A real estate ad for "Waldemere" from October 1912, with a simple map showing how much quicker the United Railways' electric interurban line is than the PRL&P's streetcar to St. Johns (30 minutes vs. 55 minutes), even though the two suburbs lie directly opposite each other on the Willamette River.

Happy Thanksgiving to all – I am thankful for all of you who are following me on my journey of discovery about the old streetcars and interurbans of Portland!

Here's the old Oregon Electric depot at Corvallis on a 1956 aerial photo (yellow arrow). The abandoned right-of-way is clearly seen to the north following a line of trees. It curved down to run on an embankment next to the river's edge, then turned back east alongside the road to reach the depot.

An Oregon Electric station that lived a different life after abandonment was the Corvallis depot. Not even really in Corvallis, as the branch from Gray ended on the east side of the Willamette river, this depot was *meant* to be temporary, but ended up lasting much longer than rail service.

An Oregon Electric station that lived a different life after abandonment was the Corvallis depot. Not even really in Corvallis, as the branch from Gray ended on the east side of the Willamette river, this depot was *meant* to be temporary, but ended up lasting much longer than rail service.

Today in slightly surprising facts: the Albany Oregon Electric depot closed more than 2 years before passenger service ended in May 1933. The cost of maintaining Fifth Ave. was too high, so they abandoned that stretch of track on Dec. 8, 1929 and sent trains via the Water Ave. freight line instead.

Today in slightly surprising facts: the Albany Oregon Electric depot closed more than 2 years before passenger service ended in May 1933. The cost of maintaining Fifth Ave. was too high, so they abandoned that stretch of track on Dec. 8, 1929 and sent trains via the Water Ave. freight line instead.

WEEKLY SITE UPDATE: 11/23/2025 — Articles: 2,088 (+25 this week) Maps: 136 (—) Streetcar companies: 69 (—) Streetcar lines: 76 (—) Interurban lines: 22 (—) People: 9 (—) Rolling stock: 13 - NEW! Remnants/Removals: 70 (—) Main area of focus: Rolling stock

Of course, the crown jewel of ex-OE cars is 1001, the parlor car "Champoeg," now down at the Western Railway Museum in California. This car *was* in Oregon hands from 1959 to 1974, and I'm actually kind of mad we let it slip through our hands. Then again, it didn't look great when we let it go...

The ex-Oregon Electric passenger car that's farthest from Oregon is No. 133, still painted and lettered for the Black Hills Central Railroad as "Addie Camp," which is now a dining room for a restaurant in Soldotna, Alaska (and looks absolutely superb).

By my reckoning, there are 12 surviving Oregon Electric Railway cars (and one freight locomotive), but none of them reside in the state of Oregon. The majority of them currently belong to the Black Hills Central Railroad (the "1880 Train") in South Dakota.

That is correct! From 1964 to 1969, it served as a ticket office/waiting room for the Vernonia, South Park & Sunset Steam Railroad, which ran from Banks to Vernonia. It remained in Banks until 1994, when its decaying shell was finally demolished by the Banks Lumber Co.

Ex-Oregon Electric passenger car No. 105 was sold in 1937 and became the Oak Grove Diner on SE McLoughlin Blvd. It was a landmark in the area, with directions being based off it – "turn left at the diner" – and operated until 1964, when it was sold and taken elsewhere... does anyone know where?

Did you know? There were TWO Oregon Electric parlor cars named "Sacajawea." The first one was badly damaged in a hot water boiler explosion in December 1912 – the whole front end was destroyed and all the windows were shattered. Three people were injured by flying glass and escaping steam.

The Oregon Electric's observation-parlor cars, "Champoeg" and "Sacajawea" were FANCY – especially for an electric railroad. The October 8, 1910 edition of the Electric Railway Journal published a detailed description of them: pdx-streetcar-history.notion.site/Parlor-Cars-...

