Vital Links to Healthy Communities

"Besides rail service's support of our own business, there is a trickle down effect as well. The paper mills at the end of our line depend on our wood chips. The independent loggers upstream from us depend on our ability to ship our wood chips as well." 

Ron Wilson -- Ochoco Lumber, Prineville

Trickle down, and trickle out. Short lines create a web of business in Oregon.

• Liquid sugar that arrives from Iowa by short line at Mt. Angel Beverage is also shipped in smaller quantities by truck to other beverage plants in Medford, Roseburg, Eugene and Klamath Falls.
• Scrap to make steel in McMinnville arrives by rail from processors in Portland and Eugene.
• French fries and other frozen foods from Oregon and Northwest farms bound for Asian markets arrive at Americold in Milwaukie on Oregon Pacific Railroad.
• Propane gas, solvents and oli-based products are shipped to local distributors via short lines.

The short lines spin another kind of web. For every railroad employee, another 1.4 Oregonians are working to provide support. Short lines buy almost $4 million in fuel each year from Oregon suppliers. The Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad alone purchased $1.5 million in diesel fuel in 2000. short lines also purchase bridge timbers, ties, rail, and signaling equipment, as well as professional services, utilities and other supplies.

Communities that depend on tax receipts from timber sales benefit from close proximity to a short line. The minimum allowable bids for timber sales set by the Forest Service are higher when the timber is close to a railroad, increasing the tax receipts communities receive from each sale.

And here's the great thing about the $20 million short lines spend on salaries and benefits: the money stays in Oregon.

Keeping Jobs in Oregon	Keeping Them Rolling	Keeping Timber Jobs
Easing the Burden on Oregon's Roads	All Around the Town	The Company They Keep
	A Short Story About Short Lines
Railroad Links		Oregon Railroad Map
	OSLRA Home Page

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