Willamette Shore Trolley
Encyclopedia
The Willamette Shore Trolley is a heritage railroad
or heritage streetcar
which operates along the west bank of the Willamette River
between Portland
and Lake Oswego
in Oregon
. The right-of-way is owned by group of local-area governments who purchased it in 1988 in order to preserve it intact for possible rail transit use in the future. Since 1995, the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society
has been the line's operator.
The railroad offers passenger excursions using a historic trolley
on a line previously known as the Jefferson Street Branch Line. The line runs for about 6 miles (9.7 km), including a passage through the 0.25 mile (0.402335 km)-long Elk Rock Tunnel. The current Portland terminal is at SW Bancroft St. (& Moody Ave.) in the new high-density South Waterfront
neighborhood now under construction. The Portland terminal is one block south of the Portland Streetcar
terminus at SW Lowell St. (& Moody Ave.). The Lake Oswego terminal is downtown, alongside State Street (Oregon Route 43) just south of A Avenue. Service was temporarily suspended for almost all of 2009, to permit rehabilitation of the line's trestle
bridges, but resumed during the 2009 Christmas and holiday season. The 2010 season began on May 1, but the line's only streetcar broke down on July 16, 2010, causing an indefinite suspension of service. This suspension is continuing in 2011, because the estimated cost to repair the car is high, and no substitute streetcar is available, but the organization is making efforts to acquire a replacement car.
on July 4, 1887. It provided Oswego (as Lake Oswego was known then) with a direct link to Portland. Prior to this, access to Oswego was limited to primitive roads and river boats.
The line was later purchased by the Southern Pacific Company. Southern Pacific widened
the line from narrow gauge to standard gauge
and electrified it in 1914. This led to its peak in passenger travel in 1920, when 64 "Red Electric
" trains traveled daily between the two cities. By October 5, 1929, passenger service ended, though the line was used for freight until 1983.
granted Southern Pacific permission to abandon the line. This prompted several local governments in the area to establish a not-for-profit corporation to acquire the line and preserve the right-of-way for future mass transit. This consortium of governmental entities was initially composed of Metro
, TriMet
, the cities of Portland
and Lake Oswego
, and the counties of Multnomah
and Clackamas
, and it was later joined by the Oregon Department of Transportation
(ODOT). The line's official name at that time was the Jefferson Street Branch, because during the passenger-service era it had served a station called Jefferson Street and continued into downtown Portland via that street.
In January 1987, on behalf of the consortium, the City of Portland secured a lease of the 6.2-mile line from Southern Pacific (SP), including an option to purchase the line. In autumn 1987, a heritage streetcar
/trolley service was operated on the line, as a way to gauge public interest in such an operation, in order to help preserve the right-of-way if the plans to purchase the line came to fruition. This temporary, trial heritage trolley service was inaugurated on September 12, 1987, and was operated by the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society
(OERHS), using a double-deck trolley originally from Blackpool
, England. OERHS named the operation the "Willamette Shore Railway", and service ran on weekends and holidays until the end of the year only. As the line lacks overhead trolley wires, the electricity to power the trolley's motors was generated by a diesel engine mounted on a cart towed behind (or pushed in front of) the car. The Portland terminus, with a ticket office in a leased trailer, was located next to Moody Avenue, below the west approach viaducts to the Marquam Bridge. The Lake Oswego terminus was located about one-half mile north of downtown.
The line was purchased from Southern Pacific in October 1988, for US$1.9 million, including the cost of a planned extension in Lake Oswego, to be constructed by SP.
trailer
again employed to provide electricity to the streetcar.
In 1993, a half-mile of new track was laid in Lake Oswego, permitting extension of the trolley service south to a terminus just south of A Avenue, much closer to the city center. The ticket office was then relocated into a small building owned by Southern Pacific at the new Lake Oswego terminus, and since that time, round-trip excursions have started at the line's south end, rather than in Portland. The contract with Gales Creek Enterprises was not renewed when it expired at the end of 1994.