Did you know? There were TWO Oregon Electric parlor cars named "Sacajawea." The first one was badly damaged in a hot water boiler explosion in December 1912 – the whole front end was destroyed and all the windows were shattered. Three people were injured by flying glass and escaping steam.

A new section added to the site: rolling stock, with a special emphasis on those cars that survived past the end of the streetcar era. Early days, but lots more to come! pdx-streetcar-history.notion.site/Rolling-Stoc...

A new section added to the site: rolling stock, with a special emphasis on those cars that survived past the end of the streetcar era. Early days, but lots more to come! pdx-streetcar-history.notion.site/Rolling-Stoc...

Currently doing a lot of transcribing of articles about preservation of streetcars in the 1950s and 1960s: if I see another headline that uses "Clang! Clang! Clang! Go The Trolleys" or makes a "Streetcar Called Desire" pun, I might just go mad.

WEEKLY SITE UPDATE: 11/16/2025 — Articles: 2,063 (+25 this week) Maps: 136 (+4) Streetcar companies: 69 (–) Streetcar lines: 76 (–) Interurban lines: 22 (–) People: 9 (–) Remnants/Removals: 70 (+1) Main area of focus: Streetcar preservation societies

Here's the story of how a streetcar ended up in the dining room of the first Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant in Portland in 1969: pdx-streetcar-history.notion.site/Spaghetti-Fa...

Here's the story of how a streetcar ended up in the dining room of the first Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant in Portland in 1969: pdx-streetcar-history.notion.site/Spaghetti-Fa...

Thanks for playing "obscure Oregon Electric facts" with me. If you're interested in learning more, here's my research map of ALL electric rail lines out of Portland, c. 1920 - follow the OE all the way to Eugene! www.google.com/maps/d/edit?...

Ding! ding! We have a winner!

wow!

This postcard of an Oregon Electric train leaving Salem for Portland is often dated to 1908 (with some even saying it depicts the start of service in January of that year), but there's one detail that makes me pretty certain it's from after 1910. Any guesses?

A rare photograph of the Oregon Electric substation at Lasen, showing the employee residence on the other side of the substation from the tracks (which would be off the right edge of the photo). The second photo is of a similar residence building at Orville.

A rare photograph of the Oregon Electric substation at Lasen, showing the employee residence on the other side of the substation from the tracks (which would be off the right edge of the photo). The second photo is of a similar residence building at Orville.

Old standard-gauge Mount Scott streetcars at Three Rocks on the Oregon Coast in July 1940. Sold for $50 each in 1936 and trucked to the coast (which cost considerably more!), some were converted to cabins or diners, but the remainder just sat in a field by the ocean and rotted away.

Old standard-gauge Mount Scott streetcars at Three Rocks on the Oregon Coast in July 1940. Sold for $50 each in 1936 and trucked to the coast (which cost considerably more!), some were converted to cabins or diners, but the remainder just sat in a field by the ocean and rotted away.

I've transcribed a recollection of life in a small town on the Oregon Electric to the site, written by Zoe McCormick in about 1982. It's nice to get a more personal view of how the railways affected people. Read it here: pdx-streetcar-history.notion.site/Oregon-Elect...

While we're looking at Belgian Block, let's address another long-standing myth: that these blocks came to Portland as ballast on ships from Europe. Sadly, no. As early as 1880, almost all of the blocks came from basalt quarries near Ridgefield, WA. clark.wa.gov/community-pl...

I know it's there, I just haven't got around to adding it to the map yet. This is actually Oregon Electric Railway track, not any city streetcar line.

In 1984, the Linn County Inventory of Historic Resources noted the OERR Cartney station building – ticket office, waiting room and residence – had been moved 1/4 mile down the road but was still in good condition. Unfortunately, that location is now occupied by a mobile home constructed in 2004.

Also a quick drive-by of the OE Meadow View freighthouse (which is starting to look a little unloved again) and the electrical substation at Cartney, which is tricky to get a good angle on (but you can see the "O" and "E" on the parapets). Didn't feel like trekking in to the Pirtle substation.

