THE TROLLEY PARK NEWS

Special No. 2, 1989 Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society Bulletin Vol. 28, No. 2

Extra fares: Stub lines often charged an additional fare. Kenton Traction Company charged a 5 cent extra fare, as did the Park Rose line. I'm not sure if the Errol Heights charged extra (editor’s note: no, Errol Heights was actually free). One also paid extra if going beyond the end of the Kings Height line to Mt. Calvary Cemetery. This was even true on Sundays, when they had through cars. I remember the conductor coming around and collecting the extra fare.

Early use of one-man cars: The Beaumont line should be included in any list of early one-man cars. The Arlington Heights and Kings Heights lines were also made one-man ahead of the bigger group. They did that by removing some of the transverse seats to the right of the Beautiful Niles interurban 1058 worked as a Troutdale shuttle before becoming a line (work) car in motorman on cars 452, 453, 459, 460 and 1930. In this unusual scene the conductor is adjusting something on the roof (Bill Hayes Collection). 461 (and possibly others). Also, I once saw 456 on the King’s Heights run. head out the open window to see what was A VISIT TO HELEN going on. Neither the conductor nor my Two of the 300's, cars 330 and 341, had their doors modified for one-man service. By Phil Hedene mother thought that sticking my head out However, while 341 became a one­man car, the window was a good idea. They let me to the best of my knowledge, 330 retained a elen Cosper was a friend of my know, verbally, that I should not do so, in a two-man crew. I have a good picture of it H aunt’s who lived out on the manner that I still remember! But, after modification. TROUTDALE line. One day, in, I would momentarily, I did see what was guess, about 1922, we went to visit her. happening! After the Greeley Street cut-off opened, Since neither my mother nor my aunt drove two-man cars were no longer needed on the in those days, we travelled by PRL&P. Saint Johns line, so 195-199 became

trippers on the Broadway line and their Mother and I took the Broadway line, PORTLAND STREETCAR trailers, cars 350-354, went into storage. walked to the 28 shuttle, and then rode the TRIVIA Cars 195-199 could sometimes still be seen Montavilla line out to Montavilla Station on the Saint Johns line, but only as trippers. on NE 91st. We met my aunt en route, and By Arthur Brinkerhoff That was because Saint Johns service together took the Troutdale train (probably needed 18 or more cars during rush hour, one of the 1050’s) to the Cosper's. ere is a second group of edited and 466-485 weren't always available. H remembrances from member Art Expecting 20 cars to cover an 18-car All I remember of the trip was that the car Brinckerhoff, who moved to San Francisco schedule would have been cutting it too pulled across the track at Ruby Junction in 1939, but still cherishes childhood close. and prepared to back around the leg of the memories of streetcars. wye before going on towards Troutdale. Being young and inquisitive, I stuck my Page 2 The Trolley Park News Special #2, 1989

Open cars were retired early: Opens 200-215 were retired in late 1926. Open cars 216-240, like­wise, except for the ten left for use as baseball trippers (which were 216-217, 219, 221-222, 224 228-229, 231 and 238). The ten baseball trippers retired in 1933, except for 219, which may have been retired in 1930. Cars 241-251, which had been rebuilt from open to closed, were retired June 20, 1927. Numbers 304 and 308 retired in June 1928 (due to fire), while 303, 307 and 309-357 retired in 1933.