In 1995, the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society again became the operator of the trolley service, now on a longer-term basis, under contract to Lake Oswego. Trolley operation resumed in August, 1995, initially using a former Sydney, Australia open-sided streetcar, but only as a temporary substitute until the intended car could be moved to the line. This was 1928-built Blackpool tram 48, the same double-deck trolley which OERHS had operated on the Willamette Shore line for a few months in fall 1987. The double-decker entered service on Nov. 24, 1995. It was joined in December 1996 by another streetcar in OERHS's collection, a 1932 Brill "Master Unit"-type streetcar which had spent its entire working life in Portland, where the cars of that model gained the nickname "Broadway cars", from the route they first served.
In April 1997, the line was extended from its north end, to the RiverPlace district, increasing its overall length to about 7 miles (11.3 km). However, that section was last used in September 2003, and service was thereafter cut back to a new terminal located immediately south of Bancroft Street. The Blackpool double-decker was taken out of regular use on the Willamette Shore Trolley in late 2003 and was moved in May 2006 to OERHS's museum, the Oregon Electric Railway Museum
, in Brooks, Oregon
. Since then, the 1932 Portland Brill streetcar, No. 813, has been the only streetcar serving the WST line.
Service is provided on a seasonal basis, rather than year-round, the regular operating season normally lasting from May to October, followed by limited operation on a few dates during the Christmas and holiday season, in December each year.
For most of 2009, all service was suspended, so as to permit work to rehabilitate the line's four trestle
bridges. The longest of these is Riverwood Trestle, which is 686 feet (209.1 m) long and about 75 feet (22.9 m) high.
As a tourist attraction, the line is most popular on the Fourth of July
, when the Oaks Amusement Park
fireworks
display is viewable along the river, and in mid-December, when the area's Christmas Ship Fleet parade on the Willamette can be viewed.
It is proposed to convert the line into an extension of the Portland Streetcar
, running through Johns Landing and into Lake Oswego. Studying of the idea has been supported by Metro, Portland, Lake Oswego and TriMet. Work on an environmental-impact assessment
started in spring 2009 and will encompass both the streetcar option and the alternative of "enhanced bus" service, or bus rapid transit
(BRT). The streetcar proposal faces some opposition by residents of affluent neighborhoods where the tracks pass close to some homes, but is preferred by Metro, in part because BRT would likely require giving up one auto lane to buses (over some sections) to be effective, as the existing roadway (Hwy. 43) is thought likely to be too constricted by topography to enable widening.
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
or heritage streetcar
Heritage streetcar
Heritage streetcars or heritage trams are a development of the heritage railways that are becoming popular across the world. As with modern streetcar systems, the vehicles are referred to as trams or tramcars in the United Kingdom, Australasia and certain other places , but as streetcars or...
which operates along the west bank of the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
between Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lake Oswego is a city located primarily in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Small portions of the city are also located in neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located south of Portland surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in...
in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. The right-of-way is owned by group of local-area governments who purchased it in 1988 in order to preserve it intact for possible rail transit use in the future. Since 1995, the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society
Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society
The Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society operates a railroad museum and a heritage railroad for electric streetcar and railway enthusiasts.-History:...
has been the line's operator.
The railroad offers passenger excursions using a historic trolley
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
on a line previously known as the Jefferson Street Branch Line. The line runs for about 6 miles (9.7 km), including a passage through the 0.25 mile (0.402335 km)-long Elk Rock Tunnel. The current Portland terminal is at SW Bancroft St. (& Moody Ave.) in the new high-density South Waterfront
South Waterfront
The South Waterfront is a high-rise district under construction on former brownfield industrial land in the South Portland neighborhood south of downtown Portland, Oregon, U.S. It is one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in the United States...
neighborhood now under construction. The Portland terminal is one block south of the Portland Streetcar
Portland Streetcar
The Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown Portland. It is currently a single line that is almost long and serves some 12,000 daily riders, but a second line is expected to open in 2012.As with the heavier-duty MAX...
terminus at SW Lowell St. (& Moody Ave.). The Lake Oswego terminal is downtown, alongside State Street (Oregon Route 43) just south of A Avenue. Service was temporarily suspended for almost all of 2009, to permit rehabilitation of the line's trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
bridges, but resumed during the 2009 Christmas and holiday season. The 2010 season began on May 1, but the line's only streetcar broke down on July 16, 2010, causing an indefinite suspension of service. This suspension is continuing in 2011, because the estimated cost to repair the car is high, and no substitute streetcar is available, but the organization is making efforts to acquire a replacement car.
