This is a large page with a lot of information about just about everything
Portland has to offer the visiting railfan. More detailed information can
be found in the other 16/17 pages of the Portland Railfan Guides.
Since I try not to put too many internal links to my website on individual
pages, in case things change, the best thing to do is check here for the other
pages I have for Portland: https://railfanguides.us/#OREGON
What's Here:
Union Station and Amtrak
the Oregon Rail Heritage Center
MAX Light Rail
Zoo Train
the Portland Streetcar
Portland Aerial Tram
WES - Westside Express Service
Willamette Shore Trolley
Gunderson (railcar manufacturer)
the Steel Bridge, a multi-mode rail bridge
The deepest transit tunnel and station in the U.S.
Area railroads are:
-- the Union Pacific
-- BNSF
-- Amtrak
-- Portland Terminal RR
-- the Willamette and Pacific
-- the Portland and Western.
Portland is a great, easy to get around railfan town, but if you have never been there before, one of
the first things you may notice is all the bridges that cross the Willamette River.
There are 12 bridges starting with the St Johns bridge in the north to the Sellwood Bridge on the south side of Portland:
-- St Johns Bridge - North Philadelphia Avenue
-- BNSF Railroad Bridge (1908)
-- Freemont Bridge - I-405
-- Broadway Bridge - NW Broadway, carries vehicles and Light Rail
-- Steel Bridge - a double deck lift bridge carries BNSF and Amtrak on the lower level, and light rail and vehicular traffic on the upper level
-- Burnside Bridge - Burnside St
-- Morrison Bridge - Morrison St
-- Hawthorne Bride - Hawthorne Blvd
-- Marquam Bridge - I-5
-- Tilikum Crossing Bridge - vehicular traffic and the Portland Streetcar, eastern shore near the Oregon Rail Heritage Center
-- Ross Island Bridge - Powell Blvd / US26
-- Sellwood Bridge - Tacoma St
And if you come into town at night, it is alive with color on the downtown buildings.
Downtown Portland has an active nightlife scene, with many pubs, eateries and
music! After a day full of railfanning, you will NOT run out of things to
do unless it's your own -steam-!
Acknowledgements:
Rick Holm
EncMstr
Steve Morgan
born1945
Ian
Darrell Clarke
Google Maps
Google Images
Being at the junction of I-5, running north and south, and I-84, heading east
out of town, Portland is an easy town to access from the interstates.
Seattle is about 150 miles to the north.
Salem is about 50 miles to the south
Eugene about 110 miles south.
The Pacific Ocean is about 65 miles west via US26.
A classic and unforgettable building amongst the Portland skyline, the station was built
in 1896 and opened on February 14, 130 years ago! (in 2026). The
station is the fifth busiest on the west coast, and comes in at #21 overall in
the Amtrak network. Trains that stop here are the Cascades, the Coast
Starlight, and the Empire Builder.
There are three tracks for Union Station, and another pair for BNSF trains
passing thru.
Visiting Union Station also puts you in the middle of action from Amtrak, BNSF,
the Portland Streetcar, and the MAX Light Rail.
If you follow Northwest Naito Parkway north, it will lead you to Lake Yard,
Gunderson, the Portland Terminal RR operations, and the western shore of the
BNSF bridge into Vancouver.
Amtrak has three trains coming into Union Station:
-- The Amtrak Cascades, covering Vancouver BC to Eugene OR (about 90 miles south of Portland).
-- The Coast Starlight, going from Seattle WA to Los Angeles CA.
-- The Empire Builder, going from Portland to Chicago via Spokane WA (one of two routes, the other going to Seattle WA)
This museum is probably one of the biggest railfan attractions of the area for most of us. Their
collection includes SP steamer #4449, SP&S steamer #700, and UP steamer
#3203. They offer weekend train rides May thru October, four a day.
They offer special excursions for Father's Day, Easter, National Train Day, and
St Patty's Day. They also run a Santa special for the month leading up to
Christmas, running up to 7 trains a day. They offer a large number of
displays both inside and out, and do special exhibits like honoring Gunderson's
100th anniversary in 2019.
I'm sure most railfans are familiar with 4449, even if you are on the East
Coast. It was featured in the 1986 movie "Tough Guys". It's home base has
been Portland since Doyle McCormick (4449's engineer) has had anything to do with it!
Prior to it's current location, the museum was basically in an old roundhouse down in
the Milwaukie/Brooklyn area, in (what else) the Brooklyn Roundhouse.
