The Willamette Bridge Railway Company’s line out on SE Morrison and Belmont towards Mount Tabor had its first terminus at SE Belmont and 34th in Sunnyside while the rest of line was constructed. From October 1893, this depot acted as an interchange between the electrified inner segment and the steam motor segment until the entire line was electrified in 1896.
Short turn trains on the Mount Tabor line continued to end at Sunnyside, though the outer terminus moved a bit further east – by 1908, it was at Belmont and 39th. The Sunnyside line was broken out into its own unique line with a different downtown terminus in January 1908, though it still mostly acted as extra capacity on the inner segment of the Mount Tabor line during the busier periods of the day – service on the line finished just after the evening peak.
The Sunnyside line merged back into the Mount Tabor line’s operations in 1933, though newspaper classified ads continue to reference the “Sunnyside car line” for many years afterwards – old habits die hard!
See also: Mount Tabor (1889–1948)
| Important Dates: | July 14, 1888 – Steam motor service to Belmont and 34th commences. October 1893 – Electrification to Sunnyside depot at Belmont and 34th. 1933 (Thompson) – End of individual Sunnyside line; merged with Mt. Tabor. | | --- | --- | | Operating Companies: | ‣ ‣ ‣ ‣ ‣ ‣ ‣ | | Gauge: | Narrow (3-feet, 6-inches) | | Headboard: | “SS” dash, “Sunnyside” overhead sign | | Car Barns: | ‣ ‣ ‣ |