Corridor history
The right-of-way now used by the Willamette Shore Trolley's was established in the mid-1880s by the Portland and Willamette Valley Railway, which began passenger service with steam trainsSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
on July 4, 1887. It provided Oswego (as Lake Oswego was known then) with a direct link to Portland. Prior to this, access to Oswego was limited to primitive roads and river boats.
The line was later purchased by the Southern Pacific Company. Southern Pacific widened
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
the line from narrow gauge to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
and electrified it in 1914. This led to its peak in passenger travel in 1920, when 64 "Red Electric
Red Electric
The Red Electric was an interurban passenger train service operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad in the Willamette Valley of the U.S. state of Oregon from 1914 to 1929. The service got its name from the bright red color of its cars. Despite its short history, among West Coast interurbans it was...
" trains traveled daily between the two cities. By October 5, 1929, passenger service ended, though the line was used for freight until 1983.
Right-of-way preserved, experimental trolley service
In August 1984, the Interstate Commerce CommissionInterstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
granted Southern Pacific permission to abandon the line. This prompted several local governments in the area to establish a not-for-profit corporation to acquire the line and preserve the right-of-way for future mass transit. This consortium of governmental entities was initially composed of Metro
Metro (Oregon regional government)
Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
, TriMet
TriMet
TriMet, more formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon...
, the cities of Portland
Government of Portland, Oregon
The Government of Portland, Oregon, a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, is based on a city commission government system. Elected officials include a Mayor, a City Council, and a City Auditor. The mayor and commissioners are responsible legislative policy and oversee the various bureaus that...
and Lake Oswego
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lake Oswego is a city located primarily in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Small portions of the city are also located in neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located south of Portland surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in...
, and the counties of Multnomah
Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
and Clackamas
Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...
, and it was later joined by the Oregon Department of Transportation
Oregon Department of Transportation
The Oregon Department of Transportation is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Department which, along with the Oregon State Highway...
(ODOT). The line's official name at that time was the Jefferson Street Branch, because during the passenger-service era it had served a station called Jefferson Street and continued into downtown Portland via that street.
In January 1987, on behalf of the consortium, the City of Portland secured a lease of the 6.2-mile line from Southern Pacific (SP), including an option to purchase the line. In autumn 1987, a heritage streetcar
Heritage streetcar
Heritage streetcars or heritage trams are a development of the heritage railways that are becoming popular across the world. As with modern streetcar systems, the vehicles are referred to as trams or tramcars in the United Kingdom, Australasia and certain other places , but as streetcars or...
/trolley service was operated on the line, as a way to gauge public interest in such an operation, in order to help preserve the right-of-way if the plans to purchase the line came to fruition. This temporary, trial heritage trolley service was inaugurated on September 12, 1987, and was operated by the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society
Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society
The Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society operates a railroad museum and a heritage railroad for electric streetcar and railway enthusiasts.-History:...
(OERHS), using a double-deck trolley originally from Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, England. OERHS named the operation the "Willamette Shore Railway", and service ran on weekends and holidays until the end of the year only. As the line lacks overhead trolley wires, the electricity to power the trolley's motors was generated by a diesel engine mounted on a cart towed behind (or pushed in front of) the car. The Portland terminus, with a ticket office in a leased trailer, was located next to Moody Avenue, below the west approach viaducts to the Marquam Bridge. The Lake Oswego terminus was located about one-half mile north of downtown.
The line was purchased from Southern Pacific in October 1988, for US$1.9 million, including the cost of a planned extension in Lake Oswego, to be constructed by SP.
Regular service, extensions
Regular, seasonal vintage streetcar service began operation on July 6, 1990, now named the Willamette Shore Trolley. A private company named Gales Creek Enterprises was the operator for the first five seasons, under contract with the City of Lake Oswego. A 1913-built streetcar originally from San Antonio, Texas, was used, with a diesel-powered generatorDiesel generator
A diesel generator is the combination of a diesel engine with an electrical generator to generate electrical energy....
trailer
Head end power
Head end power or electric train supply is a rail transport term for the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive at the front or “head” of a train or a generator car, generates all the electricity used for lighting, electrical and other...
again employed to provide electricity to the streetcar.
