This overgrown track in northwest Gresham, Ore. is a remnant of the old Troutdale branch of the Portland Railway Light and Power Company, which operated interurban service over the branch from 1907 to 1927.

Passenger service along this branch ran from Troutdale to Linneman Junction along the company's Cazadero, or Springwater Line between Portland and Estacada. The old Cazadero ROW is now the popular Springwater Trail.

The fence in the far background marks the southern edge of TriMet's Ruby Junction light rail yard and shop complex.

After the end of interurban service, this portion of the line remained open as far as Ruby Junction, where it connected with the old Mount Hood Railway interurban line between northeast Portland and the Bull Run area east of Gresham.

These tracks, as part of the East Portland Traction Company route to Gresham, were last used around 1984-1985 for deliveries of TriMet's original light rail cars to Ruby Junction.

The City of Gresham has developed this portion of the old ROW as a follow-on phase of its Gresham-Fairview Trail, which covers the old Troutdale branch from Fairview, just north of Gresham, to a junction with the Springwater Trail at the old Linneman Junction site in southwest Gresham.

Photographed by Thomas McCann, August 4, 2009.
Added to the photo archive by Thomas McCann, August 5, 2009.

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