From the bike path underneath, the Marys River railroad bridge in Corvallis looked like this on May 14, 2026.
Last week I got word of a development regarding the collapsed railroad bridge on the Marys River in Corvallis. So I went over there to take a look.
The network of Corvallis bike paths, with wayfinding signage no less, makes it easy to get a good view of the bridge. You can get there in a few minutes from Pioneer Park.
The bridge collapsed when a Portland & Western train went over it on Jan. 4, 2025. A train car with agricultural fertilizer fell into the river. (The state DEQ fined the railroad more than $80,000 for polluting the river, as though this was an intentional act.)
Now, the farming operation that relied on rail service on the line south of he bridge filed a complaint against the railroad with the federal Surface Transportation Board. The company, VFRC, complains that because Portland & Western has failed to rebuild the bridge the railroad has not met its obligation as a common carrier under federal law.
The line south of the bridge is known as the Bailey Branch.
The complaint asks the federal agency to order the railroad to repair the bridge and restore rail service on the Bailey Branch. It also asks for damages for lost profits, plus compensation for storing two locomotives and 16 freight cars on VFRC property, where the equipment was stranded when the bridge collapsed.
The filing recounts ownership and operational changes on the Bailey Branch over the past 20-some years, including the farm’s buying part of the line, making repairs and constructing a rail loading yard.
The 13-page complaint, filed May 8, is a public record that can be found on the Transportation Board’s website here.
In an April 29 letter, attached to the complaint, a lawyer for the railroad said the company has been working to explore options to reopen the bridge but that the line was officially “embargoed” as of that morning, meaning it was withdrawn from service. “There is no immediate plan to resume service,” she added.
What happens next in cases like this? Michael Booth, a public affairs officer for the board in Washington, D.C., who worked at the Corvallis Gazette-Times in about 2007 or 8, told me the board operates like a court. On average, defendants file something in response to complaints in about 20 days. (hh)
You can still see where a fire in May 2022 scorched the bridge pilings. The complaint says there was a homeless camp under the bridge, and a meth lab explosion caused the fire.
If I’m correct, didn’t Portland & Western have another bridge collapse or was damaged awhile back around Toledo? Something tells me they’re not doing well financially.
It was a derailment of 4 locomotives and a “slug”.
The rerailment was impressive, not having to deal with the govt.
Make that 5 locomotives…..
My name is Lori Inman and I am homeless I have been for a while and I remember that fire and it was not a meth lab but a propane tank exploded and I don’t know if they survived the fire or not yet the city of Corvallis knew that it would happen but didn’t know when and didn’t want to cause a freak out
And the reason a propane tank was under the trestle was?????
From (first on the list) https://www.lonokepa.com/resources/spotting-a-meth-lab/
The equipment and processes used to produce meth can reveal the existence of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory. Here are some indicators of a meth lab:
Propane tanks with fittings that have turned blue.
More than likely they were using propane for heat or cooking and got outta control. Has been an ongoing thing with homeless. Several times a year someones tent burns then blows up. In this case that bridge was far too damaged and responsible people dropped the ball and let it keep being used with out much if any repair
Amazingly, Portland & Western tried to contract Rick Franklin Corp to move their two locomotives from where they are parked, as well as the 16 freight cars that are stranded there. The bill would have been over $400,000. Considering that the bridge replacement is estimated at $1.5 million, why not rebuild?
You can’t rebuild a pile of rotten poles & burned up to boot…..i’m sure orange man bad will be the cause … Railroads are great when their new….like 1950….oh my…
Back when they were still servicing the Hull Oakes mill down in Dawson, we chased the train for a day (2006?). Track conditions were horrible and train speed was limited to 10 mph in places. They were having derailments on a regular basis.
https://youtu.be/IHkL9q6TIaU?si=bG0K6uFmpjwWDGZw
Rail service is too slow and expensive except for transportation of bulk goods, and the revenue generated is not enough to pay for upkeep. Most small branch lines have been privatized in full or in part, and many ofthem can’t support long term maintenance. The infrastructure is used up until it justifies abandonment. Trucking out competed rail systems by greatly reduced shipping times, cheaper insurance, lower cost for dockage, no demurage, better customer service, and better songwriters.