The Wallowa Depot once found at the mid-point of our Canyon Twist trip
Our Story
Our History
The Enterprise Depot was located just across the highway beyond our mid-point. It can now be found halfway between Enterprise and Joseph on Hwy 82 (look for the green caboose).
The Wallowa Union Railroad, is 63 miles long and connects Elgin in Union County with Joseph in Wallowa County. The railroad uses the pathways of the Grande Ronde and Wallowa Rivers, the waters of which flow into the Snake, then into the Columbia, and eventually the Pacific Ocean. The Joseph Branch was an extension of the original Oregon Railway & Navigation Company (OR & N). The OR & N’s main trunk line through La Grande was completed in 1884. By 1890, the first 23 miles of the Joseph Branch line were laid as an extension to Elgin. North of Elgin the country gets very rugged and it wasn’t until 15 years later that the line was further extended.
The completion to Wallowa was celebrated with an excursion train from La Grande to Wallowa in 1908. Between 1,500 and 2,000 people gathered with much fanfare to celebrate the arrival of the first passenger train in Wallowa. By 1907 the tracks were finished to Joseph in order to access a new grain elevator. Freight business on this line always included lumber, grain and livestock. Between World War I and the Great Depression, the Joseph Branch was used extensively for hauling logs to local saw mills. During the booming 1920s, a daily passenger train served the line with a direct connection at La Grande to and from Portland, Oregon. World War II, the widespread use of automobiles and a state and national system of roads impacted the use of the branch line. By 1949, the Joseph Branch was part of the Oregon Division.
Mixed train service over the branch continued through April 1960. The final schedule showed the train operating to Joseph daily except Saturday with the return train operating daily except Sunday. The two trains operated separately with them meeting at the Gulling siding between Elgin and Lookingglass. In 1993, Union Pacific sold the Joseph Branch to Idaho Northern & Pacific for freight service only. By 1996, freight service to Joseph stopped. Abandonment of the line above Elgin was approved by the Surface Transportation Board in April, 1997.
After several years of debate on how and whether to rescue the line before it was to be dismantled, the Oregon Legislature authorized $2 million for an intergovernmental partnership between Union and Wallowa Counties to purchase the line and to start its rehabilitation. In 2003, the purchase of the line between Elgin and Joseph was achieved. The Wallowa Union Railroad Authority was formed to govern this line. The first full season of operation for the excursion train was 2004. The new Elgin Depot was completed in 2012, designed in the style of the historic depots that once dotted the line. Info on Eagle Cap Excursion Train rides is available at www.eaglecaptrainrides.com.
The Lostine Depot
Railriding History
2024
Joseph Branch Railriders has changed hands. The Richie family of Minam, OR has taken the reigns and are excited for the future. They have lots of great ideas that they will be implementing to further enhance the experiences offered to Railrider guests. Railriding integrates nicely with their current river rafting expeditions out of Minam, OR. Learn more about those here: http://www.minamstore.com
2021
Our New Quad Cars
Big changes… Striving to be more inclusive we finally completed the installation of our full electric assist system for our Railriders on our Valley Sights trip out of Joseph. This will allow folks of nearly any fitness level to come out and enjoy Railriding. We also redesigned our Quad (four seat) Railrider Cars to be able to accommodate more weight and be overall more robust and stable. We accomplished those goals and they turned out beautifully. We also introduced Souvenir Photos included with each car on our Valley Sights trip. These are provided by Ashley Martin of Pioneer Portraits. With a year of Covid-19 under our belt we are confidant that we’ll have another healthy Railriding season in 2021.
2020
The Nichols Family
Joseph Branch Railriders is under new ownership. Manager Robert Nichols and his wife Tia purchased the Eastern Oregon portion of the Railrider Cycling organization in January of 2020. The Nichols family consists of Robert, Tia and their six children. Robert managed Joseph Branch Railriders for three years prior to purchasing. Covid-19 brought a lot of unknowns to the season but we were very grateful that it ended up being a safe, healthy, and fun season overall.
2018
A new Railriding location was established: Vance Creek Railriders in Shelton, WA. This year also brought the addition of the Wheeler location; an extension of the Oregon Coast Railriders.
2017
Joseph Branch relocated it’s office to the departure site at 501 W Alder Street. Also Robert Nichols a new onsite Manager was hired allowing the owners to focus on family, support, and expansion.
2016
A brand new offering opened up on the Oregon Coast in Bay City, OR. The Oregon Coast Railriders (Not currently operating) began offering 2 hour round trip tours between Bay City and Tillamook. Also – Joseph Branch Railriders expanded the schedule to five days a week, Thursday through Monday, to accommodate it’s growing popularity.
2015
A grand opening was celebrated on May 23, 2015, and was the launch of a busy second season.
2014
Anita and Kim Metlen with grandchildren
Kim and Anita Metlen lifelong active cyclists, involved with the development of bicycle tourism in northeast Oregon and across the state started Joseph Branch Railriders. They were leaders in the development and designation of the Grande Tour Scenic Bikeway, under a program of Travel Oregon and the Oregon Department of Parks & Recreation. Admired nationally, the Oregon Scenic Bikeways Program is unique to Oregon and patterned after the state’s acclaimed scenic byways program. The couple owned and operated Mountainworks Bike Shop in La Grande for several years, before selling the shop to their daughter and her husband, Mavis and Whitfield Hartz. Advocates for fitness and fans of history and nature, the Metlens admired the scenic beauty of the Wallowa Union Railroad (Historically known as the Joseph Branch), a 63-mile line that connects Elgin with Joseph and links the communities between. They wondered how they could follow their passions while utilizing a section of railroad that was not currently used for excursion train rides. After researching about Railrider type attractions in other parts of the world and discovering a similar business in the Eastern United States, the idea for Joseph Branch Railriders was born. With help from local manufacturing companies, Kim Metlen designed and fabricated the rail units and they were first tested on the rail line in the fall of 2013. After acquiring permission from the Wallowa Union Railroad Authority and setting up a base of operations in Joseph, the business began offering (dress rehearsal) rides in May of 2014.
Try Pedaling with our Friends
Minecart Panning
Treasure Panning Experience
Booking Steps
- Enter group size (Treasure Miners)
- Choose an available date and time (times are flexible)
- Select your panning options on the next screen
- Scroll to the bottom to complete payment
Party Package
Party Package length: up to 2 Hours
Guest Min: 4 - Max: 30 (We have seating for 16)
Requires 3 day advanced booking
Guest Min: 4 - Max: 30 (We have seating for 16)
Requires 3 day advanced booking
Booking Steps
- Enter group size (Party Guests)
- Choose an available date and time
- Select your party package on the next screen
- Scroll to the bottom to submit your request