Small companies undertook much of the railway construction in
western Oregon, hoping to profit by hauling Willamette Valley
passengers and agricultural products, and by providing an outlet for
logging operations in the foothills and mountains. Today, although the
region's rural feeder tracks may host only a few trains each week, they
remain an economic lifeline for a number of businesses. Often
endangered, these evolving routes are taken out of service, sold or
leased to new owners, and sometimes abandoned. Originally published in
1994 and now updated with new content and additional images, Backwoods
Railroads is a unique and engaging photojournalistic account of
contemporary branchline and shortline railroad operations in western
Oregon.
