Union Station

 

Portland Union Station was conceived in the mid-1880s by Henry Villard, president of the Northern Pacific Railway when it reached Portland in 1883. An early design would have been the largest railroad station in the world. This more modest Richardsonian Romanesque proposal was designed by the Boston/Kansas City architectural firm of Van Brunt & Howe. The station was built by the Northern Pacific Terminal Co., beginning in 1890. It opened as Grand Central Station on February 14, 1896. As other railroads started using it, it became known as Union Station. In the 1920s, the depot served five railroads and over 120 arrivals and departures a day.

 

The 150-foot tower's Seth Thomas clock, made in Thomaston, Connecticut in 1895, features 14 foot diameter opalescent glass faces with bronze hands, a 14 foot pendulum and 1,000 pounds of counterweight that drops almost 50 feet over 7 days. The neon "UNION STATION GO BY TRAIN" signs, added in 1948 & turned off in 1971; were restored in 1985 by the efforts Rich Carlson.

 

Union Station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Union Station is the oldest major railroad passenger terminal on the West Coast and is one of the oldest continuously operating railroad passenger stations in the United States. It has been owned by the Portland Development Commission since 1987.

 

The neon "GO BY TRAIN" signs on Union Station's Clock Tower inspired this similar "GO BY STREETCAR" sign at the Streetcar Lofts Condominiums, which opened in 2001 at 11th & Lovejoy on the new Portland Streetcar route, just a few blocks west of Union Station.

 

Though passenger train service has decreased dramatically since Union Station's heyday, there are still a number of trains arriving and departing from Union Station throughout the day. Union Station is served by Amtrak's Coast Starlight, Empire Builder and Cascades service.

 

The Coast Starlight is a daily train operating between Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles, California. The Empire Builder is a daily train operating between Chicago, Illinois and Portland, Oregon or Seattle, Washington. At Spokane, Washington, the westbound Empire Builder splits in half, with part going to Seattle and part going to Portland. The eastbound Empire Builder reverses the process, with separate trains leaving Portland and Seattle and joining together at Spokane. Both trains use double-deck Superliner equipment and feature both coach and sleeping car accommodations dining cars and Sightseer Lounge Cars. (On the Empire Builder, the Sightseer Lounge does not operate between Spokane and Seattle and the Dining Car does not operate between Spokane & Portland.) The Coast Starlight includes an additional Pacific Parlour lounge car for sleeping car passengers only.

 

Amtrak's Cascades service operates several times a day between Vancouver, British Columbia and Eugene, Oregon. The trains are low-slung Talgo trains of a Spanish design assembled in the United States. The trains have a special suspension system that allows the train cars to lean slightly into curves and travel safely at higher speeds. The Cascades trains offer Coach Class and Business Class accommodations and feature a Bistro Car and a Dining Car.

 

The following schedule lists the arrivals and departures at Portland's Union Station on a typical day in chronological order. The times are the scheduled times listed in Amtrak's Spring-Summer 2008 System Timetable. Some of these trains have extra time built into their schedules and may occasionally arrive somewhat earlier than scheduled. Sometimes trains are also running late, and may arrive and/or depart later than scheduled. The direction refers to which direction the train passes through Union Station. In the case of the Empire Builder, which is an east-west train, #27 is westbound and #28 is eastbound.

 

 

The chart below is a graphical representation showing when trains are at Union Station. The red bar is the Empire Builder, blue bars are the Coast Starlight & green bars are Cascades trains. Note that the Empire Builder and Cascades trains have layovers in Portland that last several hours, so the trains can be found at Union Station for long periods in the middle of the day. (Clicking on the graphic will open up a larger version that is easier to read.)

 

 

In addition to trains, Union Station is also served by Amtrak's Thruway bus service, which connects to communities that do not have direct Amtrak rail service. This bus, #232, is owned by Oregon Coachways and is decorated with a special paint scheme depicting a Cascades Talgo Train.

 

 

A historical plaque is mounted on the exterior of Union Station near the main entrance. It was placed by the National Railway Historical Society's Historic Plaque Commission in 1996.

