10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016
Local
40th anniversary of SVRR
restoration celebrated
BY MEGHAN ANDERSCH
Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com
This July marks 40
years since the Sumpter
Valley Railroad Recon-
struction brought the
Sumpter trains back into
service with the offi cial
ribbon cutting occurring
on July 4, 1976. At fi rst,
the railroad operated on
just a few thousand feet
of track. Through ongo-
ing volunteer efforts, over
seven miles of track have
now been rebuilt.
Nancy Myers recalled
how Nils Christensen
knocked on their door in
August 1969. He asked
for husband Leland Myers
and asked what he thought
about bringing back the
Sumpter Railroad. Daugh-
ter LeAnne Woolf re-
marked how impressed she
is by the dedication and
commitment of those early
volunteers. From concep-
tion to realization years
later, they never gave up.
Before the fi rst run of the
day on July 16th, Linda
Raney strung a ribbon
across the front of the
Heisler Number 3 locomo-
tive. Volunteers from the
early years of operations
during the 70s and 80s
posed for pictures.
Before cutting the rib-
bon, Leland Myers shared
several railroad memories,
including an eventful visit
from Senator Packwood.
Packwood wanted to
operate the throttle of the
engine. Myers agreed to
this, instructing Packwood
to pull back slowly. Pack-
wood yanked the throttle
back, breaking the univer-
sal joint, and causing the
driveline to drop down and
drive through one of the
Meghan Andersch/ The Baker County Press
Ribbon cutting with Leland Myers, Fred Horn, Scott Hutton, Jim Grigsby, and
Steve Howes.
ties into the ground. My-
ers said he’d never seen a
train crew bail out so fast.
With the fi reman “pulling
the fi re out of the fi rebox,”
the crew worked quickly
to get the locomotive shut
down.
Steve Howes remarked
he had also been there for
the incident. He alluded
to Packwood’s reputation
with women and explained,
“She (the locomotive) was
just reacting to that.”
Several volunteers
mentioned how much
they have enjoyed being
involved with the railroad
and encouraged anyone in-
terested in getting involved
to fi nd out more.
After the ceremony at
the McEwen Depot, rid-
ers were treated to cake
and coffee when the train
arrived at the Sumpter
Depot.
Visitors over the
weekend included Randy
Neufeld, whose great-aunt,
Thelma Kirkland, was ac-
tually born on the Sumpter
train in 1911. Mallory
Hope Ferrell’s Rails, Sage-
brush, and Pine: A Garland
of Railroad and Logging
Days in Oregon’s Sumpter
Valley includes mention
of the event. “Resource-
ful conductor Dave Baird
rushed all of the passen-
gers out of the fi rst coach
and helped deliver a baby
girl as the train barreled
through Salisbury as fast
as the little 44-inch drivers
could take it.” The book
also includes a picture of
Neufeld’s great grandfa-
ther, Otis Kirkland, sitting
in the window of the Num-
ber 3 Heisler steam engine,
at about the age of 10.
In a fortuitous event,
Neufeld and his wife Jeri
visited the Sumpter Library
and Museum, happening
to meet and strike up a
conversation with Woolf
and librarian Jerry Dunn.
Woolf told them about the
40th anniversary celebra-
tion the next day. When
the couple mentioned
family members appearing
in Ferrell’s book (which
is out of print), Dunn
was able to pull out the
library’s copy and show
them the information.
Dunn said of Neufeld, “He
was so excited, he was
shaking.”
The Railroad is open se-
lect weekends and holidays
through the last weekend
in September. Information
on schedules and fares can
be found online at sumpt-
ervalleyrailroad.org.
One giant nutmobile
Wicked
Ways
Tickets are just $25 each.
Buy yours today at the front desk of
The Geiser Grand Hotel or online at
www.theBakerCountyPress.com
Photos courtesy of Bo Hansen.
The Planters Nutmobile from California stopped at the Chevron on Main Street in Baker City Wednesday
morning. Planters is celebrating 100 years of peanut sales and more by sending the quirky vehicle on a
tour around the country.
‘Gold Rush’ cast appearance • Carriage rides
Gothic specialty cocktails • Limited theme menu
Music and dancing
Special TAPS family “reveal” for
ticketholders only!