August 2, 2018 Episode.
Why are so many folks fascinated with historic railways? Our guest for this episode, Richard Thompson, has a theory: it's the wind in our faces, the clanging of the iron wheels, the rocking of the railcar, and the powerful groan of the engine that entices us to jump on this ride through living history! Richard has written seven books on various components of the interurban railways and streetcar lines that provided daily public transportation throughout our region. Today we're focusing on two of his books, Willamette Valley Railways and Lost Oregon Streetcars.
Why are so many folks fascinated with historic railways? Our guest for this episode, Richard Thompson, has a theory: it's the wind in our faces, the clanging of the iron wheels, the rocking of the railcar, and the powerful groan of the engine that entices us to jump on this ride through living history! Richard has written seven books on various components of the interurban railways and streetcar lines that provided daily public transportation throughout our region. Today we're focusing on two of his books, Willamette Valley Railways and Lost Oregon Streetcars.
Richard Thompson has a degree in History from the University of Oregon and spent more than 30 years as a high school librarian/media specialist in Washington and Oregon. This Albany boy's passion for streetcars and trains began with time spent with his grandmother in Milwaukie, Oregon, and would fuel a lifetime of researching and sharing his extensive knowledge of this epic part of history that dramatically shaped our communities in the early years of the 20th century.
 Portland Trolley Depot, 1904 [Photo: Facebook-Historic Photos]  Portland Trolleys decorated for Rose Parade, 1915 [Photo: Facebook-Historic Photos] | Richard has amassed a collection of 4500 historic photographs which document this industry which was generally killed off by the Great Depression in the late 1920's. The majority of his books are based on the streetcar systems of Portland, as this was the largest system in Oregon and became the model for other cities in the state as well as across the nation. It was the third largest narrow gauge system in the United States, following that of Los Angeles. The Portland system had over 300 miles of track, 40 various lines, and some 600 streetcars. Salem's 1889 system became the most extensive outside of Portland, with six lines and 34 streetcars made by seven manufacturers. Salem's two competing vendors eventually merged, but the system could not survive the Great Depression, with service ending in 1927. |
This transportation story continues with the development of the interurban rail system, transporting commuters from communities to the west and east of Portland, and later as far south as Eugene. The Oregon Electric Railway provided several trips daily on all its lines. [Note: for more on the OER, click here.] Although passenger service ended in 1933, this rail company carried freight throughout the mid-Willamette Valley until the 1990s. Here are some photographs of the early passenger stations, excerpted from Richard's book, Images of Rail: Willamette Valley Railways.
 Woodburn Electric Railway Station [Photo: R.Thompson] |  Albany Electric Railway Station [Photo: R.Thompson] |  Eugene terminus Oregon Electric Railway [Photo: R.Thompson] |
Lost Oregon Streetcars (Trolleys Through the Timber) is Richard's newest book, published in 2017. In this book, Richard tells the stories of Oregon's lost or forgotten train systems, most of which ceased to operate by the late 1920's. These systems averaged a little over one mile of track and were often built for a specific use.
| Out of the many stories in his book, Richard told us three of his favorites. The first involves Astoria, a coastal town built on piers over mudflats, with blocks of wooden-plank streets and sidewalks carrying the rail tracks beginning in the 1880s. On December 8, 1922, a fire destroyed 24 blocks of Astoria's central business district, effectively cutting the looped rail system in half. The company struggled for a few months, but by June 1924, buses began replacing the trolleys. Baker City began its transit system with in June of 1890 using two cars and six horses. The system was originally headed by John Geiser and his son Albert. Along with being the railway president and general manager, he also owned the largest gold mine in the state. At one-mile in length, this shortest streetcar line in the state provided transport between the train stations and the downtown hotels under different ownerships until operations ceased in 1904. Cherry Grove, located near Forest Grove, was the location of the state's only battery-powered railway, the Willamette Valley & Coast Railroad. Built in 1912 by Swedish immigrant August Lovegren to haul lumber from his mill to town, the system carried both freight and passengers over the 5.5 miles between Cherry Grove and Patton Junction, using no poles or overhead wires. Following a devastating flood in 1914, Lovegren ceased mill operations, and the railway was sold. It changed hands several times before ending service in 1933. |  Astoria Street Railway No. 3 near the Clatsop Saw Mill, c1880 [R.Thompson]  Astoria Street Railway, c1890 [R.Thompson]  Baker City Street Railway & Motor Co., c1890 [R.Thompson]  Cherry Grove's Willamette Valley & Coast Railroad at Patton Junction, c1910. [R.Thompson] |
Richard Thompson has done much to document the history of streetcar and railway service in Oregon. Each of his first six books focus on a part of the Portland system, much of which is now part of the city's modern light-rail system, and contain photographs not seen elsewhere. Look for these entertaining and informative books at your local bookstore or on online. You can also reach out personally to Richard by email to: trolley503@frontier.com.
~~Posted by Deb Meaghers
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