 

PORTLAND UNION STATION HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORICAL PLACES BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR   Opened on February 14, 1896, Union Station is one of the oldest continuously-operated railroad passenger stations in the United States. The building was designed by the Boston/Kansas City architectural firm of Van Brunt & Howe and is owned by the Portland Development Commission.   NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Historic Plaque Commission 1996

 

The main concourse was renovated in the 1930s by Pietro Belluschi. The walls and floor are covered with travertine marble, giving the waiting area an Art Deco look. The south wing retains more of the station's original Victorian Renaissance Revival architecture.

 

Part of the 1930s renovation of the waiting room included a built-in clock in the wall at each end. The clock above the ticket counter at the west end is no longer functional and has lost its hands, but the one above the doors to the platform still tells the time.

 

The main waiting room features neon directional signs that may have been installed when the interior was renovated, but more likely were added in 1948 with the neon signs on the clock tower. The sign for Amtrak's Metropolitan Lounge for sleeping car passengers is a more recent addition.

 

This small oil painting is on display in Union Station's main concourse. It was painted by J. Craig Thorpe in 1996 in honor of Union Station's 100th Anniversary. The plaque beneath the painting reads as follows:

 

 

 

Portland Union Station

Oil Painting by J. Craig Thorpe © 1996

 

This painting was commissioned by Rail Sensation Events, Inc. (RSE, Inc.), a non-profit, volunteer organization, for the 1996 centennial celebration of Portland Union Station. RSE, Inc. worked with AORTA¹, PNWC-NRHS² and PRPA³ to produce events celebrating the past, present and future of rail transportation.

 

This painting was donated by these organizations to the City of Portland in 2003 for permanent display at the station for public enjoyment. This gift celebrates the city's and the Pacific Northwest's success in preserving and enhancing rail transportation and the importance of citizen's involvement in that accomplishment. This gift is also made in memory of Rich Carlson (1929-2002), a long-time leader in the above citizen groups.

 

The building and shelters are on the National Register of Historic Landmarks. The platform shelters were built in 1904 and were saved from demolition in 1990 by the same citizen groups. The neon "Go by Train" signs were added in 1948 and are both historically significant and effective in attracting attention to this architectural gem. In 1985, Rich Carlson led a successful citizen effort to restore the neon signs (which had been turned off in 1971).

 

The rail equipment shown in the painting represents the railroads or their successors operating at the station during its first century: Baldwin steam locomotive SP&S 700, UP's "City of Portland" observation car, Amtrak's "Coast Starlight" with "Genesis" diesel-electric locomotive and Lima steam locomotive SP 4449. Both steam engines are now owned by the City of Portland and are maintained and operated, respectively, by PRPA and Friends of the 4449.

 

The station was purchased from the railroads by the Portland Development Commission in 1987 and has been extensively refurbished. The station is now operated by the City of Portland, which is continuing to renovate it, with major help from donations and volunteer efforts.

 

¹ AORTA, Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates

² PNWC-NRHS, Pacific Northwest Chapter - National Railway Historical Society

³ PRPA, Pacific Railroad Preservation Association

 

Amtrak's Empire Builder, a continuation of the Great Northern Railway's Empire Builder, celebrated its 75th anniversary on June 11, 2004. These two large displays depict Great Northern E7 locomotive #502 (the color display is a colorized version of the black & white photo used in the other display).

 

This view shows the vestibule between the concourse and the platforms. An antique baggage wagon is on display.

 

 

 

 

Outside on the platforms, this neon sign indicates the entrance to the station concourse.

 

 

 

 

The shelters over the passenger platforms were built in 1904. They were saved from demolition in 1990.

 

 

 

 

This video shows the southbound Coast Starlight pulling into Union Station on May 10, 2008.

 

 

 

Amtrak P42DC #73 is waiting with the Portland Section of the northbound Empire Builder, which isn't scheduled to depart until later in the day.

 

 

 

 

This view down the platform shows a Cascades Talgo train on the left and Superliner cars of the Portland Section of the Empire Builder on the right

 

 

 

 

The Union Station Clock Tower peeks through between the platform shelter and the Cascades Talgo train.

 

 

 

 

These views from the pedestrian bridge show the northbound Coast Starlight, southbound Cascades 507 and northbound Cascades 508.

