Historic Hood River
Rail Yard
10-15-2015
Notes
We have a small collection of matted prints like this one. I wish someone had left us some notes, but all I can say is they look like scenes at a rail yard. This one has a steam locomotive fired up, and a nice stack of wooden pipe ready for installation, or perhaps just removed from service.
Charlott
It looks as if it was used, so probably torn out of somewhere. Arlen might be able to determine the era from the engine there.
It is definitely not down in Hood River. Maybe Parkdale?
Kenn
Wood burning engine and wood pipe, great. The remains of these old pipes found with the wood gone appear like a confusing long spring. Lower Herman Creek has much of this type pipe remaining, about 24" diameter, from the old power plant.
L.E.
That large building off to the right, looks remarkable enough to be identified.
How was the wooden pipe made? Is it hollowed out logs, or staves banded together?
I have seen fir bark that was buried and used as a drain pipe. It held up for years.
Arthur
These are staves banded together, like the pipe along the Indian Creek trail.
Dan
The pipe is wood staves wrapped with a large steel wire and if I remember the wood is treated with something nasty. Back when I worked at FID we had quite a bit of it i the ground. It was a real pain trying to repair it. It’s all since been replaced at least in FID’s district.
Longshot
How about Odell for a location? The area around the track is pretty flat in the Odell area just like the land in the picture. There is also a similar appearing building with a low slope gable roof where the tracks cross the Odell Hwy.
J.E. Sheppard
Very vague in the distance, could that be Gilhooley Mountain? In that case it would be Boneborough siding north of Parkdale, perhaps. How do you spell Boneborough, anyway?
Chase DeBoard
This is looking down Mason Road, you can see Mason’s Liberty Home Orchard’s water tower.
https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org/liberty-home-orchard-2/
This Panorama shows a Pine Grove, and you can just barely see the water tower off in distance.
https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org/van-horn-butte-panorama/
The Grange is still in its original location is directly behind the photographer.
For context, Mason, Van Horn, and Railroad are not in their modern locations, neither are the creeks, assume nothing is the same year to year.
As far as year, I think Pre-1923 cause the rail is tiny.
Because 1923 the railroad relaid with bigger 75 lb rail from switch to van horn.
Also that curve in track shown in picture is old, looks like the track still went through the “storybook glade” house property on Mason, before the house was there.