Brewing Issue with Salmonberry Trail May Close Part of Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad

Published 08/08/25 at 7:05 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Tillamook, Oregon) – A conflict is brewing in Tillamook County that is quickly heading into what may be a frustrating choice between finishing part of the Salmonberry Trail and the whether or not there is continued full operation of the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (OSCR). (Photo Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

While nothing has been decided yet, it could end up a case of either one or the other – but not both.

The part of the Salmonberry Trail going through Rockaway Beach is still in the design stage, with the original idea being it would exist side-by-side with segments of the railroad track that runs from Rockaway Beach to Wheeler. This is used regularly by OSCR – the only track in the area.

However, at a recent Port of Tillamook Bay (POTB) board of director's meeting, officials from the City of Rockaway Beach (CORB) said that as the trail is being designed, it's becoming apparent this model of the rails-with-trails project is proving far too expensive and the permits involved unworkable. CORB is now asking it take over the rails from the northern section of town northward and that it be allowed to remove them for trail construction.

This, said OSCR, would take out well over half of its operation, eliminating 30 miles of the 48 miles it runs on.

Courtesy photo

“We strongly believe that removing rail infrastructure is a short-sighted decision that undermines years of investment, community benefit, and the spirit of cooperation that has defined this project,” OSCR said.

According to the Tillamook Headlight-Herald, Rockaway Beach City Manager Luke Shepard proposed the idea at the POTB meeting on July 30. Shepard said costs are now looking at more like $5 million dollars per mile of the trail, and all the permitting issues of going through environmentally sensitive areas are creating massive delays in the project. (See the statement from OSCR)

Currently, the Port holds the lease for those railways used by OSCR, which expires in a year and a half.

Shepard and representatives from the Salmonberry Trail Intergovernmental Agency are asking the Port to act more quickly than that, as the city needs to figure out the rest of the design and engineering of the trail. This, argues OSCR, would actually break the terms of the lease.

Both sides do not want to see the other go away: OSCR is stressing it is pro-Salmon Berry Trail and those on the side of the trail want to see continued operation of the railroad ride. OSCR has come up with alternatives to keep it a rail-with-trail project.

There are numerous other details at the Tillamook Headlight-Herald story (behind a paywall).

According to the Tillamook County Visitors Association, the railroad generates $6 million dollars per year in the area. It is the second largest dollar-generating attraction in the county, with the Tillamook Cheese Factory the most popular and the Tillamook Air Museum third.

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