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THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1996 Keeping the railroad open has at times been a real task, but little has matched the damage sustained during the great floods of 1996. With an unusually large snow pack in the Coast range, a tropical storm on February 5 dumped an amazing 28 INCHES of rain in a little more than 24 hours, and the resulting floods wreaked havoc on the line. Where the rail corridor followed the Salmonberry and Nehalem rivers, it was devastated by 108 major wash-outs. Over a mile of track in these areas was swept away. Much of what remained was buried under an almost series of slides. In all, 16 of the 30 miles of track in that area sustained some type of damage.
Flood waters kept us at bay until March 7. Then, with the assurance of FEMA emergency funds, the Port and an army of contractors set out to reopen the line. Devastation aside, we also had to take into consideration the need to complete the bulk of the work without endangering the spawning runs of wild Winter Steelhead that were soon to arrive.
All told, 300,000 cubic yards of debris needed to be moved, and over 250,000 tons of rock were mined and placed. More than a mile of new culvert had to be replaced. The railroad has developed a plan for maintaining the area in a way that is safe to the rivers, and will hopefully help prevent or lessen the damage should we hit that 500-year flood stage again.
The financial toll reached nearly 12 million dollars, of which federal government committed to pay the majority. With the receipt of the final 2.7 million dollars, the railroad has set out to upgrade the trackage and physical plant. With the investment, the Port of Tillamook Bay should be safe far into the new century.
Click here to see more photos from the flooding. |
What happened was little short of miraculous. Necessary work within the rivers, along with assistance in the restoration of the fish habitat was completed by the April 1st deadline. The first trains would make their way through the area only 22 days later.