OREGON LOGGING RAILROADS
History Project
IN MEMORY of RICHARD A. SAMUELS, OREGON PACIFIC RAILROAD
By: Brian P McCamish
Exploring, preserving and recording the history & abandoned remains of
Oregon's Railroad Logging Legacy
Be sure to also visit:
The largest PNW logging railroads historical resource on the web!
Last Update: November 27, 2025
DEDICATED TO:
Richard A. Samuels
1943 - 2021
Proprietor, founder & owner of the
Oregon Pacific Railroad
Oregon Logging RR Articles
Published Completed Articles:
Nearest Town: Birkenfeld, Oregon (Kerry Line) Last Update: COMPLETED! Updated: 11-27-25
Nearest Town: Birkenfeld, Oregon (Kerry Line) Last Update: COMPLETED! Update: 11-26-25
Coming Soon:
Nearest Town: Westport, Oregon Last Update: Under Construction
Elwood Snow & Elwood Logging Companies
Nearest Town: Birkenfeld, Oregon (Kerry Line) Last Update: Under Construction
Christenson Logging Company
Nearest Town: Birkenfeld, Oregon (Kerry Line) Last Update: Under Construction
Frances Weist & Company
Nearest Town: Cochran, Oregon (SP Tillamook Branch) Last Update: Under Construction
Spaulding Logging Company
Nearest Town: Valsetz, Oregon (Valley & Siletz RR) Last Update: Under Construction
Jewett Logging Company
Nearest Town: Reedsport, Oregon (Umpqua River Log Dump) Last Update: Under Construction
C McC Johnson Lumber Company
Nearest Town: Reedsport, Oregon (Umqua River Log Dump) Last Update: Under Construction
Hammond Lumber Company Camp 3
Nearest Town: Birkenfeld, Oregon (Kerry Line) Last Update: Under Construction
Our Favorite Logging Railroad Resources & Links
ABOUT THIS WEBSITE:
Oregon Logging Railroad History Project is a website maintained by Brian P McCamish to preserve and record the Logging Railroad History of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Railroad Logging began in Oregon in the late 1800s with the most railroads ceasing operations and being replaced by trucks in the late 1930s and 1940s. However, some reload railroad logging operations lasted as long as the 1980s This site focuses mostly on the first half of 20th century railroad logging operations and heavily focuses on the North Oregon Coast Range, however, all operations and parts of the state will be featured here over time. This site will feature details about certain railroad logging companies and operations, including histories, photos, maps and modern day photos of remains at the sites and locations discussed. The goal is to preserve a part of the industrial history of Oregon, that is rapidly fading and disappearing, before it is lost forever. The site is currently under construction and more information will be added almost daily, so be sure to check back often.
ABOUT OUR EXPEDITION VEHICLE:
Our Lexus GX470 "expedition" camping vehicle, plays such a crutial role in our ability to explore, map and visit abandoned logging railroads, that it has it's own website section devoted to it's build and show casing. To see more, click the link below:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: BRIAN P McCAMISH
Brian McCamish is a amateur historian and railroad history researcher who has been researching, studying, mapping and following logging railroad operations in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, since 2001, along with logging railroad expert, Mathew Wolford. Matt and Brian have extensively researched, hiked and explored abandoned logging railroads all over Oregon in the last 25 years. Brian is also a certified locomotive engineer for the Oregon Rail Heritage Center (ORHC) in Portland, Oregon and helps to operate excursion passenger trains for the museum. He was previously certified as an engineer with the Oregon Pacific Railroad since 2008, where he was the volunteer manager of Oregon Pacific's passenger operations. When Brian's friend and owner of the OPR, Richard Samuels, passed away in 2021, passenger operations transferred to the ORHC and Brian now assists the ORHC as a locomotive engineer. Brian's full time job is with the Boeing Company, Portland Commercial Aircraft Facility, where he has worked in various roles since 1998 and currently works in manufacturing and processing of complex Boeing Commercial Aircraft Parts. Prior to 1998, Brian was a Deputy for the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Jennifer. In the early to mid 2000s, he was most known as the author of brian894x4.com. An extensive and internationally recognized website dedicated to a combination of railroad history and toyota 4x4 technical information. It was, at one time, the largest website hosted by Yahoo.com. Unfortunately, the website was lost due to Yahoo and it's software going defunct. This website has been created to rebuild some of what was lost.
