A warehouse on North Cleveland Street in Eugene is about to hear something it hasn't heard in close to 20 years: the rumble of a railcar rolling through its bay doors. Stout Steel and Cedarwood say they're restoring rail service to the industrial property at 110 N Cleveland Street, with the first delivery — a load of Oregon-made rebar aboard a repurposed logging railcar — scheduled for Nov. 11.
According to a press release distributed through EIN Presswire, that railcar will be the first to use the property's spur in nearly two decades. The restored spur doesn't just reach the building — it runs inside the warehouse, letting railcars pull into the structure so steel can be unloaded before it's transferred to trucks for construction-project deliveries, per the same release.
Getting there wasn't simple. The release describes a restoration that required removing asphalt, replacing damaged railroad ties, adding rock and regrading the track to align with the loading dock. The rebuilt spur has since passed railroad inspection, the companies say.
A Father-Son Business Bets on an Old Building
Stout Steel and Cedarwood are expanding operations into Eugene, the release states. Stout Steel is a family business with a Springfield office and warehouse. The company's company website describes Randy Stout and Alan Stout as a father-son team and joint owners.
Alan Stout is the contact for interviews and business inquiries.
The aging property is being restored. Building improvements reportedly included siding repairs, roof restoration, window replacement and new roll-up-door motors.
Connecting a McMinnville Mill to Statewide Builders
The project is pitched as a supply-chain fix: connecting steel production at Cascade Steel in McMinnville with distribution to contractors and building-material resellers across Oregon. The repurposed logging cars will carry steel rebar, the release says.
Oregon's Rail Investments Haven't Always Paid Off
The enthusiasm around a single warehouse spur comes against a backdrop of bigger, bumpier rail bets elsewhere in Oregon. Reporting from Lookout Eugene-Springfield found that two state-backed freight-to-rail centers have drawn more than $70 million in public money spent or committed, yet remain mostly idle.
Experts cited in that reporting cautioned that such rail centers need buy-in from the region's monopoly railroad companies and genuine shipper interest to actually get used. The Mid-Willamette Valley Intermodal Center in Millersburg, for instance, was finished in November 2022 — 10 months late and $10 million over budget — and now sees only a home roofing company moving a few train cars of materials each week. Meanwhile, the Treasure Valley Reload Center in Nyssa has its rail infrastructure complete, but Malheur County has lacked the funding to finish construction and has been pursuing an agreement for a railroad company to complete and operate it instead.
For now, the Cleveland Street warehouse has a passed inspection and a date on the calendar — Nov. 11 — when a railcar is expected to roll in for the first time in nearly 20 years.
