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service indefinitely suspended; cross-reference to Portland Streetcar as main article on WST corridor's future transit possibilities
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| type = [[heritage streetcar]], seasonal operation
| type = [[heritage streetcar]], seasonal operation
| system =
| system =
| status =
| status = service suspended<ref name="not operating"/>
| locale = [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas]] / [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah]] counties, [[Oregon|Oregon, USA]]
| locale = [[Clackamas County, Oregon|Clackamas]] / [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah]] counties, [[Oregon|Oregon, USA]]
| start = Lake Oswego (State St. near A Ave.)
| start = Lake Oswego (State St. near A Ave.)
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The '''Willamette Shore Trolley''' is a [[heritage railway|heritage railroad]] or [[heritage streetcar]] which operates along the west bank of the [[Willamette River]] between [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] and [[Lake Oswego, Oregon|Lake Oswego]] in [[Oregon]]. The [[Right-of-way (transportation)|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.<ref name="Oreg88Oct">Oliver, Gordon (Oct. 27, 1988). "Purchase of Jefferson rail line approved". ''[[The Oregonian]]''.</ref>
The '''Willamette Shore Trolley''' is a [[heritage railway|heritage railroad]] or [[heritage streetcar]] which operates along the west bank of the [[Willamette River]] between [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] and [[Lake Oswego, Oregon|Lake Oswego]] in [[Oregon]]. The [[Right-of-way (transportation)|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.<ref name="Oreg88Oct">Oliver, Gordon (Oct. 27, 1988). "Purchase of Jefferson rail line approved". ''[[The Oregonian]]''.</ref>


The railroad offers passenger excursions using a historic [[tram|trolley]] on a line previously known as the Jefferson Street Branch Line. The line runs for about {{convert|6|mi|km|1}}, including a passage through the {{convert|0.25|mi|km|1|lk=on|adj=on}}-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,<ref name="suspend">{{cite web| title = All service suspended due to trestle work| date = April 20, 2009| publisher = [[Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society|OERHS]] website notice| url = http://www.oerhs.org/wst/news.htm| accessdate = 2009-05-13 }}</ref> but resumed during the 2009 [[Christmas and holiday season]]. The 2010 season began on May 1.<ref name="schedule">{{cite web| title = Schedule| publisher = [[Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society|OERHS]]| url = http://www.oerhs.org/wst/schedule.htm| accessdate = 2010-04-14 }}</ref><ref name="trolley reopens">{{cite news|last=Kavanagh|first=Vickie|title=The Willamette Shore Trolley reopens May 1|date=April 27, 2010|publisher=''[[The Oregonian]]''|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/lake-oswego/index.ssf/2010/04/the_willamette_shore_trolley_reopens_may_1.html|accessdate=2010-05-03}}</ref>
The railroad offers passenger excursions using a historic [[tram|trolley]] on a line previously known as the Jefferson Street Branch Line. The line runs for about {{convert|6|mi|km|1}}, including a passage through the {{convert|0.25|mi|km|1|lk=on|adj=on}}-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,<ref name="suspend">{{cite web| title = All service suspended due to trestle work| date = April 20, 2009| publisher = [[Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society|OERHS]] website notice| url = http://www.oerhs.org/wst/news.htm| accessdate = 2009-05-13 }}</ref> but resumed during the 2009 [[Christmas and holiday season]]. The 2010 season began on May 1,<ref name="schedule">{{cite web| title = Schedule| publisher = [[Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society|OERHS]]| url = http://www.oerhs.org/wst/schedule.htm| accessdate = 2010-04-14 }}</ref><ref name="trolley reopens">{{cite news|last=Kavanagh|first=Vickie|title=The Willamette Shore Trolley reopens May 1|date=April 27, 2010|publisher=''[[The Oregonian]]''|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/lake-oswego/index.ssf/2010/04/the_willamette_shore_trolley_reopens_may_1.html|accessdate=2010-05-03}}</ref> but has been indefinitely suspended since late July, due to the need for repairs to the sole streetcar used on the line.<ref name="not operating">{{cite web| title = Trolley is not operating, until further notice| publisher = [[Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society|OERHS]]| url = http://oerhs.org/wst | accessdate = 2010-08-22}}</ref>


