I originally posted these pictures on my old website on February 9, 2008.
(NOTE: This is NOT the club's official website; to contact the club, visit www.cgmrc.com)
Easily the most well-known model railroad club in Portland, the Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club was formed in October 1947. After initially leasing space in the basement of a store on North Williams Avenue, the club purchased a vacant lot and built a 30' x 80' masonry building at 3405 North Montana Avenue in 1948. In this building the club built a 20' x 50' HO-scale layout with a double-track main line, single-track mountain division.
In 1982, the club sold their property to the Kaiser Foundation and built their current building at 2505 North Vancouver Avenue, moving in on January 1, 1983. The exterior of the building is designed to resemble a railroad depot. The interior features a club meeting room with a kitchen, restrooms, work areas, and a 60' x 70' layout room. The club's HO-scale layout consists of over three actual miles of track in the Mainline, Oregon Trunk branch line, Logging Line and multiple yards and sidings, and is designed to replicate actual locations on both the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River Gorge, including Portland Union Station, Portland's Broadway and Steel Bridges, Multnomah Falls, Crown Point, the Deschutes River Canyon and the railroad town of Wishram, Washington. The visitor aisle passes through the middle of the layout, generally representing the Columbia River. The club's layout has been featured as a cover story in Model Railroader magazine.
The Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club is typically open to the public on weekends in the month of November, but during the 2007 Portland Rose Festival, the club was open for a weekend as well. I visited the club's layout during this open house on June 10, 2007.
Here is a picture of the outside of the club's building, which is designed to resemble a railroad depot.
Here is another picture of the outside of the club's building.
The club also has a railroad semaphore signal and a "wig-wag" magnetic flagman grade crossing signal.
This video shows some of the trains and details on the Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club's layout during this visit.
Union Pacific's experimental coal turbine #80 sits in the Portland engine terminal next to an early Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger and a Southern Pacific rotary snow plow.
Union Pacific McKeen motorcar M-24 & a trailer are alongside Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger #3976 around the turntable in Portland.
This is the club's model of Portland's Broadway Bridge, with Portland Heights in the background. Portland's real Broadway Bridge was originally painted black, but today is painted red.
The club's model of Portland's Union Station is built to exact scale from measurements and blueprints of the actual building.
Here is another picture of the club’s model of Union Station.
Here is another picture of the club’s model of Union Station.
Here is another picture of the club’s model of Union Station.
Here is another picture of the club’s model of Union Station.
Here is another picture of the club’s model of Union Station. The streetcars are operational and stop at Union Station.
This is the Portland Traction Company's carbarn, which is located near the Steel Bridge.
The club's model of Portland's unique Steel Bridge, the world's only double-deck bridge with independent vertical lifts ever built, is accurate and fully operational, just like the real thing. In this picture, both decks of the Steel Bridge are in the raised position.
This picture shows the club's model of the Steel Bridge in its normal position with both decks lowered.
Here is another picture of the club's model of the Steel Bridge in its normal position with both decks lowered.
The Starship Enterprise flies through the skies above East Portland.
The ferry Wilma J. at the landing near Bingen, Washington.
This flatbed truck near Cooks, Washington appears to have recovered an unidentified flying object.
This aerial view shows the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, including the towns of Lyle, Bingen and Cooks.
Cliffhangers over the main line.
Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger #3985 emerges from a tunnel near Cooks.
The Oregon Trunk Line's steel arch bridge crosses the Crooked River Canyon.
A look under the bridge and down the Crooked River Canyon reveals a view of the town of Maupin on the Oregon Trunk Line.
A number of freight trains are passing through Avery.
This Center-Flow Covered Hopper is lettered for the Mount Hood Model Railroad Club, another HO-scale model railroad club in Portland, Oregon.
This Center-Flow Covered Hopper is lettered for the Pasadena Model Railroad Club's Sierra Pacific Lines.
A trio of Union Pacific E6s pull into the depot in Wishram, Washington while firefighters battle a house fire in the foreground. A Union Pacific Alco S2 switcher and a Rock Island GP40, U30C and wide-vision caboose are in the yard in the background.
Firefighters battle a house fire near the depot in Wishram, Washington. A Union Pacific Alco S2 switcher and a Rock Island GP40, U30C and wide-vision caboose are in the yard in the background.
An Amtrak Superliner passenger train powered by P42DCs #28 and #207 passes Ben's Diner in Wishram, Washington. The circus parade is also passing the diner. A freight train with a Spokane, Portland & Seattle wide-vision caboose is in the yard in the background.
The Amtrak Superliner passenger train is making a station stop at Wishram, Washington.
The tugboat Long Beach is docked near Wishram, Washington, while the Amtrak Superliner passenger train passes by. In the background, high on a ridge, a freight train powered by an A-B set of Western Pacific F-units is visible in Madras on the Oregon Trunk Line.
A group of Columbia Gorge Lines ice-bunker refrigerator cars are on a siding in front of a vineyard near Wishram, Washington.
This view shows the Vista House on top of Crown Point on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge. To the right is a bridge that bears a resemblance to the Shepperd's Dell Bridge over Young Creek on the Historic Columbia River Highway.
Here is a closer look at the Vista House on top of Crown Point.
Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger #3985 passes through the town of Wyeth with a freight train.
Here is a closer look at the operational drive-in theater in the town of Wyeth, which is currently showing a Shrek movie.
This picture shows Multnomah Falls complete with the Simon Benson Footbridge and the Multnomah Falls Lodge.
Here is a closer look at the Multnomah Falls Lodge.
Here is another view of Multnomah Falls with the Simon Benson Footbridge and the Multnomah Falls Lodge.
Here is a closer look at Multnomah Falls and the Simon Benson Footbridge.
This view shows the Logging Line and trestle behind Hood River.
This is the Hood River Lumber Company Mill in Hood River. Examples of Shay, Heisler and Climax geared steam locomotives are on display in front of the mill.
This is the main office building of the Hood River Lumber Company in Hood River.
A Union Pacific McKeen Car sits on a siding near Hood River.
A number of logging line railroad bridges of different types cross over Goshawful Gulch at various elevations.
This closeup shows the kayakers, bears and deer in Goshawful Gulch.
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