Conversion of the 1300’s opens to 1100’s closed: 1301, 1306, 1307 and 1311 became 1134-1137 respectively; 1302, 1303 1305 and 1314 became 1130-1133 (not sure which, except 1314, which became 1133). I am not sure about 1304, 1308, 1309, 1310, No. 195 and a 350 class Fuller Trailer, still lettered for the Portland Consolidated Railway Co., are 1312, 1313 and 1315. Apparently 1130- seen at N. Philadelphia and Jersey streets in their heyday. After the Greeley Street cutoff was built in 1133 changed in 1909 and 1134-1137 in 1918 these cars were reduced to tripper service or placed in storage. (Mark Moore). 1913. The missing five retired in 1933 and 1309-1310 in 1936. scheduling very interesting on the 16th- and Thurman (end of Willamette Heights Williams Avenue line, as some cars were out line), and then went outbound to Westover Changing the 481-485 series for of Savier barn and some out of Piedmont. Terrace. This meant the first inbound WO Vancouver Service: My recollection is that The daily schedule finally worked out to from Ariel Terrace was at 7:28 a.m. In 1934 they started with 485 and worked Piedmont barn inheriting one extra car each and part of 1935 the WO service ran the downward. I am not sure that they did 481, day, except Saturdays, the Savier barn usual cars to S.W. Fifth and Sherman in the but if so it was the lowest number, as 467- inherited five extra cars back from rush hour, but in the daytime they ran two 469, 472, 474 and 480 had been transferred Piedmont. On Sundays, ten cars were used, cars 24 minutes apart and turned them back to Ankeny Division where they were used as four from Savier and six from Piedmont. at S.W. Fifth Avenue and Jefferson Street. regular Beaumont line cars. By then the However, the four cars from Savier and two On August 31, 1936 the Fifth and Sherman Beaumont line ran downtown all day, not from Piedmont would end up at the portion was abandoned by the WH, so they just in the rush hours. Piedmont barn while the other four from and the WO rush hour cars turned back at Piedmont would end up at the Savier barn. S.W. Third Avenue and Morrison Street. The 16th Street Line: The 16th Street With a set-up like that, you can imagine Here again, Westover used three cars at rush Line did not run in 1930-1931 as some have each barn was probably assigning their hour, and two cars during the rest of the reported. On June 6th, 1926, the Northern poorest cars (if they weren't going to get day, to downtown. end was combined with the Williams them back right away). Base cars were the Avenue, and the Willamette Heights was 400-439s, but some also of the 100-146 The Russell-Shaver Line: Which brings extended to S.W. Fifth and Sherman to series were used as trippers. However, one me to the Russell-Shaver line. In 1927, they cover the southern portion. This made Sunday I rode a 533-537 series on this line. used two cars, with three cars in the rush That series were usually assigned to the hours, including Saturdays. On Sunday, RS Northrup short-turn of the 23rd Street line. used two cars all day. John Labbe tells me that No. 420 was transferred to the RS line The quarterly OERHS newsletter is The Westover Line: At first, the Westover because crews on other lines didn’t like its now called The Transfer. Please send line was a stub. But, by 1928 (maybe swaying ride. I also know RS had Birneys 9, articles, photos, letters, or requests for earlier) three Westover cars were running 10, and 14 for a while. Those three were information, to Wayne Jones, Editor, clear down to S.W. Fifth Avenue and never transferred back to Savier, ending up Oregon Electric Railway Historical Sherman Street during in the rush hours. In on the outside storage track at Piedmont. Society, 3995 Brooklake Rd. NE, contrast, just one car ran as a stub in the However, Piedmont must have had more Brooks, OR 97303 or email to daytime and later in the evening. It is than three Birneys at one time because I [email protected]. interesting to note that three Westover line think they were used on the Irvington- cars made their first trip from N.W. Gordon Jefferson line. I don't recall seeing 400’s on Page 3 The Trolley Park News Special #2, 1989

and Morrison Street, instead of running the length of S.W. Third Avenue.

Somewhere it was reported that 1001-1020, plus 1051-1056, were assigned to the Sellwood line. However, the Richmond line also used some of the 1051-1056 series cars, and, in as much as the Sellwood line needed 19 cars during the morning and evening rush hours, they must have occasionally had to use some of the 700’s.

