Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad

The Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge[1] railroad that operated a 46 miles (74 km) of track running east from Wallula, Washington, United States to Walla Walla, Washington. It is also known as the Rawhide or Strap Iron railroad.[2] [3] The nicknames of Strap Iron and Rawhide railroad come from the early days when the rail line used wooden rails. Strap Iron was placed on top of the wooden rails to improve the longevity of the rails. The strap iron was secured in place by nails. Rawhide was used when a quick repair was needed to secure a snakehead. [3]

References

  1. UtahRails.NET - Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad
    • Estes, George. (1916). The Rawhide Railroad. Canby, OR.: Publishing House of the Clackamas County News.
  2. 3.0 3.1 Walter, Kempthorne (Dec 10, 1967). "Riding The Strap-Iron Road". Eugene Register-Guard. Retrieved 16 November 2012.