Holcomb Creek Trestle

The Holcomb Creek Trestle, also known as the Dick Road Trestle, is a 1,168-foot wooden railroad bridge spanning Holcomb Creek in Helvetia, Oregon, built in 1905 for the United Railways. It is the longest wooden trestle still in use in the United States. The line was electrified overhead until 1923, then served by steam and diesel freight. Rebuilt in 1947 after a Cornelius Pass fire, it remains an active freight line operated by Portland & Western Railroad. Despite internet legends of hauntings, no primary historical sources — newspaper archives, railroad records, or contemporary accounts — document suicides, murders, or violent deaths at the site. The haunting story originates from a 2015 blog post by Tyler Willford on This Oregon Life, which cited anonymous internet forum stories. The archived website traintrestle.com, which documented the trestle's history in detail, explicitly states there is no mention of strange sightings, ghosts, or hauntings. The Trackside Photographer (June 2019) also makes no mention of any haunting. The volume of wood necessary for the Dick Road structure probably exceeds that of the taller wooden trestle on the San Diego & Arizona Eastern line in Carrizo Gorge, though that bridge is not longer.

The Holcomb Creek Trestle, also known as the Dick Road Trestle, is a wooden railroad trestle spanning Holcomb Creek in Washington County, Oregon, on Dick Road near the unincorporated community of Helvetia. Built in 1905 for the United Railways, an electric interurban railway that ran from Portland to Wilkesboro with a connection to Banks. Although it initially had passenger service, its main commodity was lumber. In the 1930s the overhead wires were dismantled and the line was served by steam and later diesel freight trains. The line was nearly abandoned by Burlington Northern, who eventually obtained it through the 1995 merger of Burlington Northern and the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. The State of Oregon officially owns the right-of-way and the shortline Portland & Western Railroad runs freight trains on the line. The trestle is 1,168 feet long and about 90 feet tall, and is the longest wooden railroad trestle still in use in the United States. It was known by the Burlington Northern Railroad as "Bridge 16.7". The designation "United Railways District" by P&W of the line from United Jct. to Banks pays respect to the original name of this railroad, which was United Railways (UR). The overhead electrification was dismantled early in 1923 when steam locomotives took over operation of this road. Extensive logging rail lines constructed under different names penetrated the Coast Range from Wilkesboro and Banks, so the United carried a lot of timber to a log dump named Rafton on the Multnomah Channel of the Willamette River near present-day Burlington. Two logging lines were operated as common carriers: the Gales Creek & Wilson River Railroad went as far as Gales Creek from Wilkesboro and the Portland Astoria & Pacific built from Banks to Vernonia where a network of logging company lines fanned out into the mountains. The trestle was designated a Bridge 16.7 by BNSF, which referred to it as a timber pile-driven trestle. The portion of the line between United Jct. and Bowers Jct. became an integral part of the Oregon Electric's main line when the OE was forced off its historic first route that utilized downtown streets of Portland and an alignment via Multnomah and Garden Home. The designation "United Railways District" by P&W of the line from United Jct. to Banks pays respect to the original name of this railroad, which was United Railways (UR). The line was built as an overhead electrified interurban railway and the intent was to build through the Coast Range to Tillamook. However, UR never got beyond Banks and electric interurban service between Portland and Banks began on April 16, 1911. The next year, service was cut back to Wilkesboro. Although UR started as an independent company in January of 1906, it was acquired in early 1910 by the Great Northern Railway. Later that same year, half of the stock was sold to the Northern Pacific Railway and then both GN and NP turned their stock over to their jointly owned Spokane Portland & Seattle Railway. It is believed United continued to exist as a separate company owned by SP&S until it was merged into SP&S in 1944. SP&S, GN, NP and some other lines were merged in 1970 to form Burlington Northern. BN merged with the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1995 to form the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company, now renamed BNSF Railway Company. The Holcomb Creek Trestle was rebuilt in 1947 after a major trestle on the east side of Cornelius Pass was lost by fire, and P&W replaced the burned-out bridge with a new steel box girder structure, reopening Cornelius Pass to traffic on July 1, 1998. The Holcomb Creek Trestle itself was not the structure that burned; it was a different major trestle on the east side of Cornelius Pass. The Holcomb Creek Trestle continued in service and remains in use today. Local sources estimate its height at around 90 feet, and it spans Holcomb Creek in a valley presumably created by the creek itself. Despite being the longest wooden railroad trestle still in use in the United States, there are no contemporary newspaper accounts or official records documenting suicides, murders, or any violent deaths at the site. The legend of hauntings appears to have originated from a 2015 blog post on This Oregon Life by Tyler Willford, which cited anonymous internet forum stories. The archived website traintrestle.com, which documented the trestle's history in detail, explicitly states there is no mention of strange sightings, ghosts, or hauntings. The Trackside Photographer, in a June 2019 article about the trestle, also makes no mention of any haunting. The volume of wood necessary for the Dick Road structure probably exceeds that of the taller wooden trestle on the San Diego & Arizona Eastern line in Carrizo Gorge, San Diego County, California, though the latter is not longer. The trestle remains an active railroad bridge carrying freight trains on the Portland & Western line.

The Holcomb Creek Trestle is located on Dick Road near Helvetia, Oregon, in Washington County. The trestle carries active freight trains on the Portland & Western Railroad line. Access to the trestle is from Dick Road, which runs near Helvetia. Visitors should exercise extreme caution — this is an active railroad right-of-way. Do not walk on or near the trestle while trains are present. The site is not a pedestrian attraction and there are no formal visitor facilities, parking areas, or interpretive signs. The trestle is visible from Dick Road but is on active railroad property. The Oregon Electric Railway connection was added later, and the line was subsequently operated by Burlington Northern before being acquired by Portland & Western Railroad. The State of Oregon officially owns the right-of-way. Because this is an active freight line, there are no public access points, no viewing areas, and no amenities. Visitors who approach the area do so at their own risk and should respect private property and railroad safety rules.