Lower Albina Branch to Be Connected at Michigan Avenue.

Through the efforts of M. E. Thompson, a right of way has been secured for the tracks of the City &suburban Railway Company from Mississippi to Michigan avenue to connect with the St. Johns line. The double tracks of the Mississippi-avenue branch have been laid to Prescott street, and they will be extended to a connection with the St. Johns branch near the intersection of Michigan and Killingsworth avenues, where work has been started on the new carbarn. Between Mississippi and Michigan avenues the tracks will cut through block N, near the Patton Church. A subsidy also has been raised to secure the right of way.

Note: In the end, the track went up Albina instead of Michigan.

One of the results of this deal will be to finally make the lower Albina branch, instead of the upper Albina branch, the through line to St. Johns and do away with the present junction near Williams avenue. This will shorten the distance from the heart of Portland to St. Johns considerably.

Note: Though this routing gets mentioned several times in newspapers, it never happened – the bigger St. Johns cars and the tight curves and steep grades on the Mississippi line were incompatible with each other.

The travel to St. Johns and way points is extraordinary, and although trailers are attached, the big cars which run from the Williams-avenue junction mornings and evenings are crowded. The people on the Peninsula asked for through service without transfer, and when the lower Albina branch is completed it is expected there will be no transfers.

Seven switches have already been laid to the site of the new carbarn.