City of Prineville Railway
The Railroad That Refused to Let Prineville Fade Away
Few communities have a story quite like Prineville’s.
When the Oregon Trunk Railway bypassed Prineville in 1911, many feared the community would slowly fade as commerce shifted to neighboring towns. Instead, Prineville chose a different path. In 1916, citizens approved bonds to build their own railroad, and by 1918 the City of Prineville Railway connected the community to the national rail network. Today, it remains the oldest continuously operating municipally owned short-line railroad in the United States, spanning 19 miles between Prineville and Prineville Junction.
As Central Oregon’s timber industry grew, the railway became an economic lifeline, helping support local businesses, city improvements, and generations of prosperity. Today, it continues serving regional industries while standing as a lasting symbol of Prineville’s determination and resilience.
The City of Prineville Railway is more than a railroad.
It’s proof that a community willing to build its own pathway can shape its own future.
Images generously provided courtesy of the A.R. Bowman Museum
Historical content provided courtesy of Steve Lent and the A.R. Bowman Museum
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City of Prineville Railway Extended Audio
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City of Prineville Railway Extended Written Transcript
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Welcome to the City of Prineville Railway, one of the most remarkable stories in Central Oregon history.
In 1911, the Oregon Trunk Railway bypassed Prineville in favor of neighboring communities. Faced with the possibility of economic decline, the people of Prineville did something extraordinary. They voted to build their own railroad. Construction began in 1917, and by 1918 the City of Prineville Railway was carrying freight and passengers, connecting the community to the national rail system.
Although the railway struggled during its early years, the arrival of the timber industry transformed it into one of the community’s greatest economic successes. Railroad revenues helped fund city improvements and even supported a period during the 1960s when Prineville residents paid no city property taxes. Today, the railway continues serving local industries and remains the oldest continuously operating municipal short-line railroad in the United States.
Prineville’s railway is more than tracks and locomotives.
It’s a reminder that determination, vision, and community can change the course of history.
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The Extended Historical Story
The Railroad That Saved a Community “When the railroad passed Prineville by… Prineville built its own.”
By the early 1900s, Prineville was the commercial center of Central Oregon. Residents naturally assumed that when the railroad arrived, it would come through their town.
Instead, in 1911, the Oregon Trunk Railway chose a route through Redmond and Bend, bypassing Prineville entirely. Almost overnight, businesses began relocating to communities with rail access, and many feared Prineville would slowly become another forgotten frontier town.
The citizens refused to accept that future.
In 1916, local voters overwhelmingly approved municipal bonds to finance construction of their own railroad. It was an extraordinary decision. Rather than waiting for someone else to solve the problem, Prineville chose to build its own connection to the national rail network. Construction began in 1917, and despite wartime shortages and rising costs, the first freight trains began operating in 1918.
The early years were difficult. Freight was limited, passenger service declined, and the railroad struggled financially. City leaders stayed the course, believing that one day the surrounding Ochoco forests would support a thriving timber industry. That belief proved correct. As sawmills opened during the late 1930s and 1940s, the City of Prineville Railway became an economic engine for the community. Railroad revenues funded local improvements, paid off construction debt, and even helped eliminate city property taxes for a period during the 1960s.
Like many railroads, it faced new challenges as mills closed in the late 1900s. Rather than disappear, the railway reinvented itself again, developing transload facilities, serving new industries, and continuing to connect Prineville with regional and national freight networks. Today it remains an important economic asset and a symbol of what can happen when a community chooses determination over defeat.