Not an individual route like the previous First-street horsecar line was, this section of track along First Avenue from NW Couch down to SW Jefferson was specifically designed by its owners – a consortium of downtown businessmen led by C. E. Smith, G. Glass, C. Hegele and A. Dekum – to be jointly used by cars of the East Side Railway and the Portland Consolidated Street Railway. To that end, the new electric line was dual-gauge – with track constructed for both narrow and standard gauge cars – to accommodate everyone.
The standard gauge cars of the East Side Railway started at the northern end of the line at NW Couch and headed south to cross the river on the Madison Bridge. The narrow gauge cars of the Portland Consolidated Railway started at SW Jefferson and headed north to cross the river on the Burnside Bridge.
After this initial rousing success, the consortium had problems engaging contractors to get the line extended north and south from this initial operating segment. They eventually ceded control of the franchise to the City & Suburban Company in January 1900, in exchange for a guarantee that the new owner would build the extensions.
| Years of Operation: | December 18, 1895–1900* |
|---|---|
| Operating Company: | ‣ – owner |
| ‣ – operator | |
| ‣ – operator | |
| ‣ – ceded franchise to | |
| Gauge: | Dual gauge – Narrow (3-feet, 6-inches) and Standard (4-feet, 8.5 inches) |
| Headboard: | N/A – cars from multiple different lines used this track |
| Car Barn: | N/A |