The days of them being in the UP Yard came to an end when the UP wanted to enlarge the yard.
So they built a whole new home for the museum about 1.6mi (2.6km) south of downtown near the Marquam Bridge.
From Wikipedia: The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge
across the Willamette River in Portland. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian
traffic, while the upper deck carries road traffic, and light rail (MAX), making the bridge
one of the most multimodal in the world. It is the only double-deck bridge with independent
lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America, after the
nearby Hawthorne Bridge.
The bridge was completed in 1912 and replaced the previous Steel Bridge built in 1888 as a
double-deck swing-span bridge. The 1888 structure was the first railroad bridge across the
Willamette River in Portland. Its name originated because steel, instead of wrought iron,
was used in the original bridge's construction, which was very unusual for the time. When
the current Steel Bridge opened, it was simply given its predecessor's name. end Wiki
From Wikipedia: The Washington Park & Zoo Railway (WP&ZRy) is a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge recreational railroad in Portland,
Oregon's Washington Park with rolling stock built to 5/8 scale. Opened in three stages in 1958, 1959 and 1960, it
previously provided transportation between the Oregon Zoo, Hoyt Arboretum, International Rose Test Garden, and
the World Forestry Center. The extended line through Washington Park, now out of service but still in place,
was about 2 miles (3.2 km) long. The service is currently operating on a 1⁄2-mile (0.80 km) loop completely
within the Oregon Zoo grounds.
History: Originally named the Portland Zoo Railway, the 1.2-mile (1.9 km)[5] first section of track opened
for service on June 7, 1958, and was formally dedicated on June 9, more than a year before the zoo opened
fully at the same site. This service used the Zooliner trainset, the railway's first and only train at that time
https://www.gobytram.com/
Weekdays 5:30am to 9:30pm
Saturdays: 9am to 5pm
Closed Sundays and holidays
Single round trip pass: $9
Monthly pass: $40, for current month only
- The Tram is accessible by the Portland Streetcar. All routes comes here.
- The Tram is a five minute ride each way, rising 500 vertical feet and traveling 3300 feet in distance.
- When to ride: Avoid rush hour if possible. The Tram is a popular option for people commuting to work and school.
As a result, nearby streets as well as the Tram may become crowded weekdays, 7am to 9am and 4pm to 6pm.
- The Tram has a panoramic view of the city and surrounding region most any day or night. A colorful sunrise or
sunset, while never guaranteed, is particularly scenic. To view Mount Hood and Mount Saint Helens, visit when
the sky is relatively clear.
Not an attraction per se, but Gunderson is a major manufacturer of railcars
- mostly known for their auto-carriers and truck-trailer carriers. It's
home is adjacent to BNSF's Lake Yard along Northwest Front Ave. The info
from Google AI says production of railcars at this facility came to an end in
2023, with reference to a story in Railfan and Railroad Magazine.
It still looks like there is a lot left here to check out.
The railroading scene in Portland is fairly well divided in
half between the Class 1's: BNSF and the Union Pacific.
Local and fill in service is provided by:
-- the Portland & Western (P&W)
-- the Willamette & Pacific (W&P)
-- the Oregon Pacific, and
-- the Portland Terminal Rwy (which operates in Lake Yard).
Note: The P&W is part of the Genesee & Wyoming railroad empire,
with the W&P operations being "folded" into the P&W in 2000.
Oregon is currently served by two Class 1 railroads, the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad (UP).
Prior to its acquisition by the UP in 1996, Oregon was also served by the Southern Pacific Transportation
Company; the UP continues to operate on tracks acquired from the SP.
The following (edited/added to) map from the Union Pacific illustrates much of this, and while it may seem
that the UP has more trackage in the area, it doesn't show activity.
The line between Willbridge and Vancouver is used by both railroads, as is
the Steel Bridge, but UP trains over the Steel Bridge are rare.
The UPRR operates several mainlines in the state. The primary north/south UP mainline enters Oregon from
California south of Klamath Falls, runs north through Central Oregon up to Chemult, then proceeds northwest
via the Willamette Pass to Eugene. From Eugene, it then turns north again up the Willamette Valley,
passing through cities including Albany, Salem, Woodburn, Canby, Oregon City, Milwaukie, terminating in
Portland. The primary east/west UP mainline starts in Portland and heads east towards Troutdale where it
enters the Columbia Gorge. It passes through the gorge on the Oregon side, serving cities such as Hood River,
The Dalles, Boardman, and Hermiston. In the Hermiston area, the line branches; with one line heading northeast
to Spokane, Washington; the other heading southeast roughly parallel to the old Oregon Trail and modern-day
Interstate 84, passing through Pendleton, La Grande, Baker City, and Ontario before entering Idaho. In addition
to the mainlines, the UPRR also operates several branch lines in the state, serving the terminal district
of Portland, the city of Umatilla, and the community of Pilot Rock.
