Portland


          The first card depicts the original Steel Bridge, a double-track structure completed in 1888. It gained the name due to the fact that it was the first bridge on the west coast built primarily of steel. A newer bridge entered service in 1912. Like the first bridge, the newer Steel Bridge has two decks; the upper deck accomodates vehicles (and currently a light rail line as well), while the lower deck is double-tracked for rail traffic. It is believed to be the only double-deck bridge in the world in which each deck can raise and lower independently of the other. Images of the Steel Bridge in more recent times can be seen at The Bridges of Portland Oregon site. To gain access to Portland Union Station, the SP operated over this bridge via trackage rights until 1941, when it became a joint owner with the Union Pacific. The initials O. W. R. & N. referred to the Oregon-Washington Railway & Navigation Co., forerunner of the UP in the Northwest. Bridge movements are now controlled by a UP dispatcher in Omaha, Nebraska.
1
Steel Draw Bridge, Portland, Ore.
Unused.
Published by Pacific Novelty Co. Union Station's Clock Tower can be seen just to the left of the swing span.
2
O.W.R.&N.Co.-S.P. Bridge, Portland, Oregon
Unused.
Published by Edward H. Mitchell. Both decks are in the raised position in this view.
3
No. 110 S.P. & O.W.R.R. Bridge, Portland, Ore.
Unused.
Published by Pacific Photo Co., Salem, Oregon [Note large "SP" logo on counterweight]. Jeff Pape wrote to say that the graphic has all but disappeared, but the "Overland" logo on the far counterweight is still readable. (Update 11/02/1999: I had a chance to take a closer look at the west counterweight, and it has an "Overland" logo barely visible. I don't know when the SP logo was replaced)
4
5284. O. W. R. & N. Bridge over Willamette River, Portland, Oregon.
Unused.
Published by Pacific Novelty Co. This picture is a good illustration of the rail deck raised, and the vehicle deck in the down position.
5
Shasta Limited going through O.-W. R. & N. and S. P. Bridge, Portland, Ore.
Unused.
          Construction of Portland Union Station began in 1890, and opened on Feb. 14, 1896. Sufficient funding was not available for both a freight house and a clock tower, so (fortunately) it was decided to spend the remaining money on a clock tower, completed in 1898. Sometime in the 1940's, or when neon lighting became popular, large "Go By Train" and "Union Station" signs were added, making it a popular downtown landmark. A brief history can be seen at the home page of the Historical Gazette, a hardcopy and online newspaper published in Portland. A restoration project to replace the roof and underlying structure is expected to last a year. The original roof consisted of 28 sizes of metal tiles, and the replacement roof will consist of 24-gauge galvanized metal tiles painted "Union Station Red." The depot is currently owned by the Portland Development Commission, who purchased it and the surrounding land in 1987 from the Portland Terminal Railroad Co.
6
731 The Union Station, Portland, Oregon
Postmarked April 12, 1944, Salem, Oreg.
Published by "C. T. Art-Colortone", Wesley Andrews Co., Portland, Ore.
7
7193. Union Depot, Portland, Oregon.
Unused.
8
Union Depot, Portland, Ore.
Unused.
9
325 - Union Depot, Portland, Oregon.
Postmarked Sept. 14, 1910, Portland, OR.
Published by Edward H. Mitchell.
10
Union Depot, Portland, Ore.
Postmarked Aug. 26, 1911, Portland, OR.
11
10--Union Depot, Portland.
Unused.
12
Union Station - Portland, Oregon
Postmarked Jul. 25, 1950, Portland, Oreg.
Published by Cross & Dimmitt.
13
PO-1 -- Union Depot, Portland, Oregon
Unused.
Published by Anderson Sundry Co., Portland, Oregon. [Of interest is the Railway Express Agency truck in the foreground. This color card is most likely from the late 1950's]
14
Union Depot News Stand, Portland, Oregon.
Unused.
Published by The Portland Post Card Co., Portland, Ore.
15
Broadway Bridge and Depot - Portland Ore. P-93
Unused.


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