Recent articles in the Chieftain and the La Grande Observer with regard to the current status of the Wallowa Union Railroad raised issues having to do with condition of track, track maintenance, funding and revenue sources, among other things.

Perhaps more important, these articles beg the question as to how the railroad is being managed by the Wallowa Union Railroad Authority (WURA) and whether a county governmental agency like ours should even be in the business of trying to operate a railroad.

Having now completed 20 years with this railroad as both an engineer and a board member (vice president) for the Friends of the Joseph Branch, I have long had my doubts about the viability and sustainability of whatever management model (or lack thereof) the railroad authority is using to oversee operations, safety and maintenance.

To examine this question further, it is important to review the language of the original intergovernmental operation agreement and charter between Union and Wallowa counties that defines clearly the responsibilities both counties have for taking care of this wonderful asset.

According to this charter, the sole purpose of the authority is to “own, operate, maintain, repair, modernize and to maximize revenues and to pay all liabilities related to the operation of the Joseph Branch Line.”

For the purposes of this column, the central question I wish to address is: Has the railroad authority fulfilled the intent and spirit of the original charter?

In my 20 years with this railroad, I have seen no evidence that the WURA has ever had a strategic plan in place to follow the mandates of the charter and, therefore, very clear structural problems exist that do not bode well for the future of this branch line. Any student of how organizations should work knows that structural problems require structural solutions and yet, to this day, there is no recognizable railroad management structure actually designed to run a railroad.

We are left with county commissioners who are political leaders elected to oversee several areas of civic and economic responsibility, let alone run a railroad, and commissioners are not railroad managers. In my opinion, this has led to a shameful and costly failure of leadership for the Wallowa Union Railroad and an unsustainable railroad operation going forward.

It is important to note that these concerns are not about finding fault with or blaming individuals but drawing attention to a system of management that has sat on this valuable asset doing just the bare minimum of maintenance to keep it going, while not being proactive in living up to the mandates of its own charter.

By contrast and to their credit, the Friends of the Joseph Branch (FOJB) have kept the railroad propped up through not only having established one of the best and most highly respected excursion operations in the Northwest but also by contributing hundreds of volunteer hours doing track maintenance, marketing and other highly skilled levels of work that is usually done by paid staff.

Because of their efforts alone, millions of tourism dollars have flowed into Northeastern Oregon the last several years.

Moreover, the benefits of a dedicated and sustainable management structure designed to run this railroad separate from the WURA oversight are many.

The right structure would establish a management model in which roles and responsibilities are assigned and clearly stated, communication of these is open and transparent, and accountability as to how operation decisions are made is established.

Strategic goals are needed, including an economic development plan, and the schedule of maintenance should be consistent with the purposes of the charter under which the railroad should be operating.

Furthermore, the Joseph Branch is first and foremost a railroad that is a part of the general system of transportation and, as such, is highly regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration.

The WURA board should not be involved in making day-to-day operational decisions, period.

I propose that a dedicated and proactive management structure with railroad operations experience, volunteer or otherwise, would be best qualified to oversee all operational interests affecting this branch line.

Finally, there are opportunistic types lurking in the shadows who, in their tunnel vision, do not wish this railroad well, but this is not a question of whether to shut operations down, but how to manage the railroad better.

To reduce the value of this railroad to only a question of economic viability is to understate the social, cultural and historic value of this short line.

The Joseph Branch is not simply a railroad right of way, but rather a living artifact and tribute to the opening up of Northeastern Oregon with its rich connections to the railroad footprint of the Northwest.