Originally published in 1994, and now updated with new content and additional images, Backwoods Railroads is an engaging description of contemporary branchline and shortline railroad operations in western Oregon. This unique photojournalistic account focuses on the Willamette Valley and its bordering mountain chains--the Coast Range, the Cascades, and the Siskiyous. As the state's economic heart, the area's intricate railroad network is the closest Oregon comes to the trackage density found in many eastern and midwestern states. Small companies took on much of the railway construction, hoping to profit by hauling passengers and agricultural products, and by providing an outlet for logging operations in the foothills and mountains.