Cascade and Columbia River Railroad

The Cascade and Columbia River Railroad (reporting mark CSCD) is a short line railroad that interchanges with BNSF Railway in Wenatchee, Washington and runs north to Oroville.

Cascade and Columbia River Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersOmak, Washington
Reporting markCSCD
Dates of operation1996–present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length145 miles (233 km)[1]
1914 map of the route of the Great Northern line from Oroville to Wenatchee

The line from Wenatchee to Oroville was built in 1914 by the Great Northern Railway[2] to link the main line at Wenatchee to a line Great Northern had built under the Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway (VV&E) charter in British Columbia (Canada), and the Washington and Great Northern Railway (W&GN) charter for Washington (US). This line was originally the Molson–Oroville-Keremeos branch of the Spokane Falls and Northern Railway completed in 1907 which was owned by GN at the time of completion.[3][4]

The former Burlington Northern W-O Branch was purchased by the RailAmerica Corporation in September 1996.[5] Genesee & Wyoming later acquired the railroad in late 2012.


The railroad line follows the Columbia River Valley north from Wenatchee to the Okanogan River Valley and north to Oroville, just north of where the Similkameen River joins the Okanogan River.

Commodities hauled on the railroad consist mainly of timber products, as well as limestone. CSCD moved around 5,200 carloads in 2008.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Cascade and Columbia River Railroad – A Genesee & Wyoming Company".
  2. ^ Kirk, Ruth; Carmela Alexander (2003). Exploring Washington's Past. University of Washington Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-295-97443-9.
  3. ^ "New G. N. Line from Oroville to Wenatchee". Railway Age Gazette. 57 (5): 202–204. 1914-07-31.
  4. ^ Railway Mileposts: British Columbia - Volume II: The Southern Routes - From the Crowsnest to the Coquihalla - Including the Great Northern and Kettle Valley Routes, Roger G. Burrows, Railway Milepost Books, 1984
  5. ^ EMPLOYER STATUS DETERMINATION - Cascade and Columbia River Railroad Archived 2008-09-18 at the Wayback Machine (PDF). Railroad Retirement Board. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
  6. ^ "RailAmerica's Empire". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing. June 2010.
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