A standard gauge steam motor line that ran from Portland's southwestern boundary at SW Hamilton Street to the distant real estate additions of West Portland and West Portland Park. Construction of the line extended well past its original deadline, finally opening for service on November 6, 1890, with two round-trip trains daily. The fare was five cents per trip—a bargain considering the line's extensive reach. In April 1891, the line was temporarily closed for track re-ballasting; upon reopening, service increased to seven trains per day.

Seeking a more convenient connection with other car lines—the Fulton Park line being the closest, four blocks downhill at SW Hamilton and Corbett—the company began constructing an extension to that point in June 1891. A contemporary article strongly suggests this extension would have operated as a branch of the Fulton Park line, with Metropolitan Railway Company electric cars diverging from the main line to meet the steam motors at the top of SW Hamilton Street. Labbe notes the city's objection to additional standard gauge lines within city limits (though evidence for this claim remains elusive), likely explaining why this plan was abandoned.

Instead, the company initiated work on a separate "city division"—a narrow gauge electric line—extending northward along SW Front Street (now SW View Point Terrace) to connect with a city streetcar line closer to downtown. Negotiations apparently took place with the owners of the First-, Second-, and Third-street lines, with franchise amendments reflecting various "in-town" termini considered over time. Eventually, in late 1892, a franchise was granted for the line to turn west at SW Whitaker and Front, meeting the City & Suburban’s Third-street line at SW 1st and Whitaker.

Meanwhile, the steep hill on SW Front Street posed significant challenges. Its 18.5% grade meant the primitive electric cars of the era would struggle to climb it, and their rudimentary brakes would be inadequate for descent. The company began installing an innovative counterweight track in a trench beneath the line, but this solution required additional time to implement. Street disruption and the expiration of the road's operational deadline prompted disgruntled residents to petition the council to revoke the company's city division franchise. The company's manager, T. A. Wood, appeared before the council to explain the situation and was granted an extension to complete the road.

In January 1893, the city division commenced operations, though newspaper reports characterized initial service as "intermittent." Timetables published in The Oregonian throughout January 1893 confirm the city division's operation, with riders encouraged to use it for transfers between the Third-street line and the steam motor line. A May 1893 article in the Street Railway Journal detailed the counterweight system, reporting it was "working in a very satisfactory manner." The June 29, 1893 issue of Engineering News provided an even more comprehensive description of the mechanism, including the inventor's testimony that the system functioned well with crowded cars in Portland. However, advertisements from early 1894 omitted references to the city division, possibly indicating it had ceased operations.

(On the other hand, despite all this evidence that the city division did operate, I’ve never seen a consist list for the City & West Portland Park Railway Company that indicates that they owned an electric motor. Did the City & Suburban run their cars on the line, or lease one out?)

Around this time, speculation arose that the steam motor line would be improved, electrified, and extended to Beaverton, with that city offering a $70,000 bonus for the line's completion.

Little was written about the line thereafter until April 1898, when it was reported that the company had dismantled the counterweight system, leaving a 500-foot-long open trench down the middle of the street. When questioned by the council, Mr. Wood explained that the company was insolvent, with all its property under mortgage, rendering it unable to rectify the situation. Despite articles in 1899 mentioning the company's existence and its aspirational plans for extension and electrification, the line never operated again.

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