 

 

 

These views show the southbound Coast Starlight, the northbound Portland Section of the Empire Builder, a Cascades Talgo Train and extra Superliner coaches.

 

 

Train 507, a southbound Cascades, is shown departing Union Station from the pedestrian bridge. F59PHI #470 leads the train while NPCU #90340 brings up the rear.

 

 

 

Amtrak #34133 is a Superliner II Coach. On the roof are the words "FOR THE TWENTY." This car was part of a special train for Bill Clinton's Presidential Campaign, and a campaign slogan was spelled out on the rooftop of the train's cars. The full slogan was "Clinton: On the right track for the twenty first century," or something similar.

 

Here are some pictures of the Coast Starlight stopped at Union Station. Shown here are Pacific Parlour Car #39974 and Superliner I Coach #34046.

 

At the south end of Union Station are F59PHI #469 with a Cascades Talgo Train and P42DC #119 with the southbound Coast Starlight.

 

 

Amtrak P32-8BWH #505 & F59PHI #470 made for an unusual motive power consist on this southbound Coast Starlight.

 

 

 

 

VC Tower at the south end of Union Station was one of the last operating interlocking towers in the United States when it closed on November 5, 1997. The historic tower will be reused to house automated electronic controls for the new Light Rail line in the Portland Transit Mall.

 

 

Here are the tracks of the new light rail line to the Portland Transit Mall adjacent to Union Station, under construction on May 10, 2008.

 

 

 

 

Amtrak P42DC #112 is shown arriving from the south with the northbound Coast Starlight.

 

 

 

 

South of Union Station the railroad tracks cross the river on the lower deck of the steel bridge. Naito Parkway crosses the tracks here, requiring a hinged crossing arm to clear the bridge's upper deck.

 

 

 

Amtrak F59PHI #469 pulls a northbound Cascades train, temporarily made up of Amfleet and Horizon cars while the Talgos were out of service for repairs, out of Union Station.

 

 

 

Amtrak NPCU #90252 is at the north end of the Union Station platforms with a Cascades Talgo train. A pair of P42Dcs with the northbound Coast Starlight are in the background

 

 

Amtrak P42DC #173 waits at Union Station with the Portland Section of the eastbound Empire Builder. The northbound Coast Starlight is in the background.

 

 

 

Freight trains also pass through Union Station. Here are some examples: BNSF C44-9W #5496, Union Pacific SD70M #4853, Union Pacific SD70ACe #8570 & Portland & Western Railroad GP40 #3006.

 

Private Passenger Cars can also sometimes be found at Union Station. A couple of examples include sleeper-lounge Silver Iris and Business Car Silver Foot.

 

 

 

Past Events at Union Station

 

The first annual National Train Day was held on May 10, 2008. Events occurred at train stations all across the United States, including in Portland.

 

Union Station's south wing was filled with booths for local railroad organizations and hobby shops. There was also an example of a diesel locomotive control stand on display.

 

 

One of the organizations with a display was the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. I took the opportunity to photograph their drumhead.

 

 

 

Amtrak NPCU #90250 with a Cascades Talgo train & P42DC #95 with a pair of Superliners were on display. P42DC #73 was also there with the Portland Connection of the northbound Empire Builder.

 

Amtrak's bi-level Superliner cars and General Electric P42DC locomotives are used on the Seattle-Los Angeles Coast Starlight and the Seattle/Portland-Chicago Empire Builder. Though these trains also include Superliner Sleeping Cars, Dining Cars and Sightseer Lounge Cars, only a Coach and Coach-Baggage were available for visitors to walk through.

 

Amtrak P40DC #95 was posed with Superliner I Coach-Baggage #31015 and Superliner II Coach #34103, which were open for visitors to walk through.

 

These views show the lower level of Superliner I Coach-Baggage #31015. The baggage section is beyond the door and naturally off limits.

 

 

 

Here is the upper level of Superliner I Coach-Baggage #31015. The car has been recently redecorated, as the upholstery on the seats was not in use as of my last Amtrak trip in 2003. The upper level of Superliner II Coach #34103 was essentially the same.

 

 

This is the lower level of Superliner II Coach #34103. As a full coach it features a small seating area on the lower level.

