Though quite a few crosstown lines on the east side were proposed over the years, only one seems to have advanced any further than wishful thinking. In early 1913, the Portland city council compelled the Portland Railway, Light & Power Company to participate in the franchise process for such a line as a public service after much lobbying by east side business clubs.

After some initial negotiations—the business clubs were strongly behind a line on 39th Avenue—a “starter line” from Hawthorne Boulevard north to NE Mason and 29th using 29th, 28th and 24th avenues was selected. For PRL&P, this route had the advantage of using existing track on the East Twenty-ninth and Broadway lines, as well as providing direct access to the East Ankeny car barn complex, saving on construction costs. A future northern extension to meet the Alberta line at NE Alberta and 30th was envisioned. Less likely was a southern extension to the Reed College campus.

Even then, residents in Irvington agitated to get the line shifted to 21st or 22nd. There was some thought that building the line so far west would essentially force the streetcar company to build a second crosstown line using 39th as originally desired. At the same time, residents near 28th and Halsey—in an early example of NIMBYism—declared that a new streetcar line through their district would injure the quality and value of their property.

The franchise was finally drawn up and approved by the city council in March 1914. However, PRL&P then rejected it in June, using the scarcely believable excuse that they hadn’t checked the state of the streets the line was authorized to run over! Parts of 29th near Hawthorne Boulevard were apparently either not dedicated to the city, or were too narrow to build streetcar tracks on. Despite hopes that another nearby street could be used instead, the dream of a crosstown line basically died with that franchise rejection.

Note: Reading between the lines, it’s fairly obvious that PRL&P was secretly relieved that they didn’t have to build the crosstown route, which they saw as unprofitable as it would generate very few fares, being used instead as a free transfer by most riders.

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