==Corridor history==
==Corridor history==
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==Future transit possibilities==
==Future transit possibilities==
:''Main article: [[Portland Streetcar#Lake Oswego (proposed)|Portland Streetcar]]''
It is proposed to convert the line into an extension of the [[Portland Streetcar]], running through [[South Portland|Johns Landing]] and into Lake Oswego. Studying of the idea has been supported by Metro, Portland, Lake Oswego and TriMet.<ref>Stewart, Bill (June 17, 2001). "Tri-Met has trolley line on to-do list: The agency keeps $500,000 to study Willamette Shore as a possible commuter line". ''The Sunday Oregonian'', p. B1.</ref><ref>Zheng, Yuxing (Dec. 14, 2007). "Study OK'd for Lake Oswego rail link". ''The Oregonian''.</ref> Work on an [[environmental impact statement|environmental-impact assessment]] started in spring 2009<ref>{{cite news
It is proposed to convert the line into an extension of the [[Portland Streetcar]], running through [[South Portland|Johns Landing]] and into Lake Oswego. Studying of the idea has been supported by Metro, Portland, Lake Oswego and TriMet.<ref>Stewart, Bill (June 17, 2001). "Tri-Met has trolley line on to-do list: The agency keeps $500,000 to study Willamette Shore as a possible commuter line". ''The Sunday Oregonian'', p. B1.</ref><ref>Zheng, Yuxing (Dec. 14, 2007). "Study OK'd for Lake Oswego rail link". ''The Oregonian''.</ref> Work on an [[environmental impact statement|environmental-impact assessment]] started in spring 2009<ref>{{cite news
| last = Van der Voo
| last = Van der Voo

Revision as of 08:15, 22 August 2010

Willamette Shore Trolley
The trolley car currently in use is
ex-Portland Traction Company car 813, built in 1932.
Overview
Statusservice suspended[1]
LocaleClackamas / Multnomah counties, Oregon, USA
Termini
  • Lake Oswego (State St. near A Ave.)
  • Portland (Moody & Bancroft)
Service
Typeheritage streetcar, seasonal operation
Operator(s)Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society
History
Opened1990
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)

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.[2]

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 (0.4 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,[3] but resumed during the 2009 Christmas and holiday season. The 2010 season began on May 1,[4][5] but has been indefinitely suspended since late July, due to the need for repairs to the sole streetcar used on the line.[1]

Corridor history

The Willamette Shore Trolley's right-of-way was established in the mid-1880s by the Portland and Willamette Valley Railway, which began steam-powered service 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 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 Commission 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).[6]

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),[7] 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.[8] 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,[2][6] 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.[9] A 1913-built streetcar originally from San Antonio, Texas, was used, with a diesel-powered generator trailer again employed to provide electricity to the streetcar.[10]

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.[11]

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.[12]

In April 1997, the line was extended from its north end, to the RiverPlace district,[13] increasing its overall length to about 7 miles. 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.[3] The longest of these is Riverwood Trestle, which is 686 feet (209 m) long and about 75 feet (23 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.

Future transit possibilities

Main article: Portland Streetcar

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.[14][15] Work on an environmental-impact assessment started in spring 2009[16] 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.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Trolley is not operating, until further notice". OERHS. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  2. ^ a b Oliver, Gordon (Oct. 27, 1988). "Purchase of Jefferson rail line approved". The Oregonian.
  3. ^ a b "All service suspended due to trestle work". OERHS website notice. April 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  4. ^ "Schedule". OERHS. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
  5. ^ Kavanagh, Vickie (April 27, 2010). "The Willamette Shore Trolley reopens May 1". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2010-05-03. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b "Lake Oswego to Portland transit project: Willamette Shore line right-of-way". Metro. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  7. ^ City of Portland, Dept. of Public Works (Jan. 30, 1987). News release.
  8. ^ Hortsch, Dan (Sep. 13, 1987). "Trolley starts up, with help". The Sunday Oregonian, p. 1.
  9. ^ "Lake Oswego OKs contract to run trolley" (June 14, 1990). The Oregonian.
  10. ^ Furey, John (June 30, 1990). "Vintage trolley links Portland, Lake Oswego". The Oregonian, p. E1.
  11. ^ Finn, Dallas (June 29, 1995). "New slide could hold up trolley". Lake Oswego Review, p. 1.
  12. ^ "Broadway car riding rails again on trolley system" (Dec. 18, 1996). The Oregonian.
  13. ^ Goetze, Janet (Apr. 25, 1997). "Trolley gets new platform, new track". The Oregonian, Metro South edition p. D2.
  14. ^ Stewart, Bill (June 17, 2001). "Tri-Met has trolley line on to-do list: The agency keeps $500,000 to study Willamette Shore as a possible commuter line". The Sunday Oregonian, p. B1.
  15. ^ Zheng, Yuxing (Dec. 14, 2007). "Study OK'd for Lake Oswego rail link". The Oregonian.
  16. ^ Van der Voo, Lee (April 2, 2009). "Portland-to-Lake Oswego streetcar plan rolls ahead on fast track". Lake Oswego Review. Retrieved 2009-04-09. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Graf, Tyler (April 6, 2009). "Metro leads charge to link Portland, Lake Oswego". Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, Oregon). Retrieved 2009-05-21. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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