The Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad was a
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
railroad that operated a 46 miles (74 km) of track running east from
Wallula, to
Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,339 as of 2023. The combined populat ...
, United States. It is also known as the Rawhide or Strap Iron Railroad.
[*] The nicknames come from the early days when the rail line used wooden rails. Strap iron was placed on top of the wooden rails to improve the longevity of the rails. The strap iron was secured in place by nails. Rawhide was used when a quick repair was needed to secure a snakehead.
In 1881, the railroad came under the control of the
Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) was a rail and steamboat transport company that operated a rail network of running east from Portland, Oregon, United States, to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Id ...
(OR&N), and the narrow-gauge was converted to standard gauge. In 1910, the Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad was consolidated into the OR&N.
Further reading
*
References
3 ft gauge railways in the United States
Defunct Washington (state) railroads
Transportation in Walla Walla County, Washington
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