Northern Pacific Railroad Depot - St. Helens, Oregon
N 45° 51.546 W 122° 49.227
10T E 513938 N 5078408
The St. Helens Depot is located on what was once the Northern Pacific Railroad’s transcontinental main line; the railroad was opened in this area on October 3, 1884.
Waymark Code: WM5V75
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 02/14/2009
Published By:
PFF
Views: 18
Today this renovated train station is home to the South Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and the Historical Society of Columbia County - (
visit link) and is located on what is today the Astoria District of the Portland & Western Railroad - (
visit link)
The following information is derived from the ‘un-official’ Portland & Western Railroad web site - (
visit link)
That portion of the Astoria District from Willbridge to Goble, 35.2 miles, is one of the most historic rail lines in the state, having been opened for traffic by Northern Pacific Railroad Company on October 3, 1884, as part of its route between Portland and Tacoma. At Goble, an NP ferry carried cars and locomotives across the bridge-less Columbia River to Kalama. For the next 25 years, this was how north/south rail travel was conducted between the Puget Sound and Portland. On June 25, 1908, NP linked Vancouver and Portland with 10 miles of new track featuring massive bridges across the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. A 28.9-mile branch line had been built in 1903 connecting Vancouver with Kalama. With the opening of the bridges in 1908, it was upgraded to mainline status and the Goble-Willbridge line, which had been extended to Astoria, became a branch.