Surviving Red Electric structures

[redelectric]

Here's a list of existing Red Electric structures as of 2008:

Depots:

Carlton (now a wine cellar)
Corvallis (depot relocated and is now a restaurant, express office still in original location and is office space for City of Corvallis)
Forest Grove (built specifically for Red Electric service) (now a private office)
McMinnville (built specifically for Red Electric service) (still in use by P&W)
Portland Union Station (Red Electrics used tracks 1 and 2)

Substations:

Lake Oswego (now an apartment building)
Dundee (derelict)
McCoy (derelict)

Track:

"Westside Line" from Beaverton to Seghers, save for the Forest Grove and Hillsboro City Loops; a short stretch north of St. Joseph
"Eastside Line" from a point in southwest Portland to Lake Oswego (now the Willamette Shores Trolley line), then all the way to St. Joseph save for the Newberg city loop
St. Joseph-Corvallis

(It's actually a shorter list to describe what doesn't exist - Union Station south to S.W. Bancroft Street on the eastside line and Union Station south/west to Beaverton on the westside line, from Seghers south to almost St. Joseph on the westside line, and all of the city loops.)

(Link to current P&W RR map)

Signals:

Two wig-wags on the WST line north of Lake Oswego (in operating condition)
one in Carlton adjacent to the depot
one in Toledo, OR (removed from McMinnville, part of the Yaquina Pacific Railroad Historical Society display/museum)

Tunnel:

Elk Rock Tunnel (on the WST line)

[thespcaboose]

Very good info reseletwtrice.

[rrshutterbug]

There was a 3rd wig-wag on the WST line until this past December when a truck took it out. We also have a few other remnants of the electric days on our line. There are a couple of old stumps from the catenary poles sticking out of the ground as well as a bunch of old signal foundations from when the line was signalized after the Bertha wreck. There is also some remnants of the old Riverwood station including the old stone steps leading upto where the platform was.

BTW - the substation in Lake Oswego looks almost nothing like it used to.

Brian R. Sopke
Marketing Director
Willamette Shore Trolley

[redelectric]

Sept 21, 2008 14:49:48 GMT -5 rrshutterbug said:

bunch of old signal foundations from when the line was signalized after the Bertha wreck.

Ah, yes, I completely forgot about the signal foundations; there's probably a half dozen of them left, right?

I wish I had a list of the locations. I know one of them is within Powers Marine Park and thus is accessible on public property.

[rrshutterbug]

There could be upto a dozen left. Not sure - I haven't counted them. I will make a list next time I'm out on the line and will post the list here.

Brian

[rrshutterbug]

Out on the line today - here are some of the locations of the concrete foundations:

Several at Wilsonia Jct. (right in south end of Lake Oswego where P&W line curves off towrds bridge. This is where the Jefferson Street Branch tied into the Tillamook Line.

One in tangent track south of Elk Rock Tunnel.
One in tangent track north of Elk Rock Tunnel.
Wig-wag located at Riverwood Road Crossing.
One in middle of Powers Marine Park.
One at Staff Jennings (south end of where Cemetery Siding was located) at north end of short trestle.
One at Macadam Bay road - just south of crossing - for North end of Cemetery Siding).
Wig-Wag also located here at Macadam Bay Crossing.
I think there is also one located in the middle of Willamette Park tangent track, but forgot to look.
I think the rest have been pulled out north of there.
Wig-wag was located at Nebraska Street Crossing until Dec. 07 when a garbage truck damaged it beyond repair. Removed May 2008.

Anyone wishing to see all of these on the line, should come and ride the Trolley. Contact me for info & schedule (shameless plug) [e-mail].

Brian

[redelectric]

Sept 23, 2008 19:19:43 GMT -5 rrshutterbug said:

Wig-wag was located at Nebraska Street Crossing until Dec. 07 when a garbage truck damaged it beyond repair. Removed May 2008.

Brian, my understanding is that only the motor was damaged, and not the mast or the arm of the signal. Was there any consideration of finding a replacement motor for the wig-wag?

I know that there is a motor conveniently hidden at a certain model railroad club in the Portland area (underneath a REA baggage cart), and there's another wig-wag at another model railroad club that is inoperable. The Oregon Zoo just got two wig-wags and one of them is now operable.

Or did ODOT regulations come into play making it easier to retire the wig-wag than to repair it?