TAKE A HIKE AND A TROLLEY

By Phil Hedene

he Oregon outdoors society T known as the Mazamas has long existed for hiking, camping, and Car 310, one of the original Fuller cars built in 1902, is seen in Broadway Line service heading south on the enjoyment of nature. My dad had been Southwest Third and Morrison in the years prior to the Broadway Bridge opening in 1913. The old Chamber of Commerce Building is at left center. (postcard). a member since before his marriage and continued his membership for some ten or the RS. When I didn't see Birneys on that trippers (they also had 350-354, but they fifteen years thereafter. While I don’t line, I saw the 100-146 series cars. were dead-head trailers attached to remember his taking any active part, he got 195-199). The other 300's were kept at the the monthly bulletin which announced Carbarn Assignments: John Labbe Ankeny Carbarn. No.’s 323-325 were meetings, hikes, etc. And, I would avidly indicated that the 52l’s served a lot of the actually assigned to the Brooklyn line all read each issue for the scheduled hikes for Piedmont Division lines. Actually, during day, until they abandoned it by extending the next month. Never went on any, of the 1920's, of the 521-560 series, Piedmont the Bridge Transfer line to S.E. 21st & Bush. course, but it was interesting to anticipate. had only 521-529 and 560. 530-537 were The other 300's kept at Ankeny were used assigned to the Savier Division, and 538-559 as trippers on the Rose City, Montavilla and In the mid-20’s everybody worked on to Ankeny Division. Later, 530-532 went to Sunnyside lines. Later on, Piedmont Saturdays until at least noon. Many worked Piedmont, and so did 558-559. exchanged cars 311-321 with Ankeny and the full day. So, hikes were a Sunday got, in return, 342-349 and 355-357. By feature. Most were planned to use public Piedmont had 303-310, which I only saw on then, the Parkrose Carbarn had burned, transportation, i.e. the interurbans, to get the Saturday of the International Livestock destroying either 169 or 170, so they from Portland. Directions might be to take Exposition each fall, when school kids worked out a lease with the Portland the 8:45 Bull Run and get off at Cotrell. mobbed the place. On that day, the three streetcar company to use 341, which would The hike would start upon arrival at the leased Kenton Traction Company cars were return to the Ankeny carbarn at night. station, for example, and would be kept on their storage track near the end of described as, say, 7 1/2 miles, scheduled to the Mississippi line and the Mississippi cars Back to Savier barn. Due to the shortage of arrive at some other station by 3:15, or ran all the way to the Exposition. Where the lower 500's (533-37) and 600’s (604-629) whatever, in order to catch a train back to track became one-way, with passing assigned there, cars 260-270 were Portland. switches, they would hold the first two to sometimes pressed into service as trippers arrive until a third one caught up, and then on the North and South Portland line. Let's At times the ride out might be on the send them in groups of three. Out of each face it, from N.W. 27th and Thurman all the Oregon Electric with a return on the SP’s group of three, one was usually a 300 series. way down to Riverview Cemetery was a West Side Line. Quite obviously the hikes Temporary booths with phones were set up long line and required about 23 cars during might be side-of-the road rather than trail. at each passing track and inspectors rush hour. Also, before the Fulton line was Not infrequently there could be a supervising the operation. Some fun! combined with the NS line, some Birneys suggestion to catch a later train and meet were used on the Fulton run. But, it the group at some intermediate point. Or, Besides 303-310, Piedmont also had 311- apparently didn't get the traffic the NS did, one might be able to leave at some other 321, which were usually used as Irvington since they started on S.W. Second Avenue intermediate point and catch an early train Page 4 The Trolley Park News Special #2, 1989 back. Some hikes even used the steam trains running out of Union Station, although their schedules didn’t often cooperate with the hikers’ needs. Always, of course, you were to bring your own lunch, there being no McDonalds in those days!

Just ten years later everybody seemed to have his own car and the interurbans, except to Oregon City and Gresham, were gone.

