Spotted this morning, the City of Rockaway Beach is making a request to remove all tracks north of Rockaway Beach to Port of Tillamook for conversion to trail. This is 30 of the 48 miles that OCSR leases from Port of Tillamook Railroad. There had been plans for trails-with-rails, and the railroad had been working with the Salmonberry Trail Foundation, but now Rockaway Beach is pivoting to wanting the rails removed.

Maybe it’s the Eagle Scout in me but I just don’t see much of a value in a pave, flat trail that isn’t really even in a remote location, much less one that attempts to cut off an active rail line. Just build a sidewalk, it’s in effect the same thing

Things like Saluda? It makes sense, it was never going to be used agan. Even on this very same line, Enright to Banks was damaged extensively in 2007 and it probably wasn’t going to ever be used again.

I don’t know the extent of OCSR’s excursions past Rockaway Beach towards Wheeler and beyond, but still, what is with these people?

I would bet anything that behind it is property developers who don't want perceived industrial activity in an area where they want to build upscale beachfront housing, along with municipal types who want property taxes from said developments. And so the trail is not what is being pushed, it is the removal of the tracks that is wanted.