Nostalgia & History > On the Streets of Portland

 Looks to be Portland Terminal, somewhere on the east side of the Willamette.  Information appreciated.

Ed

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Dick should know. It looks like the old street car trackage. They had some in Oregon City at the paper mill.


Nudge

I found several references of Blaesing Granite at 267 3rd in Portland, but the bridge in the background looks similar to the east side approaches to the Morrison bridge.   In 1914, he installed a 5ton traveler, a Barre polishing machine and bought a truck with a windlass.

Maybe here?
https://goo.gl/maps/ceVOH



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/15 09:56 by pmack.

I did a double take as I thought mention of Portland (and Portland Terminal) referred to the right coast - in Maine!

Switcher seems to be an early Baldwin VO- series.  I then went to Jim Boyd's Baldwin Diesel series (Morning Sun Books) but couldn't find an entry for Portland Terminal.  Anybody know the model of diesel we're seeing here?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/15 09:50 by boejoe.

The overhead crane is gone, but this appears to be the spot, SE 3rd near Main St. in Portland, OR looking north: https://goo.gl/maps/iqp1U
SP&S 30 is an early VO1000: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1503375



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/15 10:12 by Evan_Werkema.

That Baldwin switcher is the Spokane Portland and Seattle #30. SP&S operated on SE Third Avenue where they had an interchange with Portland Traction (The PEP) that went west to Water Avenue crossing the SP main tracks. They would either shove or pull down Water Avenue to "meet the PEP" where they would interchange a block of empties or loads.

A portion of the interchange turnout in Water Avenue is still visible as are PUC Impaired Clearance signs on one of the bridges (may be gone by now).

Dick Samuels

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The overhead crane is gone, but this appears to be
> the spot, SE 3rd near Main St. in Portland, OR
> looking north: https://goo.gl/maps/iqp1U

I think you are right but the VO has been replaced with a Volvo.  I guess that's progress.

That part of Portland was a real model railroaders dream.   Within about a 6 block space, there were 4 railroads (Portland Traction, SP, SP&S, and UP) and much of the track was street running.   The action included mainline trains for SP with passenger service plus interchange traffic for them all to the Portland Traction.   The photo here is a real gem before trucks really took over much of the traffic.  There were a lot of produce warehouses down there and that may explain the reefer in the photo.  

Thanks for sharing this photo.  

EMDSW-1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That Baldwin switcher is the Spokane Portland
> and Seattle #30. SP&S operated on SE Third Avenue
> where they had an interchange with Portland
> Traction (The PEP) that went west to Water Avenue
> crossing the SP main tracks. They would either
> shove or pull down Water Avenue to "meet the PEP"
> where they would interchange a block of empties or
> loads.
>
> A portion of the interchange turnout in Water
> Avenue is still visible as are PUC Impaired
> Clearance signs on one of the bridges (may be gone
> by now).
>
> Dick Samuels

Off to the right in the photo SP&S had a small yard, team gtrack and yard office. A small industrial complex now occupies the two-block area where the yard was. A spur ran across Union Avenue (now MLK Blvd.) up SE Salmon Street on a very steep grade to an industry a portion which still exists in the pavement.

My former salvage company, Samuels Steel Products Co, had the contract to remove the yard trackage in the late '70's and one of the turnouts is installed in our yard in Milwaukie.

Jogging the memory brings back the good times!

Dick Samuels
Oregon Pacific Railroad



 

I worked at Pacific Fruit & Produce on SE Stark St in '76 and '77.  BN came across the Steel Bridge to interchange with the Portland Traction most days, usually before I came to work at 7 am.  And yeah, there were four railroads in that area then: SP, BN, UP and Portland Traction.  I have too few pictures of any rail activity in that area, darn it! Plus I hand drew a map of the street running, both 2nd & 3rd Streets but it got lost or thrown out a long time ago.  It was quite a maze of tracks, to say the least.  PF&P was served only by SP at that time.

A fantastic photo followed by absolutely priceless pieces of Portland railroad history.  Many thanks to all who made this a really valuable thread !

Rich