Hood River station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hood River, OR
Former Union Pacific Railroad and Amtrak, current Mount Hood Railroad station
A trackside view of the station in 2011, with Mound Hood Railway equipment in the background.
Location	1st Street and Cascade Avenue Hood River, Oregon 97031
Owned by	Mount Hood Railroad
Line(s)	Union Pacific Railroad, Mount Hood Railroad
Platforms	1 side, 1 island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	HOO
History
Opened	1882, 1977
Closed	1997 (Amtrak service)
Rebuilt	1911
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Portland toward Seattle Pioneer The Dalles toward Chicago Cascade Locks Operated between 1981–1988 toward Seattle Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station Lindsey toward Portland Portland – Granger Mosier toward Granger
Oregon–Washington Railroad & Navigation Company Passenger Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
The station in 2009.
Location in Oregon Show map of Oregon Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Foot of First St., Hood River, Oregon
Area	Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1911 (1911)
Architectural style	Bungalow/craftsman
Part of	Mount Hood Railroad Linear Historic District (ID93001507)
NRHP reference No.	88001159
Added to NRHP	July 28, 1988

The Hood River station is a historic train station in Hood River, Oregon. Today, it mainly serves the heritage Mount Hood Railroad. This station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. It is officially known as the Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company Passenger Station.

The station was built in 1911 by the Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company. This company was a part of the Union Pacific Railroad. From 1977 to 1997, Amtrak's Pioneer train also used this station and the area nearby.

History of the Hood River Station

Early Days of the Railroad

The first railroad arrived in Hood River in 1882. It was built by the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N). This company built tracks eastward from Portland. They eventually reached Huntington, Oregon, near the Idaho border, in 1884.

In 1882, a two-story wooden train station was built in Hood River. As the town grew bigger, people realized a new, larger station was needed. The building you see today was finished in 1911. It was built on the same spot as the older wooden station. In 1918, a train that had lost control accidentally hit the west side of the station.

Changes Over the Years

Over time, the Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company became more closely linked with the Union Pacific Railroad. The Union Pacific name eventually replaced the Oregon–Washington Railroad name. In its busiest times, the station served many important trains. These included the City of Portland, Pacific Limited, Portland Rose, and The Spokane. These trains connected Hood River to big cities like Chicago, Omaha, and Spokane.

Passenger and freight train service at the station officially ended in 1958. However, train schedules show that Union Pacific trains still stopped in Hood River until 1969. The Mount Hood Railroad was a separate company that Union Pacific bought in 1967. This smaller line connected to the main Union Pacific track just east of the station. The original Mount Hood Railroad station, which was east of this site, was taken down by Union Pacific in 1971.

Amtrak and the Mount Hood Railroad Today

When private long-distance train service ended in the United States, Amtrak was created on May 1, 1971. At first, Hood River was not a stop for Amtrak trains. But the station started service again when the Pioneer train began running in 1977. Amtrak did not use the main station building at first. Instead, they put up a small metal waiting shelter nearby.

Union Pacific continued to use the station building until 1984. On November 2, 1987, a group of local investors bought the station building and the Mount Hood Railroad line from Union Pacific. They formed the Mount Hood Railroad Corporation. The station building then became the main office for this new company, which it still is today. Amtrak also started using the station building in the early 1990s. However, the Pioneer train service was stopped in 1997.

The Mount Hood Railroad was sold again in 2008 to a company called Iowa Pacific Holdings. In 2019, local officials mentioned that they were ready to take ownership of the property due to unpaid taxes.

The Oregon Department of Transportation has studied the station and found it to be in good shape. This means it could possibly be used for Amtrak service again in the future. The station building is accessible for people with disabilities (ADA). However, some work would be needed to improve the station's island platform for future train service. You can also find Greyhound Lines bus service in Hood River, which stops next to the station. This bus service is also listed as an Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach.

What the Station Looks Like

The station building, built in 1911, was designed in a Craftsman style. This style often features natural materials and simple, strong lines. The building is one and a half stories tall. It is about 126 ft (38 m) long and 30 ft (9.1 m) wide, shaped like a rectangle.

Inside, the station originally had two separate waiting rooms. One was for women and the other for men. Later, the Union Pacific company combined these into one large waiting room. The building also has a ticket area where you could buy tickets, office spaces, and a room for baggage.