Vancouver-Portland Railroad Bridge over the Columbia River - Oregon/Washinton
Posted by: 
Rose Red
N 45° 37.703 W 122° 41.218
10T E 524400 N 5052807
Vancouver, Washington is located on the north shore of the Columbia River across from Portland, Oregon. Trains traveling to and from Portland, Oregon cross the Railroad Bridge. Opened in June 1908, it was designed by Ralph Majeska.
Waymark Code: WM13PR
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 01/05/2007
Views: 106
Vancouver, Washington is located on the north shore of the Columbia River across from Portland, Oregon. Trains traveling to and from Portland, Oregon cross the Railroad Bridge. Opened in June 1908, it was designed by Ralph Majeska. Current freight trains operating in Vancouver include the Burlington Northern, and the Union Pacific. Passenger train service is provided by Amtrak’s Cascades (four trains per day), and the Empire Builder and Coast Starlight (each run once per day). The passenger railroad station is located in west side of the city of Vancouver at the foot of 11th Street. Travel time north to Seattle is approximately 3 hours 30 minutes. You can view the Railroad Bridge from the station platform or the deck at Inn at the Quay.
On Saturday, May 12, 2007, I stood at the far south end of the asphalt area just behind the "No Trespassing" sign and waited from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM at the Vancouver Train Station in Vancouver, Washington for two of the country's most famous steam locomotives to arrive on their way to Tacoma for excursions to Everett and back to Tacoma. The locomotives were the SP 4449 from Brooklyn Yard in Portland, Oregon and the UP 844 from Cheyenne, Wyoming. The locomotives are both Northern class passenger trains, and each has eight 6-foot-8-inch-high driving wheels. UP 844 was built in 1944 and weighs about 455 tons with tender. SP 4449--which pulled the Freedom Train during the Bicentennial--was built in 1941 and weighs about 435 tons with tender. They linked up near the Columbia River Rail Bridge in Kenton. They were pulling UP SD70M; 18 vintage UP Passenger cars. A five hour wait for about five minutes viewing but I got some great photos!