Also a quick drive-by of the OE Meadow View freighthouse (which is starting to look a little unloved again) and the electrical substation at Cartney, which is tricky to get a good angle on (but you can see the "O" and "E" on the parapets). Didn't feel like trekking in to the Pirtle substation.

Passed by the Junction City Oregon Electric depot today (but too early for a beer) and they've added some unfortunate decoration to the exterior that I'm not in favor of, including a "Red Electric Trains" image that is almost certainly AI-generated (as well as being wrong for this location).

WEEKLY SITE UPDATE: 11/2/2025 — Articles: 2,038 (+19 this week) Maps: 132 (+2) Streetcar companies: 69 (–) Streetcar lines: 76 (–) Interurban lines: 22 (–) People: 9 (–) Remnants/Removals: 69 (+1) Main area of focus: The last years of the interurbans (1955–1958)

The last days of the interurbans in Portland were ludicrous. With cars cut off from the Hawthorne bridge in Sep. 1956, pax. transferred to Rose City Transit busses at SE 1st and Hawthorne. After a month, RCT decided not to honor transfers, meaning riders had to pay another fare to get to the city...

The last days of the interurbans in Portland were ludicrous. With cars cut off from the Hawthorne bridge in Sep. 1956, pax. transferred to Rose City Transit busses at SE 1st and Hawthorne. After a month, RCT decided not to honor transfers, meaning riders had to pay another fare to get to the city...

We often hear that in 1956, the interurban lines were cut off on the east side because the new Hawthorne Bridge approaches made no provision for tracks, but that's only part of the story. When the plans were revealed, riders were incensed and began to fight legal battles to retain service...

We often hear that in 1956, the interurban lines were cut off on the east side because the new Hawthorne Bridge approaches made no provision for tracks, but that's only part of the story. When the plans were revealed, riders were incensed and began to fight legal battles to retain service...

A quick pair of maps showing the locations of all the depots, powerhouses and substations in Boring (on the Cazadero interurban line) over the years; one on a PRL&P plat map, the other overlaid on a modern aerial image of the town.

Super cool video about the still-extant Eagle Creek trestle on the interurban Springwater Division, including some sweet drone footage and rare archival photos. Worth watching the whole thing! www.facebook.com/reel/2727255...

Super cool video about the still-extant Eagle Creek trestle on the interurban Springwater Division, including some sweet drone footage and rare archival photos. Worth watching the whole thing! www.facebook.com/reel/2727255...

I've added a page to the site for errata in John Labbe's "Fares Please!" that I've discovered in the course of my research – still a work in progress: pdx-streetcar-history.notion.site/Errata-for-F...

WEEKLY SITE UPDATE: 10/26/2025 — Articles: 2,019 (+16 this week) Maps: 130 (+1) Streetcar companies: 69 (–) Streetcar lines: 76 (–) Interurban lines: 22 (–) People: 9 (–) Remnants/Removals: 68 (+3) Main area of focus: The 1902 Portland City & Oregon Railway Co. strike

WEEKLY SITE UPDATE: 10/26/2025 — Articles: 2,019 (+16 this week) Maps: 130 (+1) Streetcar companies: 69 (–) Streetcar lines: 76 (–) Interurban lines: 22 (–) People: 9 (–) Remnants/Removals: 68 (+3) Main area of focus: The 1902 Portland City & Oregon Railway Co. strike

If you've got your copy of John Labbe's "Fares Please!" handy, grab a pencil and make a correction on page 107 where he identifies the superintendent of the PC&O as "C. F. Tiffany" – this should be "W. H. Tiffany."

That's quite the headline. In June 1902, the men of the Portland City & Oregon went on strike because they felt that the orders of the dispatcher and the superintendent were dangerous – cars kept meeting head-on in single track segments. After a serious crash, a motorman had a leg amputated. 🧵