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Oregon California & Eastern/ Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad- Photos by Jack Bowden


Oregon California & Eastern
Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad
Photos by Jack Bowden


A westbound loaded log train powered by leased SP SD-9's rolling through Horton in 1976.

Jack Bowden was the son of a Southern Pacific telegrapher. He lived in various places around northern California during his youth, including Canby, CA, and Dunsmuir, CA. Jack graduated from Dunsmuir High School in 1952 and quickly hired out on the SP as a clerk. In 1959 Jack transferred into train service. He retired from the Southern Pacific as a conductor in 1995. Jack was a prolific photographer in addition to being a professional railroader, and the OC&E was a favorite subject.

Jack has authored two books on railroading in northern California and southern Oregon in recent years. His first book was The Modoc Line, Southern Pacific's Back Door to Oregon, co-authored with Tom Dill and published by Oso in 2002. His second book was Railroad Logging in the Klamath Country, also published by Oso in 2004. The OC&E and Weyerhaeuser railroads are both covered in his Klamath book.