>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

NEW ARRIVALS: The rail diesel cars arrived In La Grande last week from Portland, and then were hauled to the Wallowa Union Railroad's Elgin terminus. The two cars pictured here, plus one still undergoing maintenance in Portland, were purchase with money from a ConnectOregon grant. (The Observer/Bill Rautenstrauch).

- Bill Rautenstrauch

- The Observer

ELGIN — As the 2007 tourist season draws near, the Wallowa Union Railroad's Eagle Cap Excursion Train is set to take on a new look.

Last week, the taxpayer-owned railroad took possession of two of the three rail diesel cars it plans to use for excursions on the line that starts in Elgin in Union County and extends deep into Wallowa County.

The cars, built in the mid-1950s, are long and shiny and look new compared to the 1930-40's vintage cars they're replacing.

"I know they will give us more ridership out of Elgin," said Dale Shumway, a Friends of the Joseph Branch volunteer who is helping get the cars ready for the coming excursion season.

Rail diesel cars were developed in the late 1940s, mainly for use as commuters trains in rural areas.

They are self-propelled units, each equipped with their own engines and piloted from their own cabs. They can be hooked together to form a train set.

The three RDCs going online for the WURR were used for many years in Canada. In 2002, they were pressed into service for Oregon's Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Celebration.

They formed an excursion train that followed the route the famous explorers marched over from Portland to Astoria. Staffed by volunteers, the train ran during the summer seasons.

The State of Oregon bought the cars to use during the three-year-long bicentennial celebration. The Oregon Department of Transportation rail division contracted with the Portland and Western Railroad for the train's operation. The Explorer made its last run Oct. 3, 2005.

Last year, the Oregon Transportation Commission approved the WURR's application for a $533,000 ConnectOregon grant to buy the cars.

The grant was approved in July. Since then mechanics and maintenance workers in Portland have been readying the cars for service with the Wallowa Union.

They were hauled by rail to the WURR's Elgin terminus.

"They had to take off the drive lines out to ship them," said Shumway. "We're putting them back on now."

The RDCs carry about 60 passengers apiece, said Shumway. Each has a small area for food service.

RDCs are said to be more fuel-efficient than locomotives, but Shumway said the local railroad is in a "wait and see" mode on that point.

"People keep telling us we'll have more fuel economy, but we don't know about that yet," he said. "Our line is steeper than the one between Portland and Astoria."

As for the old cars — two passenger cars, a dining car and a baggage car — Shumway said they will eventually be sold.

The WURR's locomotives will be used occasionally for freight hauling.

The third RDC is still being worked on in the Portland area. Shumway said he wasn't sure about an arrival date.

"It's having some wheel work done," he said.

Excursion Train Coordinator Mary Ann Keyser said the third car has a larger dining facility, handicap access and room for baggage.

All in all, the new cars could be a boost for the railroad, Keyser said.

Many volunteers work on the excursion runs. Keyser said training them is the next big challenge.

"There's a lot more involved in getting these cars up and running. We're looking at a pretty intense training session," she said.

The Eagle Cap Excursion Train's 2007 schedule includes many new trip departure locations and destinations.

The schedule is expanded to include over half of the trips departing from Elgin, at the western end of the Wallowa Union Railroad and 20 miles north of La Grande on Oregon State Route 82.

Most of the rest of the trips depart from the town of Wallowa in the Wallowa Valley.

Two trips are moonlight excursions that depart from the tiny community of Minam at the confluence of the Wallowa and Minam rivers.