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Comments/Directions:
The Trolley can be boarded at 311 State St. in downtown Lake Oswego, or at S.W. Bancroft and Moody Avenues (near the Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant). Take a nice relaxing trolley ride with beautiful views of the Willamette River. Go through a 1400 Foot tunnel and over a 686 foot trestle. The ride is about 45 minutes long going between Lake Oswego & Portland. The trolleys make 4 round trips on weekends, weekday trips occur during the summer months.
The trolley is currently using a "Broadway Car", once used in Portland. (The double-deck trolley formerly used has been moved to the society's museum in Brooks for restoration.)
The route is formerly a Southern Pacific line, last known as the Jefferson Street Branch, but from 1914-1929 was used by the Red Electric interurban line between Portland and Corvallis. The trackage in downtown Portland was abandoned shortly thereafter, and the remaining portion of the line continued to serve freight customers. In the 1970s/1980s, redevelopment of the area caused most of the industrial customers to leave, forcing abandonment of the route. A consortium of local governments purchased the line as a possible light rail/commuter rail/streetcar route in the future, and the Trolleys operate today to preserve the right-of-way in the interim.
Re-development of the "South Waterfront" is continuing, and due to construction the trolley route has been cut back to Bancroft Street; it had previously terminated underneath the Marquam Bridge (Interstate 5); and for a while the line had been extended north to Riverplace.
To access the north terminus, take the Lake Oswego exit from southbound Interstate 5 (Exit 299); as soon as the street dips underneath I-5 make an immediate left hand turn. Look for the railroad crossing signs and the trolley shelter on the right; parking is on the street.
Northbound, use the Ross Island Bridge exit, and make an immediate right hand turn whenever possible. Turn right on Moody and follow it until you reach a T-intersection; the trolley shelter will be directly in front of you. As you get closer, you'll see the rails in the middle of the street where the trolley used to run. (Note that there is heavy construction, and many streets are closed. Another alternate route is to use the Corbett Avenue exit; turn right; turn left at the first stop sign; turn left at Macadam; and then turn right at Bancroft - it is where the northbound and southbound lanes of Macadam separate; with the southbound lanes appearing from underneath I-5.)
Alternately, TriMet line 35 (Macadam) serves the area every hour on Saturdays and Sundays; every 30 minutes weekdays.
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