McCamish. 2008-11-01.
  4. "brian894x4 topo map plot". Retrieved 2009-03-05.


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