The BNSF operates one significant mainline in the state, serving Central Oregon. The BNSF line enters
the state southeast of Klamath Falls, joining the UPRR mainline there. The two lines share trackage
between Klamath Falls and Chemult until the UPRR branches off towards Eugene; the BNSF continues in a
northeasterly direction through central Oregon, providing service to Bend, Redmond and Madras. The
line continues north of Madras along the Deschutes River until it interchanges with the UPRR mainline
east of The Dalles; it then crosses the Columbia River and intersects with the BNSF mainline on the Washington side.
The BNSF also operates a mainline in the Portland area which is a key rail link despite having only
approximately ten miles of trackage in Oregon; this link crosses the Columbia River into Vancouver,
connecting with the BNSF line heading north to Seattle, as well as the BNSF line heading east along
the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge, towards the Tri-Cities and Spokane. (Eastbound Amtrak service
from Portland crosses into Vancouver and uses the BNSF tracks, not the UPRR tracks in Oregon.)
The P&W became part of the Genesee & Wyoming family in 1995. Between them
and the W&P, they have around 478 miles on owned, leased, and operating rights
track. The G&W empire includes over 100 railroads in Canada and the U.S.
Note: since their website pages have not been updated since 2014/2017, I don't know how accurate any of the following information is, Todd.
From their website: The Oregon Pacific Railroad is a family owned and operated
railroad located in the Greater Portland Metro Area. This short
line consists of two divisions: the East Portland Division and
the Molalla Branch Division.
Although primarily a freight railroad, the Oregon Pacific is
famous for its friendly attitude toward rail fans and the public
and has hosted a number of community oriented events,
including almost year round Saturday public train rides.
The Oregon Pacific Railroad is owned by Richard Samuels
and is primarily operated by him and his sons, Tim, Brian and
Craig Samuels with help from friends, volunteers and others.
OPR crews are trained and experienced in every aspect of
railroading, including rail & equipment construction,
maintenance, fabrication, restoration and train operations.
Richard Samuels has owned and operated this company since
it was formed in 1987, when he first organized it to purchase
the Portland Traction Company Railroad in East Portland.
Common carrier operations began in 1991, when the remains
of the PTC were officially taken over. Richard Samuels later
purchased the Southern Pacific Molalla Branch in 1993 and
the two divisions now comprise the Oregon Pacific Railroad.
2017 marks 26 years (Last year the page was updated) for the OPR as a common carrier
railroad and more than 30 years of company
operations. Richard Samuels was able to revive these two
railroads with a sincere dedication to customer service that
continues to this day. The OPR and its employees thank everyone including
our valued customers, railfans and volunteers for their wonderful support of our
unique and rare family owned and operated shortline railroad company.
The East Portland Division
The East Portland Division is one of two divisions of the Oregon Pacific Railroad. It was purchased by Richard Samuels in 1991 from the
Portland Traction Company. The new company and railroad was originally named the East Portland Traction Company. In 1993, Mr. Samuels
purchased the Southern Pacific Molalla Branch and renamed it the Molalla Western Railroad. He operated both railroads, but maintained
seperate companies and names. In 1996, both companies were officially merged into the Oregon Pacific Railroad with the East Portland
Traction Company becoming the East Portland Division of the OPR and the Molalla Western becoming the Molalla Branch Division of the OPR.
The East Portland Division of the OPR is the remains of a vast network of interurban railroads that once encompassed the entire Portland Area.
The remains comprises of approximately 5 miles of mainline track, with an interchange yard at the north end, that interchanges with the Union
Pacific Railroad and an industrial park at the south end. The industrial park is where most customers are located as has been the case for this
railroad going back into the Portland Traction Company days.
The East Portland Branch starts at the UP East Portland Yards and runs in a southerly direction, where it runs along the Willamette River and
through the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. It passes the Oaks Amusement Park, which is one of the oldest existing amusement parks in the U.S.
and only Amusement Park in the Portland Area. It then continues through the quiet suburban neighborhoods of Sellwood, before reaching the
industrial park in Milwaukie.