 

 

 

 

The low-slung, articulated Talgo train consists are used for the Cascades service between Eugene, Oregon and Vancouver, British Columbia. Nearly the entire Cascades train was open for visitors to walk through.

 

Here is the main entry vestibule to a Cascades car, and the diaphragm between two of the cars.

 

 

 

 

These pictures are from the Coach Class section of the Cascades train. In this part of the car, there are two seats on each side of the aisle. Also notice the ceiling-mounted monitors for passenger entertainment.

 

Because the seats are reversible, they can be arranged to face each other, so that groups of passengers traveling together can face each other. Tables can also be placed between facing seats.

 

 

Here are more pictures of Coach Class cars. Note that part of the train, has single seats on one side of the aisle.

 

This is the Bistro Car, which offers all of the train's food service. It has a limited amount of seating around the bar area. It also includes the kitchen for the dining car.

 

 

The Bistro Car connects directly to the Dining Car, which features its own sink and coffee maker. An odd feature is that the seats in the dining car fold up.

 

Here are some pictures of the Business Class section of the Cascades Train. Except for slightly different decor, it doesn't seem that different from Coach Class, though the seats are a little bigger.

 

 

The 100th Anniversary of Union Station was celebrated on May 11, 1996.

 

Portland's two operating mainline steam locomotives, Southern Pacific #4449 and Spokane, Portland & Seattle #700, were displayed side-by-side. Both are 4-8-4-type locomotives. #4449 is a GS-4 class locomotive, built by the Lima Locomotive Works in 1941 for glamorous service pulling Southern Pacific's premier Daylight streamlined passenger trains in Southern California. It was replaced by diesels and retired on October 2, 1957. #700 in one of three 4-8-4s built for the SP&S in 1938 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These locomotives were identical to A-3 class locomotives then being delivered to SP&S's parent, the Northern Pacific Railway, except that the SP&S locomotives burned oil instead of coal. By 1955, the SP&S had completed dieselization and was ready to retire the last of its steam locomotives. After pulling 1,400 passengers on a 21-car Farewell to Steam Excursion between Portland and Wishram, Washington on May 20, 1956, #700 joined the rest of SP&S's steam locomotives in a scrap line. After the Union Pacific offered the City of Portland 4-6-2 Pacific #3203 to display in a park, SP&S donated #700 on January 13, 1958, and would be the only SP&S or NP Northern to survive; in fact only one other SP&S steam locomotive survived. Southern Pacific donated #4449 to the City of Portland on April 24, 1958. All three locomotives were put on static display at Oaks Amusement Park. On December 14, 1974, #4449 was removed from Oaks Park and moved to Burlington Northern's Hoyt Street Roundhouse near Union Station for restoration to pull the American Freedom Train, a museum train of American artifacts that traveled the country in celebration of the Bicentennial in 1976. #4449's boiler was put to steam on April 18, 1975 for the first time since 1957. She moved under her own power on April 21, and was christened on May 16. She left Portland on June 20 to take over the Freedom Train in Chicago on August 4. #4449 pulled the Freedom Train for the rest of its tour until it ended in Miami on December 31, 1976. #4449 returned to Portland by pulling a series of "Amtrak Transcontinental Steam Excursions" across the South and West in April, 1977, still in its Freedom Train paint but with the "Amtrak" name added to the tender. #4449 arrived in Portland on May 1, having visited at least 30 states (many more than once) during its Freedom Train and Amtrak Excursion travels, and was placed in indoor storage. In 1981, #4449 emerged, restored to the post-WWII version of its Daylight paint. After #4449's restoration, 15-year-old Chris McLarney founded the Pacific Railroad Preservation Association in 1977 to restore #700. The locomotive returned to operation in 1990.

 

Amtrak had a Superliner consist on display for visitors to walk through. P40DC #802 was on display with the consist. Amtrak #802 was built by General Electric in 1993, one of the first of Amtrak's newest generation of locomotives.

 

Union Pacific #6936 is a DDA40X, built in January 1971, one of 47 built, all for the Union Pacific, which at nearly 100 feet in length and with 6,600 horsepower are the largest and most powerful diesel locomotives ever built. #6936 is one of 13 that survive today, and the only one still owned by Union Pacific. It was transferred from freight to excursion service in May, 1985.

