Just east of Sellwood, a spur veers off the mainline and down a steep grade to serve an industrial park.   The main line continues eastward, crossing S.E. McLoughlin Blvd. and the Southern Pacific mainline on a high plate girder bridge. 

Coming out of the canyon toward Johnson Creek (above - photo # johnson_creek), and crossing it (below)

Photo # concrete_bridge

The line threads a short canyon and then follows Johnson Creek past the one-time stations of Stanley, Wichita and Bell in rapid succession (each marked only by a very short passing siding today). Curving to the northeast, the rails skirt the backyards of suburban southeast Portland, pass through Lents Junction and begin to leave "urban sprawl" behind.  

Photo # lents_jct01

Lents Junction, looking East (above) and West (below).  The substation is still in use in 1981.

Photo # lents_jct02

In open country now, the railroad passes through the Bellrose area, winds past wooded Powell Butte, and makes its way to Linneman Junction.  Here, the Gresham branch turns north and the Boring branch curves to the southeast.

All that's missing is the catenary to make this a bucolic interurban scene!

Photo # ptc_line

End of track is just a tail track for the yard in Boring in 1981.
Photo # ptcboring

On-line industry served by the Portland Traction Company includes many lumber yards and mills, warehouses, cold storage facilities, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, a cement plant, various light manufacturers, and the Oregon Liquor Control warehouse.  Until just a few years ago, there was a large lumber mill in Lents, but today its buildings lie vacant.

During the busy interurban years, many types of cars were in use.  Many were built in the Portland area, and the railroad owned cars from builders such as the American, Holman and Niles car companies, as well as a few single-truck Birneys.  The most recent equipment to be purchased for passenger use were Brill two-trucked "Master Unit" cars.  Other cars were purchased second-hand from such railroads as the Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville, the Pacific Electric, and others.   Late color schemes were cream over red.

Freight motors were mostly of steeple-cab design built by GE as well as some home-built copies, and a few home-built "express car" box motors saw service on the Oregon City line.  Steam power consisted of 2-4-2 "dummies" disguised as trolleys, 4-4-0's and at least one 0-6-0, as well as the four Shays.  Log cars were flatcars with log bunks added.

Modern Portland Traction Company power, in fact today's entire locomotive roster, consists of two orange SW1 switchers, numbers 100 and 200.

Today's Portland Railroad and Terminal Division of Portland Traction Company is a relaxed railroad; there is no real hurry on the line.  Even if there was a need for speed, track conditions and light rail usually require speeds of 10 mph or less.  Generally speaking, one train daily Monday through Friday can be found working the line as far east as necessary, with service to Gresham and/or Boring as needed.  I've never seen more than one SW1 powering a train.  No turnaround facilities are provided, so the locomotive heads out of East Side Yard pulling its train hood-first eastbound working trailing point sidings en route, runs around the train at one of the many sidings on the line, then pulls cab-first returning to Portland.  No caboose is currently used, and the average train consists of one to eight cars.