The grade into the industrial park comprises of a rare and steep 6% grade with crossings at the top and middle of the hill and 2 switches in the
middle of the hill. From the middle of the hill to the bottom of the hill are two separate spurs that are both on a tight curve. All of this makes for
challenging railroading that requires a good bit of skill and experience to operate.
The East Portland Divisionis the only OPR division that operates passenger trains. Currently the Molalla Branch Division with its excepted track
cannot legally operate passenger trains. However, the East Portland Divsion has Class 1 track designation from approximately Golf Junction to
the East Portland Yards where passenger trains can legally and safely operate.
Passenger trains comprise of OPR private charters and an annual steam locomotive event put on by ORHF every December called the Holiday
Express.
The majority of freight business comes from the Milwaukie Industrial park and comprises mostly of both inbound and outbound cold food
storage. The majority of freight cars currently used on the line are refrigerator cars. However, in the past, the line has supported everything from
paper products to alcoholic beverage shipments. The north end of the line has one new customer, as ORHF built a new steam locomotive
interpretive center next to the OPR East Portland yards and interchanges with the OPR.
The East Portland Yard of the OPR has undergone numerous extensive changes over the years. Built in the late 1800s, it was the center of Portland
Traction and predecessor railroad operations on the east side of Portland for over 100 years. The Portland Traction and Pepco shops were located here,
although the East side operation trolleys were originally stored and maintained at the trolley barn located at Golf Junction.
The East Portland Yards was the interchange point for numerous industries in the general area. A maze of tracks took off to industries both north and south
of the yards. Much of this track was in street, accessing dozens of warehouses along water street.
In the last years of trolley operations through 1991, the Portland Traction Company maintained its main shops and facilities here. When the Mr. Samuels took
over the Portland Traction Company, he did not acquire the Portland Traction Shops and instead moved operations of the new railroad company to the
Milwaukie Industrial Park on land that he already owned. Today, the main shops of the OPR is located there, closer to the customers on the line that
sometimes need daily switching services.
The East Portland Yards was the main interchange for the Southern Pacific Railroad (now owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad). The numerous
tracks that used to be located here were used for sorting cars from the various Portland Traction branch lines, before they were interchanged with the SP.
The first major change for the East Portland Yards came in the early 1960s when it was anticipated that a new freeway called the Mt. Hood Freeway would be
constructed. An off ramp was to be constructed from the I-5 Marquam Bridge, just north of the yard and fly over the PTC yard. The yard had to be relocated
to allow for construction of pillars for new off ramp. As it turned out the yard was moved, but the off ramp and the freeway were never built.
After the sale of the PTC property to Mr. Samuels, much of the existing yard was not needed due to reduced traffic. A lot of track was moved and only the
tracks deemed necessary was left. Several major changed occurred under OPR ownership as new track was constructed for a major SamTrak station and
platform. That track and platform was removed several years after SamTrak ceased operations in 2002.
In 2011, the City of Portland constructed an overpass over the East Portland yards for it's Portland Streetcar system that would eventually meet up with the
new Milwaukie Light Rail system.
2012 would bring the largest change to the yard in recent decades as the entire existing OPR East Portland yard was removed, rebuilt and relocated as part
of the Milwaukie Max Light Rail project. With the Light Rail passing over the OPR tracks almost directly in the middle of the existing yard, the OPR yard had
to relocated and rebuilt further north so that the Light Rail would only have to cross a single mainline track and the OPR could switch cars inside the new yard
north of the Light Rail crossing. The construction project took place in the spring and summer of 2012 with the new Light Rail line expected to be completed
by 2015.
Today, the new OPR yard has one run through track, 5 storage spur tracks, one of which is leased to office cars permanently stored on the spur and two run
around tracks. Traffic is interchanged with the Union Pacific nightly, on the main run through track that connects with the UP. Prior to the 2012 rebuild the
OPR had two UP interchange tracks. A north and south leg, giving the OPR two separate tracks on which it could leave or pick up cars. Because only one
interchange track is needed, the south leg interchange was removed. One industry track, the ORHF complex, interchanges with the OPR at the yard.
