There isn’t a job on the Mt. Hood Railroad that Jimmy Guthrie hasn’t done, whether that’s working on the track or running the trains.
When he first began — on June 14, 1988 — he “started off on the track, pounding spikes my first day,” he said. Now, as Mt. Hood Railroad General Superintendent, Guthrie is in charge of the trains, crew, track and office.
“I’m in charge of the railroad,” he summarized. “I have a general manager who is my boss who’s been with me going on 27 years — Ron Kauffman.
“I’m the old guy (around the railroad),” Guthrie joked. “I used to be the young guy.”
Guthrie graduated from Hood River Valley High School in 1979 and moved to Reno, Nev., where he lived for six years. He moved back just as the railroad was starting up — the late Jack Mills, along with other investors, had purchased the railroad from Union Pacific. (Five years ago, the railroad was purchased by Iowa Pacific Holding.)
“I talked to the general superintendent at that time (Bryce Nebeker, who retired a year after hiring Guthrie) and they put me to work the next day,” Guthrie said. “And I’ve been here ever since.
“It’s something I just fell into — I never thought I’d be a train engineer or work for a railroad, it’s just something that happened.”
He feels fortunate to live in Hood River and work for the Mt. Hood Railroad, and enjoys both.
“It’s just a great place to work because you meet so many people, there’s something new all the time, and we’re always thinking of new ways to get people on the train,” he said. And Hood River is “a great place to live. It’s one of those things, you want to get the heck out of here — I lived in Reno and thought that wasn’t so great. I feel so fortunate to live in the valley and have a professional career.”
He doesn’t have to think long about the best parts of his job.
“The part I really like the most is the meeting new people all the time, visiting with people from all over the world — you name it, they’ve been out on our train, every country there is,” he said. “Watching people have a good time … the comment cards are 99.9 percent nothing but good and excellent.”
Another favorite part: running the locomotives. “I love running the trains. I’m good at it; I’m smooth,” he said. “It’s one of those things you take a lot of pride in, running a nice smooth train. We travel at speeds from 10 to 15 miles per hour on average. That’s always been my favorite thing.”
He also enjoys talking to visitors about the train. “At the park (Rail’s End in Parkdale), we’re there for an hour, and people like talking to the engineer,” he said. “We let them in the cab, explain how the brake system works, how the controls work, and take pictures with the kids.
“I’ve taken a lot of pictures and I’ve had my picture taken a lot,” he added.
The Mt. Hood Railroad has gone through many changes in Guthrie’s 27 years, like the number of different excursion trains — from the Elvis Train (an Elvis impersonator gives a live performance on a dinner train) to the Western Train Robbery, to dinner trains and Parkdale excursions, thousands of people funnel through the railroad each year.
These days, it’s all about the Polar Express, which started Nov. 8 and runs through Dec. 28. The railroad employs 15 year-round, mostly train and track crew. But for the Polar Express, another 40 or 50 employees will be added — and Guthrie is always looking for help.
“At 16 years of age, they can come out and earn some money for school clothes and Christmas,” Guthrie said. “I’m always looking for chefs and elves. Come down and put your name in!
“It’s hard to hire that many people in the tiny town of Hood River,” he added. “We can definitely use all the help we can get.”
Last year, 33,000 people rode the Polar Express in a six-week period. This year, the railroad is shooting for 34- or 35,000, and will add at least one more car per excursion. During the peak Christmas time, the train averages about 3,000 people spread over four excursions — per day.
“Pietro’s loves us,” he joked of the railroad’s neighbor.
One thing most people don’t know is that the Mt. Hood Railroad isn’t just a tourist train, but a working railroad, as it has been for over 100 years.
“We’re still hauling lumber,” said Guthrie. “The track has been running nonstop since 1906. It’s never shut down — portions have been shut down for years or several years (like Dee to Parkdale), but it’s been a working railroad for 108 years. People always find that unique. ‘You haul lumber too, you’re a freight train?’ Yes, that’s what the line was built for — to haul logs.”
Today’s lumber is in the form of 2-by-4s and 2-by-6s, Guthrie said, “brought out of High Cascade. We average 15 cars a week. That adds up, after 52 weeks. It helps pay the bills.”
Historically, the railroad has hauled its share of lumber and passengers, “just getting people up and down the mountain,” he said. “Horse and buggy take quite a while, but a train? They could go see family, go shopping, whatever they’re doing.”
Today, most of the traffic is from visitors to the area.
“Hood River is a destination now,” Guthrie said. “People come here not just for the windsurfing, but to take a train ride, to take a hike, to kayak … (before,) people would go by on Interstate 84 and see our train and come in and take a ride; now people are coming to take the train and do other things, too. It’s great for Hood River — we bring in a lot of money for the town. It’s a neat little railroad.”
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