Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad
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The Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks INPR) is a small railroad that runs in Southwest Idaho and Northeastern Oregon in the United States. It operates about 210 miles of former Union Pacific branch lines and is currently a subsidiary of the Rio Grande Pacific Company. As of 2006, the INPR operates three separate sections of rail, one running from La Grande, Oregon to Elgin, Oregon, connecting at Elgin with another former UP rail line now owned by Wallowa County which continues to Joseph, Oregon. The other two are in Idaho, a portion of the former Union Pacific Boise Cut-off route from Nampa to Boise and the other section is one of the most scenic stretches of Union Pacific route, running from Payette through Emmett and then into the Canyon of the Payette River on a northerly route to Cascade. This line historically continued on to the former logging community McCall.
As of 2006, INPR operates tourist trains and "river and rail" trips in the Payette Canyon that allow riders to ride a train in one direction and return by river raft on the water of the North Fork of the Payette River. Both the Oregon portion and the Payette River line were historically built as logging and lumbering lines with large Boise Cascade mills located in nearby communities, but those mills were disbanded and closed in recent times, consistent with a decline in logging and lumber processing in much of the Northwestern United States.
The Boise line is operated for freight connection with Union Pacific at Nampa and to serve the industrial areas in East Boise with rail service.
Idaho Northern and Pacific's offices are located in Emmett.
[edit] References
- Ehernberger, James L. And Francis G. Gschwind. Smoke Down the Canyons, Union Pacific Idaho Division. (1966)
[edit] External Links
- Thunder Mountain Line tourist train history page
- INPR information from Rio Grande Pacific Corporation
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