Note about Mileposts on the East Portland Division
Official Mileposts on the East Portland Division have changed over the years, because milepost 0.0 was originally located at SW 1st and Washington, in the
early PEPCo Trolley days. By the mid 1950s just prior to trolley service ending, the beginning of the line was cut back to SE 1st and Hawthorne just north of
the Portland Traction Company East Portland Yards. This shifted mileage somewhat along the entire line south. The official FRA mileage markers as noted
for crossings is based on SE 1st and Hawthorne being MP 0.0. These are still the mile markers used by the FRA today. However they no longer refect the
true mileage of the line as it exists today with the northern most point being the current OPR/UP interchange switch. Below you will see all three mileage
points for all historical stations. All other stations, sidings and crossings and other points of interest will reflect FRA mileage points as well as current actual
mileage points. For reference: East Portland Yards - Begin at OPR/UP Interchange Switch. PEPCo MP prior to 1955: X.XX. PTRD MP after 1955 (FRA): 0.12. OPR Current MP: 0.00
The following two pictures are for reference only, you won't find 'em if you go looking for them.
The Portland Terminal Railroad (PTRC) is a joint terminal railroad of the UPRR and the BNSF,
which operates several key rail lines, as well as the Guild's Lake Yard, within the city of
Portland. The PTRR facilitates interchange between the two Class 1 railroads; each railways'
trains are considered "home" while on PTRC trackage. It was called the Northern Pacific
Terminal Company until changing its name to the Portland Terminal Railroad Company in 1965,
at which time it was jointly owned by the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads
The PTRC performs industry switching for UP and BNSF at industries located at Lake Yard
in northwest Portland OR. UP and BNSF cover all operating and maintenance costs for the PTRC
in return for their use in common. BNSF assumed the accounting functions on behalf of PTRC
and bills the UP for their portion of costs each month. Each Class I railroad handles their
own demurrage and car hire. UP and BNSF equipment are considered home on the PTRC.
History: The Northern Pacific Terminal Company was established in 1882. Ownership was split
Oregon & California - 20%, and the Northern Pacific and Oregon Railroad & Navigation
Company - 40% each. On November 1, 1965, the company was renamed Portland Terminal
Railroad Company. The company is jointly owned by UP and BNSF. Under an Operating
Agreement between PTRC, BNSF and UP, the two Class I railroads have use in common
with PTRC at its Guilds Lake Yard.
The PTRC no longer has it's own switchers, instead, they use either UP or BNSF engines.
The following is from a TRAINORDERS post from 12/27/2001: The Portland Terminal Railroad is jointly owned by BNSF
and UP - I'm not sure of the percentages but it started out as the Northern Pacific Terminal Company -
so BNSF actually has an edge over UP (adding in SP's ownership).
Their territory consists of Lake Yard - which is located northwest of Union Station between Yeon Boulevard
and Front Avenue (across the street from Gunderson's factory) and south of the Kittridge viaduct (north of
it is BNSF's Willbridge Yard). They also own some industrial trackage which extends south along Front Avenue
to just north of the Fremont Bridge. In the past, they controlled one or more of the mains from Lake Yard
to Union Station; however that track is now fully under BNSF control.
Their Alco S-2 switchers have been disposed of; two of which are owned by the Pacific Northwest Chapter
of the NRHS (http://www.pnwc-nrhs.org), others are who knows where.
They currently use BNSF and UP switchers - typically BN SW-10s (SW-1000s) and UP SW-1500s and MP-15s (this info is 25 years out of date!).
Their headquarters is located on Yeon Blvd., south of the BNSF intermodal yard. Look for a paved driveway next
to the last warehouse on the east side of the street - there is a sign there - drive around the narrow road.
The shacks to the left house the scale test cars owned by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and then is
the yard office. The yard is viewable from Front Avenue (however the BNSF mainline is on that side); a row of
hedges and a fence are on the Yeon Blvd. side (and besides, traffic moves very fast on that street, not to
mention it's Portland's main truck route from the industrial area to I-405, I-5, and I-84). If you're visiting
Portland, Tri-Met has routes on both streets from the downtown Transit Mall, however there isn't a
whole lot else up there. end 1st TO post
Another TRAINORDER post: PTRC has about a dozen online customers and builds about a half dozen trains a day,
including transfer jobs. Most northbound UP traffic goes through them. UP train symbol code is 'PT'. The
Portland Terminal is one of two Joint Facilities in the Pacific NW. The other is the Longview Switching
Co. LVSW is 50/50 UP/BNSF owned. end 2nd TO post
There used to be two PTRC Alco's sitting at the north end of Lake Yard,
behind a warehouse that sat across from a Subway Shop, but both the engines and
Subway are long gone. Anyone know what happened to them?