PORTLAND’S CENTER ENTRANCE STREETCARS

By Phil Hedene

he Portland Electric Power No. 1135, seen here at the Sellwood Carbarn, was one of four 1907-vintage open trailers rebuilt as T Company (PEPCO) had four closed motors in 1913. Cars 1301, 1306, 1307 and 1311 became 1134-37, the only center entrance standard gauge center entrance cars, Portland streetcars (excluding funeral car 1500 and experimental articulated 100-01). numbered 1134-1137 (five, if you count No. 1500, which I never saw). As a little Willamette Shore Railway trip, now 12 SURVEY OF NORTH AMERICAN tyke I recall having ridden one of the center- miles long, offers the longest, and most TROLLEY OPERATIONS entrances on the Richmond line. The one scenic, ride of any tourist trolley. thing I remember was that the end benches By Richard Carlson at each end of the car were full width and were used to form a reserved area for the motorman. Oh yes. Those full-width n 1988-89 I served as chairman of Years in Operation: The Shoreline Trolley benches were a remnant of the cars’ origin the Oregon Electric Railway Park in East Haven Connecticut, is the as open motors of the 1301 class. I Historical Society’s committee granddaddy of excursion trolleys, with 42

working on a proposal for continued years of continuous operation on a 90-year Another memory of riding the standard operation of the Willamette Shore Railway. old electric rail line. The average North gauge lines is of the dual gauge tracks on Our goal was to further the aims of the American operation has been in existence S.W. Yamhill Street. Sometime in the Willamette Shore Railway Trolley Task for 18 years. Volunteers have operated 1920’s, to reduce congestion at S.W. Second Force by providing current information Oregon’s Trolley Park for 27 years. and Alder, a third rail was added on Yamhill about trolley operations around the Street between First and Second Avenues. country. We mailed a questionnaire to 33 Days of Operation: A few historic trolley From then until about 1930 Woodstock and tourist trolley groups then operating in the lines operate year round, however most Richmond cars turned back at Yamhill. US and Canada. operate an average of 140 days a year. That was probably a good idea, but I didn't think it fair at the time because mother A second questionnaire was mailed out in Cars in Operation: Most groups use from always had to “go through Meier and the summer of 1989. Taken together, the one to three cars at a time. Frank," resulting in a block or two of added responses from these surveys included data walking for me. Given my druthers, some from over two-thirds of all existing electric Ridership: 1989 annual ridership ranged other line should've turned back at Yamhill, tourist trolley operations in North America from 2,800 at the Michigan Transit but not Richmond. The principal findings, and a list of trolley Museum, to 1,600,000 for the New Orleans

operators, follows. To my knowledge, this Waterfront Streetcar. All trolley operations

was the first survey of its kind. reported steady or increasing ridership. On

average local residents made up 52%, of

Line and Trip Length: The average tourist ridership and tourists 48%.

trolley round trip is three miles. Trolley trips range from one to nine miles. The Page 5 The Trolley Park News Special #2, 1989

