The Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....

's (UP) Hinkle Locomotive Service and Repair Facility is located within the railroad's yard

Classification yard

A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...

 at Hinkle

Hinkle, Oregon

Hinkle is an unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. It is located south of Hermiston near U.S. Route 30/Interstate 84 and Oregon Route 207, within the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area...

, Umatilla County, Oregon

Umatilla County, Oregon

Umatilla County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. The county is named for the Umatilla River. In 2010, its population was 75,889...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The first locomotive shop and servicing facilities at Hinkle were constructed in 1951 as part of the general relocation of railroads and highways in north-central Oregon because of the construction of the McNary Dam

McNary Dam

McNary Dam is a 1.4-mile long concrete gravity run-of-the-river dam which spans the Columbia River. It joins Umatilla County, Oregon with Benton County, Washington, 292 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia at Astoria, Oregon. It is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' McNary...

 on the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

. Before 1951, the primary yard and locomotive facilities in the area were located at Rieth, Oregon, four miles west of Pendleton

Pendleton, Oregon

Pendleton is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Pendleton was named in 1868 by the county commissioners for George H. Pendleton, Democratic candidate for Vice-President in the 1864 presidential campaign. The population was 16,612 at the 2010 census...

.

As a result of the construction of the McNary Dam, and later the John Day Dam

John Day Dam

The John Day Dam is a concrete gravity run-of-the-river dam spanning the Columbia River in the northwestern United States. The dam features a navigation lock plus fish ladders on both sides. The John Day Lock has the highest lift of any U.S. lock...

, the UP mainline from Boardman, Oregon

Boardman, Oregon

Boardman is a city in Morrow County, Oregon, United States on the Columbia River and Interstate 84. As of the 2010 census the population was 3,220. It is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

 to Juniper, Oregon, would be flooded in numerous places due to the backpools behind the dams. UP took advantage of this situation to consolidate trackage and replace antiquated locomotive maintenance and repair facilities at Rieth and Umatilla

Umatilla, Oregon

Umatilla is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. It is named for the Umatilla River, which enters the Columbia River on the side of the city. The river is named after the Umatilla Tribe. The city is located on the south side of the Columbia River, and is located on U.S...

. In 1951, the original locomotive shop and servicing facility was constructed as part of the creation of a new yard at Hinkle to replace the yards at Umatilla and Rieth.

Before 1951, Hinkle had merely been the junction of the original Oregon Railway and Navigation Company (OR&N) mainline which ran north to Umatilla and then west to Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, and the Coyote Cutoff which was constructed in 1914-1915 between Hinkle and Boardman where it rejoined the original OR&N mainline.

From 1977 to 1997, Hinkle served as an Amtrak stop along the "Pioneer" route. This station stop provided rail passenger service to local communities including Hermiston, Boardman, and Stanfield. The Hinkle Amtrak station, a typical Amtrak passenger shed and parking lot, is now property of the Union Pacific Railroad and off limits to the public.