From Wikipedia: The Albina Yard is a 200-acre (81 ha) rail yard located in the Albina District
of Portland, Oregon, currently operated by the Union Pacific Railroad. One of several yards
operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Portland, as of year 2000 the Albina yard
processes an average of 1,200 rail cars a day.
The south end of the train yard features a distinctive brick smokestack that is easily
visible when passing over the Fremont Bridge. Originally built in 1887 for Northern Pacific
Terminal Company, the smokestack was refurbished in 2008 along with the addition of night
lighting. In 2009, the 50-year-old Union Pacific building adjacent to the yard was dismantled. end Wiki
UP, at least when I was there the last time (which has been a few years),
tolerated railfans parking at the entrance to the yard in the parking lot off
Russell St. I wouldn't suggest going into the yard (or any of them),
because they are pretty conscious about railfans wandering the yard to take
pictures.
From Google AI: Lake Yard is a major rail facility located in Northwest Portland OR, in the
industrial area near Guild's Lake and Front Avenue. Key Details About Lake YardJoint Operation:
The yard is operated by the Portland Terminal Railroad Company, which is jointly owned by
Union Pacific (UP) and BNSF Railway. Interchange Hub: It serves primarily as an interchange
yard where BNSF and Union Pacific exchange freight cars and sort traffic for regional and
northbound/southbound trains. Surrounding Area: It sits near industrial operations like
Gunderson Marine and connects to local rail lines heading toward Vancouver, Washington,
and other Pacific Northwest industrial districts. Note: the underlined
Lake Yard above is a link to my page that covers Lake Yard.
Brooklyn Yard is where SP#4449 and SPS#700 were originally kept, before the
Union Pacific needed to enlarge the yard, and took out the turntable.
The USGS map shows how the yard looked in 1954 and where the roundhouse and turntable stood.
Trimet's Center Street Garage (for busses) sits next to Brooklyn Yard.
Originally built and used by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway (SP&S), it is used today by
BNSF Railway for local industrial switching, servicing nearby facilities like Zenith Energy, and handling local interchange jobs.
Portland has four rail transportation systems:
-- MAX Light Rail
-- WES regional rail
-- the Portland Streetcar
-- the Willamette Shore Trolley https://trimet.org/home/ Live map. https://trimet.org/max/
The light rail system has developed into a fairly well integrated system covering:
-- Hillsboro to the west (Blue)
-- Beaverton on the west side (Blue, and the end of the Red line)
-- Gresham on the east side (Blue)
-- The Portland Airport, northeast of center city (Red)
-- the Expo Center, north of downtown (Yellow)
-- Clackamas, southeast of downtown (Green)
-- Milwaukie, south of downtown (Orange)
Portland has done an excellent job of providing transit
service to the area. Overall, during the years 1998 to 2002, when the
company I worked for was headquartered in Beaverton and I used to get there on a
regular basis, the overwhelming majority of Portland seemed to be happy with the
light rail service. Only a few dissenters along the route were not happy
with the light rail running behind their homes, some even putting up banners
saying how they were held captive in their own homes (I live next to the
Baltimore Light Rail tracks, and don't feel that way).
The original section of the system, the Eastside MAX Blue line, opened on September 5th, 1986.
It has 30 stations, is 15 miles in length, runs from City Center to Gresham, and
cost $214M. Construction was 3/82-9/86.
The Westside MAX Blue line opened September 12th, 1998.
It has 32 stations, runs 18 miles from Hillsboro to City Center, and cost $963M.
Construction ran from 7/93 to 9/98.
The Airport MAX Red line opened on September 10th, 2001, has
4 stations, and is 5.5 miles long, but covers some 30 miles from PDX airport to the Beaverton Transit Center.
It cost $125M, and construction was from 5/99 to 9/01.
The Interstate MAX Yellow line opened in May 1st, 2004. It has 10 stations,
runs 5.8 miles, and goes from the Expo Center to PSU. Construction was
from 11/00 to 5/04, and cost $350M.
The MAX Green line opened in 2009, has 28 stops, and runs 14.1
miles between Clackamas and PSU. No details from the Tri-Met webpage were
available for the Green line.
If you add up all of the above numbers, you will notice
that it adds up to more than the number of stations the MAX has, 85.... That's
because 38 stations are served by two lines, and 8 by three lines. There
is a total of about 52 miles on all of the lines.
Interestingly, the system uses two different voltages.