 

Sumpter Valley Railway #19 is the first of a pair of narrow-gauge 2-8-2 Mikados built for the eastern Oregon railroad by the American Locomotive Company in 1920. #19 & #20 were replaced on the Sumpter Valley in 1940 by a pair of used Baldwin articulated 2-6-6-2 Mallets. The tenders from the Mikados were put behind the Mallets, and the Mikados were sold to Alaska's White Pass & Yukon, where they served until 1957. The Mallets were sold to a railroad in Guatemala in 1947, and the tenders went with them. The Sumpter Valley reacquired the two Mikados in the 1970s and got the tenders back from Guatemala. #19 was restored at the Brooklyn Roundhouse in the early 1990s. It had recently been completed and was brought to Union Station's 100th Anniversary before being returned to the Sumpter Valley. A section of track at Union Station was converted to the narrow 3-foot gauge to allow #19 to be fired up and operate back and forth.

 

Great Northern Caboose X40 was built in 1960 by the International Car Company. It became Burlington Northern #10330. It was retired in the 1980s and was purchased by private owners and restored to Great Northern colors.

 

Locomotive #100 is a 600-horsepower SW1 built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in February 1952. It was originally owned by the Portland Railroad & Terminal Division of the Portland Traction Company and has worked on the East Portland branch for nearly its entire existence. It was joined in March 1953 by another SW1: #200. In the mid-1980s, #100 was sold to Watco Companies and used at a paper mill in Wallua, Washington, while #200 was sold and ended up serving a grain elevator in Superior, WI. #100 was purchased by Dick Samuels in 1987 for use on its original line, which would become the East Portland Traction Company, and was repainted back to its original orange paint scheme, which it retains today. #100 was also used for a time on the Molalla Western in 1993 just after Dick Samuels took over that line, but is typically used on the East Portland line and calls the Milwaukie shops home.

 

This Alco RSD5 was built in November 1955 as Utah Railway #306. It was retired in May, 1982. It was sold to Industrial Salvage & Metals of Salt Lake City in November 1983 and was traded to the Promontory Chapter of the NRHS in January 1984. Doyle McCormack purchased it in October 1993 and painted it as Nickel Plate Road #324, though it actually carries the DLMX reporting mark. Nickel Plate didn't actually have any RSD5s, but they did have the similar 4-axle RS3s. The number 324 was an unused number on the Nickel Plate roster, between the road's Baldwin AS16s and Alco RSD12s.

 

This Spanish-built Amtrak Talgo Demonstrator trainset was used between Portland and Seattle. It was the prototype of the Cascades trainsets that would eventually go into service.

 

Willamette & Pacific #2304, Corvallis, is a GP39-2 that was built in 1974 as Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe #3603. It is one of a group of 17 GP39-2s Willamette & Pacific acquired from the Santa Fe in 1993.

 

Willamette & Pacific #74003 is a woodchip gondola that wears a special paint scheme for D.A.R.E., Drug Abuse Resistance Education. It was originally built in 1974 for the Southern Pacific Railroad as #355220.

 

Dome Coach Silver Scene was built by Budd in 1947 as Chicago, Burlington & Quincy #4729 for the Twin Cities Zephyr. It became Burlington Northern #5484 and then Amtrak #9544. It was retired in December 1983 and passed through a series of owners, by this time being restored to its original appearance and being operated as a RailVentures/Montana Daylight car.

 

BKSX 44-Seat Coach #4001 was built by Budd in 1950 as Southern Pacific #2228 for the Sunset Limited. It was also numbered 2367 and became Amtrak #4415. At this point it was being operated as a RailVentures/Montana Daylight car.

 

BKSX Dome Coach 9407 was built by Budd in July 1954 as Northern Pacific #550 for the Vista Dome North Coast Limited. It was assigned Burlington Northern #4617, but never received it before becoming Amtrak #9477. It was renumbered #9407 in October 1983 when it was converted to HEP. It was sold to become a RailVentures/Montana Daylight car, receiving BKSX reporting marks in May 1995, though at this point in 1996 it still gives the appearance of an Amtrak car.

