Portland Street Railway Company

Portland Street Railway Company
Overview
OwnerBen Holladay (1872–1887)
Ben Holladay trust (1887–1893)
First Street Railway Company (1893–1896)
LocalePortland, Oregon, U.S.
Termini
  • Glisan Street (north)
  • Porter Street (south)
Service
TypeHorsecar
Services1
Operator(s)Joseph Holladay (1887–1893)
History
Opened1872
Closed1896
Technical
Line length2 mi (3.2 km)[1][2]
Number of tracks1
Track gauge3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)[3][4]

The Portland Street Railway Company was the first mass transit company and streetcar line in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1872 by transportation magnate Ben Holladay, it operated horsecars on a two-mile (3.2 km) narrow gauge line on First Street, from a barn on Glisan Street in the north to Porter Street in the south.

  1. ^ "The Metropolis of the Pacific Northwest". The West Shore. 14 (5). Portland, Oregon: L. Samuel: 235. May 1888. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Editorial Correspondence. Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Everett, Astoria". The Street Railway Journal. 9 (5). New York: Street Railway Publishing Co.: 306 1893 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Thompson, Richard. "Portland streetcar system". The Oregon Encyclopedia.
  4. ^ Labbe 1980, pp. 35.