October 27, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A
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Susan Glen, dressed
in 1800 clothing
styled for travel,
stands next to a
display of infor-
mation about
the railroad
system in Clatsop
County. Maps
display the routes
from Portland to
the coast, Astoria
to Gearhart and to
Seaside, along with
vintage photos and
postcards.
REBECCA HERREN/
SEASIDE SIGNAL
FUN FAC TS
Taken between 1890 and 1900, the Seaside Train Depot was located off Highway 101 between avenues M and F,
currently the location of the Seaside Community Garden. Within the garden area is a train car replica and sculpture
dedicated to the history of the Daddy Train.
SEASIDE MUSEUM & HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Riding the rails to Seaside
By Rebecca Herren
Seaside Signal
T
he emotional connection of families re-
united in the summer at the beach is
passed from generation to generation.
The coastal enclave to escape the sum-
mer heat in Portland included Seaside, Gearhart,
Warrenton and Astoria, but Seaside and Gearhart
were the favorite home-away-from-home get-
aways for many Portlanders.
Families who could afford to spend the sum-
mer on the coast did, and wealthier families in-
cluded their maids, butlers and chauffeurs as well.
However, fathers stayed behind to work, traveling
to the coast Saturday morning and returning Sun-
day evening for work on Monday morning. Local
author Susan Glen has penned several books on
towns in Clatsop under the “Images of America”
series. She not only spoke of the coastal railroad’s
beginnings, timeline and the Daddy Train on Sept.
28 at Seaside Brewing Co., she came dressed in
similar fashion worn by women traveling on the
trains from that era.
“The train that became known at the ‘Daddy
Train’ eventually went all the way to Portland,
around the coast to Seaside,” Glen said.
By the early 1900s, the moniker “Daddy
Train” became synonymous for this special
weekend service. The cost to travel the train
was two cents a mile in 1907, eventually in-
creasing to $5.
Businessmen could also travel from Port-
land to Astoria by steamboat via the Colum-
bia River then board the train southward to
Seaside.
Nonetheless, the continuation of paved
roads and the popularity of automobiles end-
ed the Daddy Train rail service in 1938.
Author recalls era
The story of the railroad system in Clatsop
County dates back to the late 1800s. It was
a mere microcosm of the larger rail system
spanning across the United States as it con-
nected its eastern shores to its west.
There were no dress codes for riding on
the trains, Glen said, explaining, “They want-
ed to make it so people would feel comfort-
able coming to the Coast,” even though some
towns, but not all, had dress codes.
Her presentation “Riding the Rails” was
the first of the season’s History & Hops
speaker series co-sponsored by the Seaside
Museum & Historical Society and Seaside
Brewing Co.
On the tracks
In 1883, the Northern Pacifi c fi nally reached
Portland, however, the railroad was over-extended
fi nancially and stopped short of reaching Astoria.
This made Portland the western transit hub for the
railroad.
Around 1858, William Reid, backed by C.P. Hun-
tington, began grading a roadbed from Astoria south
along the coast in hopes to connect with Ben Holli-
day’s Oregon & California rail line in Hillsboro. That
did not happen and eventually, Astoria dropped Reid
and the deal failed. However, Reid had completed a
line to Seaside.
According to Glen, a narrow gauge railway line
began in 1886, and in August 1888, the Astoria South
Coast Railway was formed. A group of businessmen
including D.K. Warren, James Taylor and Alfred
Kinney sold 2,655 and one-half shares for $100 each
to purchase a Westinghouse locomotive. That same
year, 14 miles of track were laid from Youngs Bay
to Gearhart encompassing 20 curves and 16 trestles.
By 1896, the railroad across Youngs Bay was
completed. In 1898, the Astoria tracks connected
to Northern Pacifi c’s tracks in Goble with a 99-year
lease for service to Portland.
In 1899, rail lines went to Fort Stevens and in
May that year, a depot was built in Seaside for the
Astoria and postal railroad.
Tickets from Seaside to Port-
land in 1903 were $1.
The train ride from Portland
to Seaside took fi ve hours.
The fi rst passenger car was a
boxcar — holes were cut out
for windows, upright chairs
used for seating and passen-
gers had to carry umbrellas.
Delmoor Station — later
called Clatsop Platform and
located across the road from
Camp Rilea — was originally
Camp Clark.
Passenger service to Seaside
stopped in 1952, and by
1978, the line to Seaside was
abandoned completely.
In 1929, timber was trans-
ported from Astoria to
Boston for repairs on Old
Ironsides — also known
as USS Constitution, the
world’s oldest sailing ship
afl oat. Once repaired, the
ship sailed to Astoria in
gratitude.
From 2003 to 2005 the state
of Oregon, together with
Portland & Western Railroad
and Amtrak, ran the Lewis
and Clark Explorer Train
from Portland to Astoria,
and back.
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