Sometimes also referred to as the “Portland & Southern Railway Company”, but not to be confused with the later “Portland Southern Railway Company” operated by Stephen Carver.

This company incorporated in July 1904 to build an interurban road from the end of the Oregon Water Power & Railway Company’s Oregon City line at Canemah to Salem along the east bank of the Willamette River, mainly shadowing the route of the Southern Pacific main line. At the time, electric lines through the Willamette Valley were the “next big thing” and competition to build to Salem – and beyond! – was fierce. One of the promoters, Lester B. French, worked to secure most of the rights of way along the proposed line.

However, it seems that there were disagreements between the founders of the company as how to best finance the construction of their line, and the company never actually organized properly under the laws of Oregon. Some of the promoters seem to have broken away to form the Portland-Salem Electric Railway Company, which then attempted to wrest control of the contracts for right of way along the line.

Lester French bought out the other investors (perhaps on behalf of the eventual purchaser of the rights of way), and then personally visited all the property-holders along the proposed route in mid-1906 to renew their right of way contracts for another two years. This allowed him to offer the rights of way to another railway company that wanted to build to Salem, which – after much speculation by the newspapers – turned out to be the United Railways Company.

Lines

• Canemah–Salem (Never Built)

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