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{{Short description|Train in Oregon, United States of America}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2012}}
The '''Eagle Cap Excursion Train''' is a [[heritage railway|heritage railroad]] service located in [[Wallowa, Oregon|Wallowa]], [[Oregon]], [[United States]], operated on a {{convert|63|mi|km|adj=on}} line from [[Elgin, Oregon|Elgin]] to [[Joseph, Oregon|Joseph]]. The line is owned by the [[Wallowa Union Railroad]] (WURR), a public entity, which acquired it from private owners in 2002. The first excursion train was operated in 2003.<ref name=observer-2011jul>{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=Chuck|title=Free of debt and stored rail cars, railroad sees clear tracks ahead|newspaper=[[The Observer (La Grande)|The Observer]]|location=[[La Grande, Oregon]]|date=July 28, 2011|url=http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/News/Local-News/Free-of-debt-and-stored-rail-cars-railroad-sees-clear-tracks-ahead|accessdate=December 4, 2012|archive-date=July 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719054504/https://www.lagrandeobserver.com/News/Local-News/Free-of-debt-and-stored-rail-cars-railroad-sees-clear-tracks-ahead|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
The [[Union Pacific Railroad]] (UP) came to [[Union County, Oregon|Union County]] in July 1884 when the main line between [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] and [[Portland, Oregon]] passed through [[La Grande, Oregon|La Grande]].

The [[Oregon Railway and Navigation Company]] (OR&N) began construction on a branch line north to [[Elgin, Oregon|Elgin]] that was opened in December 1890. The OR&N itself was dissolved and its assets taken over by both the UP and the [[Northern Pacific Railway]] (NP) with the line from La Grande to Elgin transferring to the UP. UP extended the line over the next two decades north and east to Wallowa by 1908 and eventually to [[Enterprise, Oregon|Enterprise]] and [[Joseph, Oregon|Joseph]]. Under UP operation, the line was commonly referred to as the "Joseph Branch".

UP identified the Joseph Branch for divestiture or abandonment in the late 1980s or early 1990s. In 1993, the line was sold to the railroad holding company [[Rio Grande Pacific Corporation]] (RGPC) of [[Fort Worth, Texas]]. RGPC created the [[Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad]] to operate over the Joseph Branch & the Payette to Cascade line in Idaho

[[File:Minam Railcar (Wallowa County, Oregon scenic images) (walDA0002a).jpg|thumb|right|An [[Budd Rail Diesel Car|RDC]] on the Eagle Cap train service, in [[Minam, Oregon|Minam]], in 2008]]
In 1997 the Joseph Branch was identified for abandonment later that year from Elgin to Joseph following the closure of the mill in Joseph.

The county governments in Union and [[Wallowa County, Oregon|Wallowa]] counties wanted to preserve this important transportation link and put together a proposal to purchase the {{convert|63|mi|km}}<ref name=observer-2011jul/> of abandoned railroad. After acquiring the line in 2002,<ref name=observer-2011jul/> the counties and their respective economic development agencies and chambers of commerce sought potential operators of either a [[short line railroad|short line]] (class III) railroad or a [[heritage railway|heritage railroad]], which would offer tourist excursions.

The latter option was successful and the Eagle Cap Excursion Train began on August 3, 2002, six years after abandonment. The 2003 season began on May 17, 2003, under initial operation by Idaho Northern and Pacific railroad until the county could buy and equip locomotives and it continued in the fall of that year. The first full season of operation began in May 2004. The excursion trains are powered by diesel GP7u locomotives, which are stored in Elgin when not in use. Through the 2008 season, three of the passenger cars used in each train were [[Budd Rail Diesel Car]]s (RDCs), a self-propelled type of rail car. These three cars were not used in 2009 and 2010, and were sold in 2013 to the Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad for use on its Payette River Flyer.<ref name=observer-2011jul/>

As of 2010, the service was scheduled to operate on 11 days per summer season. The service was operating between Elgin and a location known as Kimmel, and a round trip excursion took about 3 1/2 hours.<ref name=observer-2011jul/> A "Santa Train" is operated in December (as of 2011),<ref name=santa2011>{{cite web|title=Eagle Cap Santa's Train|date=December 3, 2011|url=http://www.wallowacountychamber.com/event_cal/event_view.php?eid=1371&instance=2011-12-3|publisher=Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce|accessdate=December 4, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> although it has been suspended in some years due to lack of sponsorship.<ref name=observer-2011jul/> As of May, the 2012 season of regular excursions was scheduled to begin on June 23.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mother's Day Brunch - Eagle Cap Excursion Train|date=May 13, 2012|url=http://www.wallowacountychamber.com/event_cal/event_view.php?eid=1641&instance=2012-5-13|publisher=Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce|accessdate=December 4, 2012}}{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Railways}}
*[[List of heritage railroads in the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://eaglecaptrainrides.com/ Eagle Cap Excursion Train]

{{Oregon railroads}}

{{coord|45.567|-117.918|type:railwaystation_region:US-OR|display=title}}

[[Category:Heritage railroads in Oregon]]
[[Category:Transportation in Wallowa County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Wallowa County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Union County, Oregon]]
[[Category:Transportation in Union County, Oregon]]
[[Category:2003 establishments in Oregon]]

Eagle Cap Excursion Train - Revision history

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