Columbia and Cowlitz Railway
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | April 9, 1925 |
| Founder | Weyerhaeuser Company |
| Headquarters | Longview , United States |
Area served | Washington (Longview, Kelso, Toutle) |
| Products | Freight rail transport (newsprint, plywood chips, pulpboard, industrial waste, chemicals) |
| Owner | Patriot Rail Corporation |
Number of employees | 13 |
| Parent | Patriot Rail Corporation |
The Columbia and Cowlitz Railway is a short-line rail service owned by Patriot Rail Corporation, with its headquarters located in Longview, Washington. This railway operates a line connecting the Weyerhaeuser Company mill in Longview to a junction situated near Kelso. From that junction, freight is either transferred to the Patriot Woods Railroad (previously known as the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad) for delivery to Weyerhaeuser's Green Mountain Sawmill in Toutle or routed onto the BNSF/Union Pacific shared main line for distribution to Portland, Oregon or Seattle, Washington.
With a workforce of thirteen employees, the railway manages an annual volume of roughly 12,000 carloads.
History
Incorporated on April 9, 1925, the Columbia and Cowlitz Railway completed its construction phase between 1926 and 1928. It functioned as a fully owned subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser Company until its acquisition by Patriot Rail Corporation in 2010. Alongside this purchase, Patriot Rail also took ownership of the Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad, subsequently rebranding it as the Patriot Woods Railroad. Operating collectively, these two lines cover a combined track length of .
Rolling stock
The railway maintains a roster of 500 freight cars consisting of boxcars, centerbeam lumber cars, and flatcars, supported by a fleet of seven locomotives.
Freight cars are primarily painted navy blue with white lettering; earlier versions displayed mineral red. Locomotives bear navy blue paint with white lettering and pinstripes, while former units featured Weyerhaeuser’s traditional yellow and black livery. The sole caboose is finished in safety yellow with black lettering, reflecting its Weyerhaeuser origins. A notable safety element includes a blue strobe light mounted atop the locomotives, selected to be highly visible among the yellow and red safety lights present at the Longview mill.
Commodities and customers
The railway’s main cargo includes newsprint, plywood chips, pulpboard, industrial waste materials, and chemicals. Its principal clients feature Weyerhaeuser, Georgia-Pacific, NORPAC Foods Inc, Flexible Foam, Equa-Chlor, PPG Industries, Canexus, and Solvay Chemicals.