 |
|
Streetcar rails at 26th and Morrison
heading into a house?
|
 |
|
A Mt Tabor car at Mt Tabor
|
 |
|
A Sunnyside car (Mt Tabor Line) at 33rd/Belmont, Zupans would be on the left. The buildings on the right still exist
|
 |
Portland, Oregon at one time had a large trolley system heading out into many neighborhoods. It is rare to fine remnants to this earlier time, but at 26th and Morrison, rails of the old narrow gauge system are in plain view. The tracks here were part of the Mt Tabor Line
The first trolleys in Portland were horse drawn in the 1870's. The first electric trolley started in 1888. The peak of the trolleys was in the 19-teens. Right after WWII trolleys were quickly fallen out of favor with politicians and the public. The Automobile was becoming king. By 1950 the last of the narrow gauge streetcars stopped running. The interurban line to Oregon City ceased to exist by 1958.
Of course MAX Light rail marked the return of electric rail transit in 1986, basically a modern day interurban. MAX now links Gresham, Portland Airport, North Portland, Beaverton and Hillsboro with downtown. In Sept. 2009 add Clackamas to the list.
Then in 2001 traditional trolley, or streetcar returned to Portland streets as the Portland Streetcar. This line runs from NW Portland/Pearl District to downtown, PSU and the new South waterfront district. Many extensions are planned.
As far as the rails in the street at the cache location. The Mt Tabor Line started as steam "dummy" trolley line in 1888 from the river to Sunnyside (34th and Belmont). It was extended to Mt Tabor in 1889. In 1892 the line was electrified and extended into downtown on the westside of the river. At its zenith the line stretched from the Montgomery Park area in NW Portland out to Montavilla at 88th and Yamhill. If anybody takes the Tri-Met 15-Belmont, the line traces pretty close to most of the former Mt Tabor Trolley.
There has been talk about building a branch of the modern Portland Streetcar up Belmont towards Mt Tabor. It is always interesting how what is old becomes new again.
As far as why the streetcar tracks appear to run into a house. The line from downtown Portland came up Morrison St which is behind the camera. The house in the photo was not there. The line appears to have been in a private right-of-way between 26th and 27th Aves such that the line would curve off of Morrison and onto Belmont for its trip to Mt Tabor. Thus this house and a few others in the area were built AFTER the Mt Tabor line was abandoned in 1948.
For those interested in Original Portland Trolleys that still exist, please visit the Willamette Shore Trolley (between Portland and Lake Oswego) or the Oregon Electric Railway Museum in Brooks. Both location have authentic Portland trolleys.
The cache itself is a small bison tube. The Lone Fir Cemetery is above the cache.
This cache is eligible for the Disappearing-Reappearing RR Blues Bonus Cache, GC2417R, where you need to find 18 of my RR themed caches including any Disappearing RR Blues, Reappearing RR Smiles and Oregon RR History series caches.