 

BKSX Dome Coach 9410 was built by Budd in 1955 as Great Northern #1331 for the Empire Builder. It was assigned Burlington Northern #4611, but never received it before becoming Amtrak #9471. It was renumbered #9410 in January 1984 when it was converted to HEP. It was retired in 1995 and sold to become a RailVentures/Montana Daylight car.

 

This freight train passed through Union Station during the 100th Anniversary Celebration. Burlington Northern #2750 was built in April 1963 as Great Northern Railway GP30 #3007. It became Burlington Northern #2207. In April 1989 it was rebuilt by EMD into GP39E #2750.

 

Union Pacific's articulated 4-6-6-4 Challenger steam locomotive #3985 came to Portland in 1995. Its cars were left at Union Station while it was serviced and displayed across the river at Albina Yard. Many of these cars would have visited Union Station many times while in regular passenger service with the Union Pacific prior to Amtrak's creation in 1971.

 

Union Pacific 44-Seat Coach #5486, City of Salina, was built by American Car & Foundry in 1954. It has remained in Union Pacific service ever since. It was given the name Challenger in 1989, after Union Pacific's all-coach Challenger train that ran between Omaha, Nebraska and Los Angeles, California from May 1936 to April 1971, and was renamed City of Salina in 1992, after Union Pacific's first streamliner and America's first high-speed, internal-combustion passenger train, which operated between Kansas City, Topeka and Salina, Kansas from January 1935 to December 1941.

 

Union Pacific 44-Seat Coach #5468, Katy Flyer, was built by American Car & Foundry in 1954. It has remained in Union Pacific service ever since. It was given the name Columbine in 1989 after the Union Pacific train that ran between Omaha, Nebraska and Denver, Colorado from 1929 to 1950, then renamed City of San Francisco in 1992 after the jointly operated Union Pacific/Southern Pacific/Chicago & North Western streamliner that ran between Chicago and Oakland, California from June 1936 to April 1971. In 1993 it was renamed Katy Flyer, after the Missouri-Kansas-Texas train that ran between St. Louis, Missouri and Galveston, Texas from 1896 to 1961.

 

Union Pacific Dome Dining Car #7011, Missouri River Eagle, was originally built by Pullman-Standard in November 1958 as Dome Coach #7012. It was part of Pullman-Standard's last group of dome cars: five for Union Pacific's City of St. Louis (including #7015 shown below) and one of the same design for the Wabash railroad. In June 1972, the car was sold to AutoTrain for use between Virginia and Florida, becoming AutoTrain #708. After AutoTrain shut down in April 1981, the car was sold to the James E. Strates Shows circus in December 1981, later to Kasten Rail Car in 1984 and eventually to the Hartwell Lowe Corporation of Yucca Valley, California as HLCX #1898, Marion Mattison. In 1988, the car was sold to Scenic Rail Tours and was rebuilt by Northern Rail Car into Dome Dining Car #7011, Mountain View, in 1989. Scenic Rail Tours was bought out by Transcisco Tours in October 1990, and the car was renamed Emerald Bay. Transcisco Tours went bankrupt and the car was returned to Northern Rail Car in August 1991, who immediately leased it to the Kalamazoo, Lake Shore & Chicago for Michigan Wine Country Dinner Train service. In May 1993, Northern Rail Car sold the car to Union Pacific and it became #7011 and was named Missouri River Eagle after the Missouri Pacific Railroad's first, and last operating, diesel-powered streamliner, which operated from St. Louis to Omaha from March 1940 to September 1965, when the route was cut back from Omaha to Kansas City. Service on the shorter route continued until April 1971.

 

Union Pacific did originally own a Dome Coach of this design with the number 7011. That car is currently in Mexico. This car was originally #7012.

 

Union Pacific Power Car #208 was originally built by American Car & Foundry in 1949 as Baggage-Dormitory #6006. In 1962, it was one of five such cars Union Pacific remodeled into Boiler-Dormitory-Baggage cars to provide additional heating capabilities in extremely long passenger trains and renumbered to #303. In 1987 it was assigned to the steam program as #209. In 1991, the car was equipped with a diesel generator to supply Hotel Electric Power (HEP) to other cars. This car has the unusual configuration of a four-axle truck on one end and a six-axle truck on the other.