Fares: Conventional museum operation coverage ranged from $100,000 to thought that the streetcar was the way to go fares ranged between $1.00 and $5.00 for 2,000,000, excluding the New Orleans (ergo, the President’s Conference adults. Seattle and New Orleans charge Waterfront Streetcar. There were no Committee). standard transit fares. In a few cases, no fare reported accidents in 1988 or 1989. is charged. Portland was in there with everybody else. Volunteers & Subsidies: The number of Outside Inspections Five operations are And, because the street railway franchise volunteers involved in these trolley inspected by outside agencies. was due to expire in the early ‘30s, it was operations ranged from none to 183. Only deemed expedient to have a survey of the seven of the respondents used paid Trolley Operations Surveyed: system by an outside transit consultant. employees in 1989, and two of these were Arden Trolley Museum, Washington, PA The firm of Carey & Harlan was selected for run entirely by municipal employees. Four Baltimore Streetcar Museum, MD this service. operations received public subsidies. Western Railway Museum, Rio Vista, CA Canadian Railway Museum, Montreal* At one time their report could be found in Staff: Typically, required four people. Connecticut Trolley Museum, E. Windsor the library. It was typical of the times and Detroit Citizens Railway, Detroit, MI* proposed retention of the basic service with Grade Crossings: 12 of the 15 respondents East Troy Electric Railroad, East Troy, WI* streetcars supplemented by buses. Broadly: in 1989 reported grade crossings, but only Edmonton Radial Ry Soc, AB some new streetcars were ordered (the four had signalized (active) grade crossings. Fox River Trolley Museum, South Elgin, IL 800’s), some were modernized and more The Connecticut Trolley Museum reported French Lick, W. Baden & Southern, IN buses were added. that they obtained federal funds, and used Ft. Collins Municipal Railway, CO volunteers, to install their signals. Glenwood Trolley Park, Glenwood, OR One of the narrow gauge American PAYEs Halton County Radial Railway, Ont. (I think it was No. 615) was modernized at Track Maintenance: In 1989, track Heritage Park Hist. Village, Calgary, AB Center Street. When placed back into maintenance costs ranged from $0 to Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL service it was one-man, with double front $8,500. The two municipal trolley Indiana Trans. Museum, Noblesville, IN* entrance doors, rear-treadle exit, modern operations did not report their maintenance Lowell Trolley Park, Lowell, MA brakes, and, of course, “safety features.” costs. The average annual figure of $2,311 Michigan Transit Museum, Fraser, MI seems reasonable, especially given the Midwest Electric Railway, Mt. Pleasant, IA* Part of this “safety” business were substantial ridership reported. Minnesota Trans. Museum, St. Paul, MN * door/brake interlocks. Doors wouldn’t Nat. Capital Trolley Mus. Wheaton, MD open until the car was stopped, nor would Car Maintenance: In 1989, car New Orleans Riverfront Streetcar, LA the car start until the doors were closed. maintenance costs ranged from $200 to Orange Empire Ry. Museum, Perris, CA* $2,000. An annual average of $625 reflected Penn’s Landing Trolley, Philadelphia, PA With the regular two-man cars, as with the volunteer efforts. Rockhill Trolley Museum, Orbisonia, PA* PAYEs, service was slow, SLOW, S-L-O-W! San Antonio Museum Assoc., TX* Hence the apocryphal story of the pregnant Office/Security Cost: Excluding the Seashore Trolley Mus, Kennebunkport, ME passenger telling the motorman she was publicly operated New Orleans Riverfront Seattle Waterfront Streetcar, Seattle, WA starting labor pains. He remarked that one Streetcar and the Seattle Waterfront Shore Line Trolley, East Haven, CT in her condition should not ride streetcars. Streetcar, office and security costs ranged Trolley Museum of New York, Kingston* And her response was that she hadn’t been from $700 to $28,170. The average annual Trolleyville, USA, Olmsted, OH* in this condition when she boarded. cost for office space, phones, utilities, Willamette Shore Railway, Portland, OR restrooms, and security was $8,785. Yakima Interurban Lines, Yakima, WA NOTE TO READERS Advertising: These costs ranged from $0 to * Did not respond $15,000, again excluding the New Orleans By Dick Thompson and Seattle operations. Advertising budgets ou are reading a second “bonus” averaged $4,000. THE CAREY & HARLAN Y issue of the Trolley Park News

REPORT containing material never before published. Insurance: Except for two Connecticut No newsletters were produced between operations, annual insurance premiums By Phil Hedene March 1988 and December 1989. ranged from $1,442 to $9,000. The premium for the only trolley operation in n the latter part of the 1920’s the I sincerely appreciate the opportunity for Oregon is $3,200. The publicly run trolley I street railway industry recognized these articles to finally appear in digital form operations are self-insured. Liability that upgrading was needed. It was still on the OERHS website.