New Royal Slope Railroad operator faces a mud slide
Farmer Bill Pelham believes it was irrigation runoff from saturated fields on the bench above his small farm. The section of rail covered in mud included a segment that was rebuilt after a cloudburst in 2012 left rails hanging over a ditch washed out by the flooding.
ROYAL CITY - There was good news and potentially bad news last week for the Port of Royal Slope (PORS) and others who want to see the Royal Slope Railroad back in service.
Good news first: On Aug. 21, the Washington State Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT) put out a press release stating it has selected ARG Transportation to operate the line.
The potential bad news: Neither the WSDOT nor ARG has seen a section of the line that is under mud from a torrent of water that came down from Saddle Mountain on Aug. 20.
That has PORS commissioners and Executive Director Cathy Potter nervous. ARG has the option not to re-open the line if, in the next six months, it finds the line commercially not feasible. ARG could consider the cost of mudslides a hindrance.
"We don't know what they'll say when they see the mud," Potter said. "Yes, we're nervous."
The WSDOT's Chris Herman did not seem to be concerned on Friday. He said his department will have to work with ARG to clean up the mud. He doesn't believe the threat of future slides will stop ARG from operating.
However, Herman is under the impression the water was from a natural source, such as rain. Bill Pelham, who farms at the base of the mountain, watched the water come down and photographed it.
"It wasn't raining, and there was not a cloud in the sky," he said. "It had to be irrigation runoff from up above."
ARG leadership will meet with the PORS today so the entities can start a relationship. Potter doesn't know if they'll tour the line or wait for a later date.
Potter said the PORS is planning a public reception for ARG at the Port offices, hopefully Sept. 11. Meanwhile, Potter is "excited that we a have an operator."
"ARG has six months to market itself to growers and shippers, but if it finds operation is feasible in one month or two, it can start then," Potter said.
According to WSDOT's Chris Herman, ARG owns the Coos Bay Rail Link in Oregon, and was named 2014 Short Line Railroad of the Year by Railway Age magazine for restoring an out-of-service rail line and expanding business.
WSDOT issued a Request-for-Proposals in February. ARG was chosen based on its experience re-establishing rail lines as well as a business plan to develop competitive rates for shippers.
"Rail is critical to keeping both freight and Washington's economy moving, and short lines are an important part of the state's rail network," Herman said.
The WSDOT is serious enough about the line to have put up $750,000 for its rehabilitation. In the first place, it purchased the line in 1993 to prevent it from being abandoned and to preserve rail infrastructure.
"The goal is to restore the only rail service to a portion of Grant County, assisting farmers getting their products to market," Herman said.
The line hasn't been operated since 1994. Repair work, much of it by the PORS, was completed in 2013. PORS commissioners volunteered time and equipment.
ARG will spend six months, maximum, determining the commercial interest from prospective shippers who currently use a combination of trucking and rail. If results are favorable, ARG will re-open the line.
"I, along with the entire community, am excited that after years of work by the Port of Royal Slope and WSDOT, this project is moving toward completion," State Sen. Matt Manweller said. "A rail line out of Royal City will be a boon to economic development and another opportunity for local farmers to get their produce to international markets."