Division 1 (Queensland)

Australasian Region
National Model Railroad Association Inc

Member's Page: Mark Ward
(cascade1@bigpond.net.au)

Oma Pacific RR

September 2008: To all of the NMRA travellers who attended the open day at the Oma Belt as part of the travel arrangements on the way to the National convention in Brisbane on the week-end of the 13th and 14th of September 2008, I would like to pass on my thanks for your efforts to get to us on what was a great day.

Attendees arrived from Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, the mid coastal areas of NSW, Brisbane and even from Bundaberg! I was honoured that so many people thought enough of the layout in its current form to want to see the progress to date.

I would love to be able to report that it ran faultlessly, however the 'tour gremlins' struck on two separate occasions with events not seen on the railroad for many a year raising the spectre of the expected once again truly being not only possible, but more than likely probable! Minor embarrassments aside, I am hopeful that most (if not all) will take away the impression of the railroad as work in progress with a reasonably clear vision toward future completion and eventually expansion with the current sub-division being fully utilised for the future full division.

I hope to catch up with each and every one of you again in the very near future and again thank-you for your attendance.

Kind regards, Mark Ward (Toowoomba)

Background - Statistics - Photo 1 (2001, 2003) - 2 (2004) - 3 (2007) - 2003 Update - 2005 Update - 2007 Update

    Established in the late 1800's as a short line route in the northern Cascades of Washington state, The Oma Pacific RR was a connecting line to serve logging and the new frontiers, to the pacific coast and the emerging markets beyond. Unfortunately, the railroad suffered through the poor timing of unforseen world and economic events of the early 20th century and the successful construction of the pass through the mid Cascades of James Hill and the obvious benefits which came with the direct connections to the centre of the United States. Operations actually ceased on the trackage held by the Oma Pacific in the years leading up to and during World War 2, however a small consortium of local business people saw opportunities for direct freight and tourist connections to what remains even today as one of the most enduring wilderness areas in the continental United States.
    With the Amalgamation of many larger railroads in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern, BN Management commenced selling off various parts of it's newly enlarged empire, considered to be not profitable enough to warrant investment of limited resources at hand at the time of these acquisitions. The Oma Pacific concluded a deal which saw it gain the oft regarded as 'too difficult' northern lines connecting Washington state and the southern areas of British Columbia and Alberta. Seeing its future as a bridging line between the Burlington Northern and the Canadian Pacific, the railroad was renamed the Oma Belt in 1971.
    The foresight of these decisions made by the company's management has, after only ten short years, begun to pay off as the Oma Belt is now considered as a real alternative to the growing congestion being experienced by its two first-class neighbouring operations. Traffic is up, on a compounding basis, over twenty-two percent per year since its formation ten years ago and as the eighties loom with the promise of a continuation of this trend, management confidence is high. Oma Belt president Mark Ward was recently quoted as "The future of our railroad is bright and we look forward to strengthening our position of being an integral part of and indeed an essential link between customers and consumers in this entire region and beyond, for many years to come".
    The railroad has become a strong 'player' in the market evidenced by its recent demand for modern motive power. It regularly leases large numbers of it's locomotive fleet to both the BN and the CP. In an area where helpers are the rule, the venerable SD-40-2 has become the locomotive of choice and consists of up eight of these bohemoths are regularly seen conquering the grades which characterise the pass through the US/Canadian border area.
    The spectacle of high tonnage mountain railroading is alive and well on the Oma Belt.
    Regards Mark Ward, 13 Oct 2001