The Oregonian Railway was a narrow gauge railroad in the Willamette Valley

Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...

 in the U.S. state of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

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History

A group of Scot capitalists formed the Oregonian Railway Company, Limited after purchasing the bankrupt Dayton, Sheridan & Grande Ronde railroad in 1879.

The first changes made were to move the Dayton

Dayton, Oregon

Dayton is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,119 at the 2000 census. As of July 2007 its estimated population was 2,495.-History:...

 terminal, on the Yamhill River

Yamhill River

The Yamhill River is an tributary of the Willamette River, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formed by the confluence of the South Yamhill River and the North Yamhill River about east of McMinnville, it drains part of the Northern Oregon Coast Range...

, to Fulquartz Landing on the Willamette River

Willamette River

The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...

. On the opposite bank of the Willamette, the railroad built Ray's Landing. This became the north terminus of the narrow gauge line on the east side of the Willamette valley. The line connected towns such as St. Paul

St. Paul, Oregon

St. Paul is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is named after the Saint Paul Mission founded by Archbishop François Norbert Blanchet, who arrived in the Oregon Territory in 1838 to minister to the Catholic inhabitants of French Prairie. The population was 354 at the 2000 census...

, Woodburn

Woodburn, Oregon

Woodburn is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. Incorporated in 1889, the community had been platted in 1871 after the arrival of the railroad. The city is located in the northern end of the Willamette Valley along Interstate 5 between Portland and Salem...

, Silverton

Silverton, Oregon

Silverton is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 7,414 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, Brownsville

Brownsville, Oregon

Brownsville is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 1,668. It is the setting for the fictional Castle Rock, Oregon in the film Stand by Me.-History:...

, and Coburg

Coburg, Oregon

Coburg is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States, north of Eugene. The city's population as of the 2010 census was 1,035.- History :...

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The railroad also expanded the westside line south to reach Perrydale

Perrydale, Oregon

Perrydale is an unincorporated community of about 60 people in Polk County, Oregon, United States, approximately 10 miles from Dallas. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, Dallas

Dallas, Oregon

The city of Dallas is the county seat of Polk County, Oregon, United States. The population was 14,583 at the 2010 census.Dallas is located on Rickreall Creek, approximately 15 miles west of Salem, at an altitude of 325 feet above sea level...

, Monmouth

Monmouth, Oregon

- History :Monmouth was settled in 1853 by a group of pioneers who made a point of allocating to build both a city and a "college under the auspices of the Christian Church" and proceeds from the sale of these lands were used to found Monmouth University. By the early 1880s the college fell on...

, Independence

Independence, Oregon

Independence is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States, on the west bank of the Willamette River along Oregon Route 51, and east of nearby Monmouth. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 and Airlie

Airlie, Oregon

Airlie is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States.The community was named for David Ogilvy, 10th Earl of Airlie of Scotland, who was president of the narrow-gauge Oregonian Railway Company. Airlie was the southern terminus of the railroad...

. The stop at the end of the line was named after the Earl of Airlie

Earl of Airlie

Earl of Airlie is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created on 2 April 1639 for James Ogilvy, 7th Lord Ogilvy of Airlie, along with the title Lord Ogilvy of Alith and Lintrathen...

, the leader of the Scot capitalists.

Revenues were dropping, and by 1886 or 1887 the railroad granted a long-term lease to Henry Villard

Henry Villard

Henry Villard was an American journalist and financier who was an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway....

 of the Oregon & California Railroad. In later years, Villard would leave the Oregon railroad scene and the line came to be under the control of Southern Pacific Railroad

Southern Pacific Railroad

The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....

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