In 1993, a half-mile of new track was laid in Lake Oswego, permitting extension of the trolley service south to a terminus just south of A Avenue, much closer to the city center. The ticket office was then relocated into a small building owned by Southern Pacific at the new Lake Oswego terminus, and since that time, round-trip excursions have started at the line's south end, rather than in Portland. The contract with Gales Creek Enterprises was not renewed when it expired at the end of 1994.
In 1995, the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society again became the operator of the trolley service, now on a longer-term basis, under contract to Lake Oswego. Trolley operation resumed in August, 1995, initially using a former Sydney, Australia open-sided streetcar, but only as a temporary substitute until the intended car could be moved to the line. This was 1928-built Blackpool tram 48, the same double-deck trolley which OERHS had operated on the Willamette Shore line for a few months in fall 1987. The double-decker entered service on Nov. 24, 1995. It was joined in December 1996 by another streetcar in OERHS's collection, a 1932 Brill "Master Unit"-type streetcar which had spent its entire working life in Portland, where the cars of that model gained the nickname "Broadway cars", from the route they first served.
In April 1997, the line was extended from its north end, to the RiverPlace district, increasing its overall length to about 7 miles (11.3 km). However, that section was last used in September 2003, and service was thereafter cut back to a new terminal located immediately south of Bancroft Street. The Blackpool double-decker was taken out of regular use on the Willamette Shore Trolley in late 2003 and was moved in May 2006 to OERHS's museum, the Oregon Electric Railway Museum
Oregon Electric Railway Museum
The Oregon Electric Railway Museum is the largest streetcar/trolley museum in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It is owned and operated by the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society and is located in Brooks, Oregon, on the grounds of Antique Powerland.The original museum opened in...
, in Brooks, Oregon
Brooks, Oregon
Brooks is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Brooks as a census-designated place . The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same...
. Since then, the 1932 Portland Brill streetcar, No. 813, has been the only streetcar serving the WST line.
Service is provided on a seasonal basis, rather than year-round, the regular operating season normally lasting from May to October, followed by limited operation on a few dates during the Christmas and holiday season, in December each year.
For most of 2009, all service was suspended, so as to permit work to rehabilitate the line's four trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
bridges. The longest of these is Riverwood Trestle, which is 686 feet (209.1 m) long and about 75 feet (22.9 m) high.
As a tourist attraction, the line is most popular on the Fourth of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, when the Oaks Amusement Park
Oaks Amusement Park
Oaks Park is a small amusement park located south of downtown Portland, Oregon USA, near the Sellwood Bridge. The park includes midway games, about two dozen rides that operate seasonally, a skating rink that is open all-year, and picnic grounds.- Rides :...
fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
display is viewable along the river, and in mid-December, when the area's Christmas Ship Fleet parade on the Willamette can be viewed.
Future transit possibilities
- Main article: Portland Streetcar
It is proposed to convert the line into an extension of the Portland Streetcar
Portland Streetcar
The Portland Streetcar is a streetcar system in Portland, Oregon, that opened in 2001 and serves areas surrounding downtown Portland. It is currently a single line that is almost long and serves some 12,000 daily riders, but a second line is expected to open in 2012.As with the heavier-duty MAX...
, running through Johns Landing and into Lake Oswego. Studying of the idea has been supported by Metro, Portland, Lake Oswego and TriMet. Work on an environmental-impact assessment
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
started in spring 2009 and will encompass both the streetcar option and the alternative of "enhanced bus" service, or bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit is a term applied to a variety of public transportation systems using buses to provide faster, more efficient service than an ordinary bus line. Often this is achieved by making improvements to existing infrastructure, vehicles and scheduling...
(BRT). The streetcar proposal faces some opposition by residents of affluent neighborhoods where the tracks pass close to some homes, but is preferred by Metro, in part because BRT would likely require giving up one auto lane to buses (over some sections) to be effective, as the existing roadway (Hwy. 43) is thought likely to be too constricted by topography to enable widening.
External links
- Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society's website about the trolley
- Lake Oswego's website about the trolley
- Willamette Shore Line right-of-way from the MetroMetro (Oregon regional government)Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
website - History of the Narrow Gauge Railroad in the Willamette Valley