The standard 750VDC is used west of NE 9th Ave and Holladay, and 825VDC on the
rest of the system... I have not come across an explanation for this since
750VDC is pretty much the standard now (600VDC WAS the standard in the old
streetcar days).
Hillsboro, 2008, by Darrell Clarke
Trimet's Operations Headquarters on SE Center St, next to UP's Brooklyn Yard.
GPS Coordinates west end: 45.50632, 122.75383 (Sunset Hills Mortuary)
GPS Coordinates east end: 45.51908, 122.69974 (Goose Hollow)
The honor belongs to Trimet's Red and Blue Lines that use the Robertson Tunnel.
There is one station in the tunnel, making it the deepest transit station in
the U.S. at 260ft!
East end tunnel portal, 2007, photo by EncMstr via Wikipedia
East end tunnel portal, 2007, photo by born1945 via Wikipedia
West end tunnel portal, 2007, photo by EncMstr via Wikipedia
Tri-Met also operates a regional rail/commuter style system called the WES - Westside Express Service.
It is a 14 mi long system with five stations that connects Beaverton with communities to the south.
Commuters needing to get into Portland can take the Blue or Red line light rail into Portland.
Beaverton is a western suburb of Portland.
WES only operates during the week. Service is every 45 minutes. The fare (in 2026) is $2.60 one-way with a 2-1/2 hour limit, or $5.60 for a day pass.
The stations are:
-- Beaverton Transit Center (transfer to the light rail system)
-- Hall/Nimbus Station
-- Tigard Transit Center
-- Tualatin Station
-- Wilsonville Station
The Portland Streetcar, an independent operation owned by the city,
operates a completely different route than the light rail system.
Following in Tri-Met's success with it's MAX light rail
system, the Portland Streetcar opened for service in 2001. The system is
owned by the city of Portland and operated by the Portland Streetcar Inc.
Maintenance on the streetcars is carried out by Tri-Met personnel in the
Streetcar's own shops under I-5. Being a streetcar system, the system
qualifies as being the first system in the United States to order new cars since
the end of WWII. The system is almost 4 miles long, but an extension is
expected to open next year in 2012.
311 N. State St. Lake Oswego OR 97034
503-697-7436
mark@oerhs.org https://wst.oregontrolley.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willamette_Shore_Trolley
The regular seasonal schedule runs from Memorial Day weekend through late September.
Round-trip tickets are $22 for adults and $20 for seniors (one-way options are available at $11 and $10 respectively).
Weekdays 5:30am to 9:30pm
From their website: Ride in a Vintage Trolley from Lake Oswego into a dark tunnel and meander through
posh neighborhoods. You will ride on a historic rail line dating from the late 1800s, and the tunnel dates
from 1921. At one time, electrified interurbans ran on this line from Portland to Oswego and Hillsboro,
McMinnville, and Corvallis. The Vintage Trolley is a replica of Portland’s Council Crest cars.
Two of the original cars can be found at our museum in Brooks. Before coming to the Willamette Shore
Trolley, the Vintage Trolleys had formerly run on the MAX Line and the Portland Streetcar.
- Note: Our Portland Terminal is by the Tesla Building, one block south of Moody and Bancroft Streets.
- Trolleys depart from Lake Oswego or in SW Portland on Saturdays and Sundays, plus Labor Day. Servcie continues to the end of September.
- Online tickets are valid for one direction only; please ensure you purchase tickets for your return trip as well.
History: The Right-of-way of the WST dates back to the 1880s as a narrow-gauge steam railroad
linking Portland to Oswego (as Lake Oswego was known back then) and south into the Willamette
Valley. The Southern Pacific acquired the line and converted it to standard gauge.
In 1914, the line was electrified, and Red Electric Interurban service was born. One could
board a Red Electric Car and ride to Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Newberg, McMinnville,
and Corvallis. In 1921, the Elk Rock Tunnel was opened, replacing a wooden trestle that
went around Elk Rock. Passenger service ended in 1929, but freight service continued until 1983.
In 1984, the Southern Pacific filed for abandoning the line from Lake Oswego to Portland. A
Consortium of local governments and agencies acquired the line to preserve it for future transit use.
In 1987, the Willamette Shore Trolley was born. The first car on the line was Blackpool
Double-Decker #48, operated by the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society. Later, a
different entity operated other heritage trolleys on the line. The OERHS took over the
service again in 1995 with the double-decker and later with a Portland Brill Master Unit streetcar.
