Three members of the Wallowa Union Railroad Authority’s futures committee and the president and general manager of the Lewis Clark Railroad from Battleground, Wash., Ed Berntsen, left Sunday, Oct. 19, on a five-day tour of shortline railroads in Oregon.

The purpose of the trip is to return and advise the Authority on whether the two counties should actually be the operator of record for the Elgin to Joseph rail line or contract the services out to an outside entity. During the first year of owning the 63-mile shortline, operations are being contracted out to former owner Idaho Northern & Pacific Railroad.

Futures committee members Marc Stauffer of Elgin, Myron Kirkpatrick of Joseph and Steve Adams of rural Enterprise are expected to give preliminary findings the day after they return at the next Authority meeting in the Elgin council chambers. That meeting will start at 6 p.m. on Thursday (tonight), Oct. 24.

Stauffer says the group is visiting the Railroad Museum in Portland before driving to the Oregon coast to view the Port of Tillamook’s shortline which hauls both freight and a passenger service. They contract out the excursion segment, said Stauffer.

The next stop was in Salem where the contingent was scheduled to give an update on their efforts to Oregon Speaker of the House Mark Simmons who was instrumental in getting the initial $2 million bond to facilitate the first phase of the $6.5 million purchase. While in Salem they intended to visit the Portland & Western shortline.

A shortline in Lakeview owned and operated by Lake County and another in Prineville owned and operated by the city of Prineville completed the tour. The Prineville shortline is for both freight and excursion service.

Before taking off on their tour Stauffer said the group would”be sponges” in their efforts to assimilate information.

Berntsen is reportedly well respected in the shortline community and, in Stauffer’s wording, “Will be our walking encyclopedia.”