Historical archives for the Sumpter Valley Railroad will soon be housed in a brand-new building thanks to several recent grants.

“The building has been in the planning stages for a number of years,” said J.B. Bane, SVRR archivist.

The project dates to 2013 after Ron Harr, a charter member of the SVRR, left his estate to benefit the Sumpter Valley Railroad. From 2014 to 2018, Bane and other volunteers sorted through Harr’s collection of historical materials to decide what to sell and what to keep.

“By 2018, our board had decided not to keep the Harr property, in which case we would need to build a new home for the archive and book collection,” Bane said.

The archives project was delayed several times — once by issues with a zoning ordinance, and then by the COVID pandemic. However, it is now underway and recently received a financial boost from two sources.

The National Railway Historical Society has granted $4,600 — requiring a 50% match — for the HVAC system.

A second award — the Oregon Museum Grant — came from the State Historic Preservation Office for $7,000 to pay for insulation and wiring.

Bane said the railroad also submitted a grant to Union Pacific for $20,000 to finish the building, but is still waiting to hear about that application. If that grant request is denied, he said SVRR will continue raising money for the project through donations and book sales at the McEwen and Sumpter depots.

The building measures 20 feet by 40 feet, and the contractor is Sid Johnson and Co.

Currently, the railroad’s archives are stored on Bane’s property in Enterprise. The Sumpter Valley Railroad Restoration was founded in 1971, and since then he said the SVRR has compiled about 2,500 historical items including photographs and paperwork.

“It’s the place a historian writing about Baker County history or logging history would come,” Bane said.

“This will make it easier to access.”

The Sumpter Valley Railroad was built for logging the forests of Eastern Oregon on a narrow gauge line, which measured 36 inches, compared to a standard railroad width of 56.5 inches.

Construction started in 1890. By 1910 the track stretched from Baker City to Prairie City, and carried both lumber and passengers.

According to “A trip Into History with the Sumpter Valley Railroad” by Jim Eccles, spurs were laid into the mountains to bring the logs back to the mainline: “Canyons and watercourses were crossed by wooden trestles, bridges, earthwork fills and culverts.”

By 1933, the line from Bates to Prairie City was abandoned, and passenger service ended in 1937. All operations ceased by 1947 — the original track was scrapped and most of the original road bed started to erode.

Restoration efforts began in 1971, and volunteers have rebuilt seven miles of track.

The SVRR has 330 members from near and far, with 40 active members who work on railroad maintenance and running the train during the summer season.

“I think we’ve set a precedent for railroad operations run almost entirely by volunteers,” Bane said.

And more active volunteers would be welcome, he said.

“I wish we could get more local people involved,” he said. “We really are hurting for volunteers.”

Membership

All ages are welcome, but must be 18 or older to work on the trains or operate equipment. Members receive official membership cards, a subscription to the “Stump Dodger” newsletter, a free pass once a year, and a 10% discount in the gift shop when actively volunteering.

Membership fees are:

• Junior (17 and younger): $20
• General: $35
• Sustaining: $50
• Life Member: $2,000

For more information, send an email to info@sumptervalleyrailroad.org or visit sumptervalleyrailroad.com/membership-and-volunteering.html.

Train rides

This summer, the SVRR has run both the diesel engine and the wood-fired Heisler No. 3. The 19 engine has been out of service due to a minor boiler issue that Bane said “is not inexpensive to fix.”

For Labor Day weekend, the train offers short runs from Sumpter during the flea market on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2 and 3. Rides are scheduled at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 adults, $13 ages 3-17, $17 seniors/military and $65 family.

Looking ahead, special events are set into the fall. To make reservations, go to sumptervalleyrailroad.org. Here is the schedule:

• Sept. 23 and Sept. 24: Full runs from McEwen featuring the High Country Outlaws “robbing” the train — 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Oct. 20: Fall Foliage with No. 3 Heisler steam locomotive — 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Oct. 27: Halloween Train, 6 miles, diesel locomotive — 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
• Oct. 28: Halloween Train, 6 miles, diesel locomotive — 11 a.m. (robbery), 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
• Dec. 8: Christmas Train, 10 miles, 6 p.m.
• Dec. 9, Christmas Train, 6 miles, 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6 p.m.