The original extension of the Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad west from Wallula followed the south
bank of the Columbia River all the way to Portland. The small community of Umatilla, which lay on the route
of the completed railroad, gained additional prominence in March 1881 when the Oregon Railroad & Navigation
Company started building the Baker City branch south from this point. Shortages of men and materials slowed
construction of the Baker City branch to a crawl, and completing the first forty-three miles to Pendleton
lasted until the end of August 1882.
Umatilla's status as a railroad town started to decline in 1915 when Union Pacific completed a shortcut
for the westbound traffic that bypassed the city to the south. Only a short stretch of the old mainline
running west from Umatilla along the south bank of the Columbia survived to serve local shippers before
it was abandoned. The mainline to Spokane continued to pass through town until 1951, when the McNary dam
inundated the original mainline just upstream from Umatilla. A new line built from the new classification
yard established at Hinkle ran to a connection with the original mainline above the reservoir.
The original ten miles of the OR&N Baker City branch thus became a stub end branchline. Numerous shippers
in Umatilla keep UP trains rolling up from Hinkle Yard on a consistent basis.
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