Collection

Plans and drawings relating to public transportation in Oregon

• 1885-1943 (Creation)

1.25 cubic feet; 9 oversize folders (36x48); 5 oversize folders (30x42)

This collection consists of plans and drawings relating to the design and construction of streetcars, train cars, buses, and buildings for transportation companies. A significant number of these are plans and drawings either produced by or in the possession of Portland Railway, Light & Power Company (later Portland General Electric). Other firms represented in the collection include Oregon Railway and Navigation Company; Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway; and Oregon Water Power & Railway Company. Many of the drawings in this collection have an alphanumeric label written on them, which is noted in the item's title. Architectural drawings for buildings in this collection are primarily for facilities for streetcar and railroad employees and equipment, though they include a number of drawings for a proposed railway station in Mt. Angel, Oregon, and for a proposed hotel in Albany, Oregon, to be managed by Oregon Electric Railway. The collection also contains plans and drawings for other vehicles and sites, such as motorized shovels and landscape plans for a railway station rose garden.

Collection is arranged in four series: Series 1. Streetcars and trains; Series 2. Buses; Series 3. Buildings; Series 4. Other vehicles, equipment, and sites.

Collection is open for research.

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

• English

https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv71044

Materials acquired through a variety of donations in the mid- and late 20th century. Three plans relating to Portland Railway, Light & Power Company gift of George W. Blair, January 1975 (Lib. Acc. 13164)

Charcoal drawing of a train car was separated and processed as Coll 923, the Karl F. Koch charcoal drawing of a train car; maps and schematic relating to the Oregon Copper Company were separated to Mss 1032, the Oregon Copper Company records, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Preferred citation: Plans and drawings relating to public transportation in Oregon, Coll 142, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition.

Collection was initially processed in 2009, with materials pulled from the Architecture collection, Mss 1525. Collection was reprocessed and arranged in 2022. During reprocessing, some materials that were out of this collection's scope were removed and processed separately as Coll 923 or added to the Oregon Copper Company records, Mss 1032. Collection was titled "Portland, Oregon, streetcar blueprints and drawings" prior to 2022.

Item titles in the collection are based on the information on the item. Where the meaning of acronyms or abbreviations could not be determined, they are written in the item title as they appear on the item.

Michele Fricke and Geoffrey B. Wexler; revised by Jeffrey A. Hayes

• Electric railroads--Cars--Design and construction
• Buses--Design and construction
• Street-railroads--Buildings and structures--Oregon--Designs and plans
• Railroads--Buildings and structures--Oregon--Designs and plans

• Portland Railway, Light, and Power Company (Subject)

• architectural drawings (visual works)
• blueprints (reprographic copies)