Service from Portland Union Station to Whiteson via Fulton Park, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Forest Grove, Carlton and McMinnville. Passengers for points further south transferred at McMinnville or Whiteson for East Side trains to Corvallis. It was also known as the “Fourth-street Line” after the street it left Portland’s downtown on.
Electric service on this branch ended on July 28, 1929, a few months earlier than on the East Side branch. Bus service to Portland could follow a more direct route than the trains, though many residents believed the service provided was inferior and too expensive.
The West Side alignment from SW Fourth and Sheridan to Bertha station was then obtained by the City of Portland and repurposed into SW Barbur Blvd and SW Bertha Blvd, though the process was not quick or straightforward. The Southern Pacific wanted to sell the right-of-way back to the city, which instead took the view that the railroad company had abandoned its line without permission from the city council and should therefore return it free of charge. The city also pointed out that the company’s franchise ran until 1938, and a franchise fee of $2,000 was still due every year until then. A deal was worked out to deed the right-of-way to the city (either for free or for a nominal $10 fee, depending on the source), with the ordinance passing on February 25, 1931 and the deed actually changing hands on June 3, 1931.
| Important Dates: | January 18, 1914 – Commencement of West Side service to Whiteson February 15, 1914 – City loop through Hillsboro opens for trains May 31, 1914 – “Loop” excursion train service begins July 28, 1929 – End of electric train service on West Side branch | | --- | --- | | Operating Companies: | ‣ ‣ | | Gauge: | Standard (4-feet, 8.5-inches) | | Headboard: | Train numbers supplemented by “West Side” destination boards | | Car Barn: | ‣ |