The Portland and Willamette Valley Railway was incorporated on 19 January 1885 to continue construction of a

narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

line between

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

and

Dundee, Oregon Dundee is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. The population was 3,162 at the 2010 census. History The first post office in the area was Ekins, established in 1881. Dundee is named in honor of the birthplace of William Reid, Dundee ...

, United States, which had been started a few years earlier by the Oregonian Railway.American Narrow Gauge Railroads, p. 480
/ref> The line was opened on 31 December 1886 and the first timetables were published the following day; however, the line did not reach Portland until 23 July 1888, due to disputes over the right-of-way. The railroad company ran this line until it fell into receivership on 2 February 1892. On 5 August 1892, the line was leased to a

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

subsidiary, the Portland and Yamhill Railroad, which ran the

line for another year. The railroad was later taken over entirely by the

Oregon and California Railroad The Oregon and California Railroad was formed from the Oregon Central Railroad when it was the first to operate a stretch south of Portland in 1869. This qualified the railroad for land grants in California, whereupon the name of the railroad so ...

, another

subsidiary, on 1 August 1893 and was converted to that same year.Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society's website about the trolley
/ref> The

Willamette Shore Trolley The Willamette Shore Trolley is a heritage railroad or heritage streetcar that operates along the west bank of the Willamette River between Portland and Lake Oswego in the U.S. state of Oregon. The right-of-way is owned by a group of local-are ...

runs on a part of that Dundee–Portland line, between

Lake Oswego Lake Oswego () is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located about south of Portland and surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was ...

and Portland.

References

External links

History of the Narrow Gauge Railroad in the Willamette Valley

Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society's website about the trolley
mentions

gauge conversion Gauge conversion is the changing of one railway track gauge (the distance between the running rails) to another. Sleepers If tracks are converted to a narrower gauge, the existing sleepers (ties) may be used. However, replacement is required if ...

1885 establishments in Oregon 3 ft gauge railways in the United States Defunct Oregon railroads History of transportation in Oregon Narrow gauge railroads in Oregon Predecessors of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company Railway companies disestablished in 1892 Railway companies established in 1885 Transportation in Portland, Oregon American companies established in 1885 American companies disestablished in 1892 {{Oregon-transport-stub