does anyone know if the Port of Tillamook bay is in operation. the railroad suffered damage in floods in 2007. and that came just 2 years after severe damage from floods in 05. did the county/state rebuild the line and is the railroad still in operation?
No.
Some repair work is being undertaken; one tunnel has been reopened, but the Port is still waiting for money.
The State essentially has little-to-no interest in the line; right now the focus is on the Coos Bay line (and the state is very pessimistic about that line as well).
Go to www.potb.org and there is a PowerPoint presentation on the home page that is downloadable. Basically, the Port is considering (as one option) eliminating through freight service, leaving the coastal portion as a tourist railroad, the eastern portion for service to a rock quarry and potential logging-by-rail service, and abandoning the Salmonberry Canyon -- if the money to repair the line can't be found. But they are still hopeful.
BTW, no businesses have shut down after the loss of the railroad, but one shipper (Hampton Lumber) kept their Tillamook mill open (despite lack of rail service) while shutting down their Willamina mill (which has railroad service on a branchline that was recently upgraded to 132 lb. CWR in the last two years, and they are essentially the only shipper on that branchline).