The line was extended north to Riverplace at one point but was later cut back to Moody
St to permit Portland Streetcar to enter the south waterfront district.
The Double-Decker and the Master Unit were retired back to the Trolley Museum in
Brooks due to the wear and tear of running the cars on the WST. The streetcar
operated today is a modern-built Vintage Trolley.
The Vintage Trolley #514 was used on the Portland MAX line and Portland
Streetcar as a tourist draw. The car is one of 4 cars built in 1991 for this
service. Although popular with the tourists, the frequency of MAX and Portland
Streetcar left little time slots for the VT cars to operate. St. Louis leases
VT # 511 and 512 for a new streetcar line. VT513 and VT514 are now residents of the WST.
The Willamette Shore Trolley's Bancroft Street terminus, in Portland. Photo by Steve Morgan via Wikipedia.
photo by Ian
I have a fondness for the number 513, cause I used to live at 513 Victory Dr in Tyler TX :-) :-)
The most common nickname for Portland is The City of Roses, and it became the official
nickname in 2003.
And speaking of roses, the Portland Rose Festival takes place in June.
TV/Movie people you may know that hail from Portland are Matt Groening (the Simpsons),
Sam Elliot, and Sally Struthers.
Musically, the Kingsmen
and Paul Revere and the Raiders are from
Portland.
Quite a few TV shows and movies have been filmed in Portland, whole or in part.
OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science
and Industry has an OMNIMAX theater and the
USS Blueback, a submarine used in the filming of
The Hunt For Red October.
Powell's City of Books
claims to be the largest independent book store in the U.S. and the largest
bookstore west of the Mississippi.
The major malls in the area are: Bridgeport Village, Clackamas Town Center,
Pioneer Place, Lloyd Center, Washington Square, and Vancouver Mall.
If you are into beer, Portland is famous for it's
microbreweries, and boosts the largest number of them in the U.S., over 40!...
CNBC named Portland the best town in the states for happy hour.
Portland, despite it being 80 miles upriver from the coast,
is the largest shipper of wheat in the United States, and the second largest
wheat port in the world.
Portland has it's very own cable cars, the Portland Aerial
Tram, which takes off from the South Waterfront, and climbs the hill to the
Oregon Health & Science University on Marquam Hill overlooking the city (it can
be found on my Portland Streetcar map).
In the shadow of the Marquam Bridge (I-5), is the USS Blueback Submarine,
which is open for tours and apparently you can do sleepovers there too!
Mt Hood can be seen from the surrounding hills, and it is about 40 miles to the east.
Mt. Saint Helens is about 65 miles to the north east. The "big"
eruption was in 1980, but had smaller ones 2004-2008. When I visited
around 1999, it had started to recover pretty nicely - I imagine the 2004
eruptions killed a lot of that off. :-(
Vancouver is on the "other side" of the Willamette River from
Portland, and seems to be a favorite spot for railfans who want to just sit and
watch the trains come by. From the station platform, you can look straight
down the bridge coming over from Portland, and offers the opportunities for some
nice shots - it's a famous railfan photo spot! The Amtrak station is in the middle of a wye.
Salem
Salem is less than an hours drive south of Portland
straight down I-5. It is the capitol of Oregon, and has one of the newer
state capitol buildings being completed in 1938. The preceding capitol
building (the second) was destroyed by fire in 1935. The town also has a
more modern train station, which Amtrak stops at on it's way south. It is
the states third largest city after Portland and Eugene. Salem is home to
four correctional facilities, including the states only maximum security prison
(lucky them :-).
The film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was
filmed at the Oregon State Hospital.
The Salem area has quite a few wineries and vineyards, and the oldest one in
Oregon is here, the Honeywood Winery.
UP has a small yard in town and the Portland & Western has a small
maintenance facility here.
Albany
Small UP and P&W yards and an Amtrak station.
Eugene
Eugene is about two hours south of Portland, and is the state's second largest
city. Eugene, back in the Southern Pacific days was home to the infamous
tunnel motor geeps, as part of the helper facility there. The Central
Oregon and Pacific RR now maintains engines in part of the Espee yard.
I miss the old Bing Maps birds-eye-views! :-( :-(
From UP's Website
Their version of the SP Black Widow!
Hillsboro, 2008, by Darrell Clarke
East end tunnel portal, 2007, photo by EncMstr via Wikipedia
East end tunnel portal, 2007, photo by born1945 via Wikipedia
West end tunnel portal, 2007, photo by EncMstr via Wikipedia
photo by Ian
